Ride+Stride fundraiser

South from Okeford Fitzpaine, we climb over Okeford Hill and stop atop to admire the magnificent views of the Blackmore Vale then behind us. Dropping down we ride through the Winterborne valley on a narrow but popular rural lane visiting churches along the way including the parish church from which Charles Wesley was ousted by the established Church of England. At the 7mile mark, we turn north and climb clockwise back up to Milton Abbey and Hilton, over Woolland Hill with its views of Bulbarrow towards Sturminster Newton's parish church of St Mary's for tea before returning to Okeford along the North Dorset Trailway.
Participants are welcome to join or leave us at any part of the route but I suggest they contact me since our route and timing must be flexible to allow for all eventualities.

We will be visiting many of North Dorset's historic church buildings and discovering what is special and interesting. Our route starts dramatically with a steep climb up and over Okeford Hill climbed by Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles on her way south to find Angel's parents.... and we might just bump into Hardy carving his signature owl on the stone pillars in Turnworth Church as a junior architect or hear his voice from the pulpit reading from the Bible or see him cycling up the hill from Dorchester - no gears in those days.

Mostly narrow C classified rural lanes and a few miles on the rougher Trailway back home.

8 to 10 stops while we visit the church buildings with 2-6mile gaps between.

Picnic lunch and energy snacks to combat the hills, puncture repair kit/ spare inner tube, sunhat perhaps given the forecast for the day - lovely.

This route will be quite challenging for some and not for folk unused to cycling since we will be climbing and dropping up/down some steep hills over a 26mile route.