The sun is out and Berkshire’s countryside is in dazzling bloom. William Gadsby Peet dons Lycra and helmet to explore glorious gastronomic cycling routes
Cakes galore at Velolife
There are two things which our happy little corner of Albion could scarcely be accused of lacking: beautiful scenery and prestigious places to eat. And, with the sun now showing its grubby little face on a somewhat more regular basis, it’s the perfect time of year to indulge in a bit of freewheeling foodie fun.
I tend to start my jolly jaunts in quest of sustenance in Windsor central, as it is only a brief pedal from here to National Cycle Networks (NCN) 4 and 61, both of which embrace a wealth of routes around the area. If it’s an early start, I’ll head to Cinnamon Cafe at the heart of Windsor Royal Shopping for a coffee and giant cinnamon bun – providing plenty of fuel for the fire, as it were. Moreover, as the story bottom right shows, the café could do with all the extra custom it can get right now.
If it’s a shortish ride I’m after, I’ll head south down NCN 4 to Windsor Great Park and, after taking in the sights of the Ranger’s Lodge, Poets Lawn and the Copper Horse statue, choose between either a full meal at The Savill Garden Kitchen – where the wood fired pizzas are a particular treat – or, if I’m feeling less peckish, a lakeside ice cream or hot dog at the Virginia Water Pavilion. After that I can either cycle straight back to Windsor or, if the mood takes me, follow NCN 4 further east through Runnymede and Staines, on towards the lakes of Chertsey and Thorpe.
Rotisserie at The Coach
For a quick water-based adventure, there’s a great little loop around Eton and the Jubilee River, which is best started by crossing over to Eton via Windsor Bridge and then cycling west along the Thames towards Dorney Lake. Looping north and east to reach Dorney itself, I will invariably pop across the river to The Pineapple – a 15th century, Grade II listed pub, so named because Britain’s first ever pineapple was grown just 200 yards away and presented to King Charles II in 1661 as an alternative to Nell Gwynn’s oranges. Today it’s the award-winning ‘Serious Sandwich Selection’ that pulls in the hungry cyclist.
Fancy another tasty local foodie piece? You can check out our review of Heston Blumenthal's newly refurbished Hind's Head in Bray by clicking here
Rested and refuelled, I move on to enjoy a leisurely, digestion-friendly riverside return along the NCN 61, eastward along the Jubilee River past Eton Wick, before looping back through the Hogwartian splendour of Eton College to finish in Eton proper. Time to lock the bike up and partake in a chilled glass or two of rosé at Gilbey’s.
Finally, for a real lung-busting, calorie-crushing odyssey, it’s the NCN 4 all the way through Bray – with its variety of Michelin starred pit stops – and on past Maidenhead towards Henley-On-Thames, stopping off at specialist cycle café Velolife in Warren Row for a bike service and doorstopper sized slab of cake. Replete, I take the long and looping ride along the Thames to Marlow, and by the time I arrive at Tom Kerridge’s pub restaurant The Coach for a hard-earned rotisserie, I am well and truly feeling the burn – as a certain Vermont Democrat might say.
After that it’s a lengthy pilgrimage back to Windsor via Cookham, Dorney and Eton, followed by a jelly-legged train journey home. Eating out can sure be hard work!
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