‘a bimble in the countryside through quaint cotswolds villages’

MY FAVOURITE RIDE COTSWOLDS LOOP

RiDE reader Peter Genet takes us for a gentle stroll round his favourite Gloucestershire back roads

Words and Pictures Kev Raymond

RIDE READER PETER GENET

Peter Genet, 55, is an all-weather rider and RoSPA instructor who rides all over the UK and Europe on his 2015 BMW R1200GSA, usually with wife Sally as pillion. As well as bikes, they're both into hiking and good pubs, and often try to combine the three pursuits

WE’VE DONE QUITE a few Favourite Rides features in the Cotswolds and every time, I think surely we’ve already seen, and been, everywhere worth looking at. Every time I’m proved wrong, and hopefully today I’m about to be proved wrong once more. Pete Genet’s promised me what he describes as, “A bimble in the countryside, through quaint Cotswolds villages, with roads that are sublime in terms of rideability, right down to narrow lanes with grass along the centre. Not a long ride, just a nice couple of hours in the saddle.” Sounds good to me. We meet up at Pete’s native Cricklade for a coffee and a chat, and then we’re off — Pete leading the way on his 1200GS, and me trailing behind on RiDE’s R1250RS.

The ride

We start off with a quick blast on the A419 just to get out of town, but we’re soon turning right onto the B4425 towards Burford and straight into trees, rolling farmland and a really nice sweeping road, albeit a pretty dirty one. It’s a chilly, overcast day in spring and the winter’s mud and gunge is still hanging around. It’s attractive countryside though — lots of nice dry-stone walling and prosperous-looking farms. Down into the village of Barnsley, which is very pretty, with little old houses, neat and trim. On a summer’s day, the copper beech hedges and mellow stone would be glowing gold, and it’d be nice to sit outside the Boot with a cool pint.

Out of the village past the grounds of a stately home, then we’re running down into Bibury — one of the jewels of the Cotswolds, based around the trout farm and the medieval Arlington Mill. It really is postcard-perfect. Even the new build on the outskirt