SUNNYHILL

 Sunnyhill is just southeast of Oxford, and makes organic wine and cider. It also has llamas. I had arranged to meet a friend there, as it’s about equidistant for us. The problem with arrangements involving other people is that it’s harder to change plans when the weather forecast changes. 

Because motorways are boring, I took the A-roads - the A40, which is fun and has some fun twists between Stokenchurch and Tetworth - coming off at Wheatley. 

This is summer, of course, so the signposts are somewhat obscured by overly enthusiastic plant-life. But from Wheatley to Ladder Hill to Cuddesdon wasn’t overly complicated. 

Once there, I barely got into their little cafe before the rain really started to come down. They do serve cake with their coffee, which helps with the thawing and relaxing process.

I feel that Sunnyhill would be nicer in weather that better matched its name. 

I came back on the motorway - boring, but safer in the weather conditions (driving rain, very little visibility, high levels of spray) - and would really like the UK to institute the following 2 road rules: A lower speed limit in poor visibility or bad weather (which most of Europe already has) and headlights on in poor visibility or bad weather. Cars vanish into the spray without lights, regardless of paint colour. 

RIDGEVIEW

Ridgeview Vineyard is down near Brighton, on the Ditchling side. I took the A24, because the M23 is, like most motorways, boring. So, from London, A24, A272 all the way under the M23 Junction up to Ansty, then the B2036 (fun, and in good condition for a B road) towards Ditchling. Ridgeview is on Fragbarrow (I love English place and road names sometimes), off the B2112. 

Now for the important stuff: Fragbarrow is paved. As is the Ridgeview driveway, AND half their parking. I am a HUGE fan of road surfaces on which my bike and boots have grip and parking surfaces on which my bike stand will live up to its name, rather than sinking down into gravel or mud.

The other half of their parking is gravel, but under a very fine mesh that stops the sinking aspect nicely by providing non-gravel bits to go under the stand.

Ridgeview’s shop only sells wine and wine-related items, but if you walk around the corner, they have a restaurant on site, which serves a fairly limited menu of drinks and dishes it does very well. I recommend their Sunday lunch. 

ALBURY ORGANIC

 Albury Organic is just behind the parking for Silent Pool on the A25. It’s up a really steep, rutted track from there, with gravel of varying and unpredictable depth, which crosses an established walking route. If you’re going, park in the paved Silent Pool parking and walk from there, past the Silent Pool Gin place and the little eatery next to that. 

Albury has a tasting room that serves a few appetisers/ bar snacks and is pretty and pleasant, but it doesn’t have anything not-wine to drink (except water). To a biker, this is not a selling point.