Being a dedicated leader, I had been carefully planning and checking out a route for months, however it was the Monday before the trip that Sandra said we are off to Oxford on Friday, can you tell everyone who is going, when and where to meet, and what the stops are.
If only my planned route had been that one , however I had a route to and from Oxford that I had used before, so a tweak to get it to start at Uxbridge, the cunning plan of a Picnic lunch hiding the fact I could not think of a stop, ( I am sure no one will ever realise)
So all that was needed was to pre book fantastic weather, and let everyone know.
Friday morning arrived, with everyone meeting at Uxbridge, a goodly crowd, Geoff, Dave, Jim, Chris, Sandra, Don, and a brace of Alan’s
“where are we off to?” asks Don “Oxford for an overnight, coming back tomorrow”
“That’s a pity, my chips will thaw out in a couple of days I need to get them home so can’t join you”
So 7 it was that rode off toward Denham on a very lovely morning, turning onto the M40 I reminded everyone the Tesco’s at Loudwater was at Junction 3, for elevenses did not want anyone to miss it.
Nipping through the hedge had us on the usual route out of Uxbridge up to Tatling End, dropping through Fulmer past Stoke Common, on past the Yew Tree, toward Odds Farm, staying on the top of the ridge for a change, and using the A40 to drop out of Beaconsfield to Loudwater so we didn’t have to brake until we were at Tesco (Costa)
Having coffeed and gathered picnic stuff, we wound our way through High Wycombe, with slightly more winding than I had planned, to miss a very nasty nettle patch, after cruising through the Rye and meandering through town, we turned right and had a steady turn toward Princess Risborough, turning off at Saunderton and joining the Phoenix trail at Bledlow.
“let’s Picnic at the old station” 5 miles pass, “Have they taken the ‘Old Station out?”
3 did stop at a nice bench, but we were station hunting  we arrived at Thame, “sure we should have seen the station by now!”, brief conversation ensued naming most converted railways in the UK and a few in France, 0.5 Mile further we found it, must have been the old Thame Station, with a nice serpentine wooden structure on the old platform, tested for seating, sleeping, sun bathing and cycling on, not a bad piece of multi use infrastructure. Friday before half term, had us nicely passing through Thame school at kicking out time! I think it was the quantity and proximity of the school busses that scared the air out of Chris’s tyre, allowing the group to form the traditional maintenance circle.
On through to Wheatley, more tea was requested, a passing local was interrogated, eventually divulging the location, on route to this, we passed a pub, so went in there instead  a very fine tipple they served too, we chatted to some rabbits in the garden, very Lewis Carole, neither were white or late or indeed appear to have watches, I lead off up the road, but Jim was having none of it, he still wanted to go to Oxford! And insisted I lead in the correct direction, I mention the drink because the group thought my perfectly flat route climbed up a stonking great hill right after the pub! A nice brisk entry into Oxford followed, where we decanted into the YHA, regouping to wander to the nearby Weatherspoons for a leisurely meal, a walk around town, maybe trying another hostelry (rude not to)
A hostel breakfast, with a very well behaved school party of youngsters, then sorting out the steeds and off, soon onto the Thames path pretty much following NCN 5 a slight detour here and there, one being to Wallingford Railway museum, “we are Closed” said the people near the cafe, hey ho, the Church was much friendlier and I dare say cheaper, the bridleway along the north bank of the Thames I always enjoy, followed by a lunch (bit late again) at Reading soon after this we left NCN 5, and joined NCN 4, stopping for Tea (Traditional English Ale) for some at Bray, over the Thames at Dorney onto the Jubilee river, where the group divided to head home.
One puncture, slight sunburn, all in all a very pleasant couple of days in the saddle.
Alan