Steve Cake took us on a lovely ride to Wembley, weaving in and out of the back roads with such enthusiasm that we were all completely lost in no time. Occasionally surfacing somewhere we recognised but then to duck back into an alley or footpath and onto another back road. Jill had a rubbing back wheel so was getting a good workout (brakes/ buckled wheel or some such issue). There was also a bit of a headwind which we were hoping would give us benefit on the way back.
Elevenses was at Costa, Wembley. Our coffees were supplemented with homemade biscuits made by Jill (yummy). It had just started raining as we left, so those of us with waterproofs, waterproofed up. It seemed to be in for the day, so I went so far as to pop on my Lidl waterproof socks.
We took a very pleasant off road route along the River Brent and Grand Union Canal to our lunch stop at The Ballot Box at Horsenden Hill. The rain had lightened to a light drizzle so we were damp not soaked by the time we arrived. There was a comprehensive range of discounts. With careful consideration we selected the optimum low cost combination and ordered. The food arrived almost immediately and was more than adequate. I was well positioned to assist Gerry with her Garlic Bread. Mr Cake was able to polish off the Treacle Sponge part of my two course special deal.
Looking out we could see that the rain had got somewhat heavier, so with little enthusiasm we headed back out. Our route continued with the pleasant ducking and diving until our leader made the fundamental error of hooking the map out. As he pondered, whilst we stood dripping in the rain, two likely lads Roy & Ray piped up that they new the area very well from old drinking days and from then on his leading days were over.
Our enthusiasm totally shot by now, as we squelched along through the puddles and school run traffic, we agreed to forgo afternoon tea and headed straight back to Uxbridge on the main road (absolutely horrendous). By the time I got home, I was soaked through, apart from my feet which were nice and dry ;o)