Oxford Section BBQ 2011

What an excellent day out on the 14th August, thanks to all those who did the work of getting the BBQ ready, cooking and organising the run from Newbury. A gentle ride down the A34 from Bicester to Newbury and I was ready for a cup of tea from the cafe by the canal. Seeing another couple of bikers I asked if they were for the BMW ride out, they weren't but they said there were a lot of BMWs parked on the car park by the entrance! True enough, there was Geoff and about 7 bikes in the wrong place!! An excellent tour from Newbury out into the hills with superb views from the tops of the Downs - is that an Oxymoron? Seeing a crop circle way down below reminded us that we also had to go down a winding and narrow road. Through little villages I'd never heard of, neat churches and village greens, many great looking pubs. One of these had a gathering of vintage Triumphs with their owners watching us all cruise by.  A climb back up the hill to the Forest site and the BBQ with all our friends already tucking in. Superb food, cooked to perfection by the team of chefs followed by some wonderful cakes, fruit salad and ice cream refilled the inner people. My ride home proved pleasant enough as long as I had the patience to cope with the tourists and the farmers, which after such a nice day was easy.Here's to the next event with a big thank you again to all those who organised and ran the day. Report by John Broad.