Swanbourne/Leighton Buzzard - 70/75 miles

There's a cafe in Swanbourne, which though often peopled with cyclists, never strikes me as very good - the portions are a bit measly and the woman who runs it always seems to want to hurry people along. Maybe I've just always gone there on bad days, but not a patch on Cirencester, anyway. There is nowhere to eat in Leighton Buzzard, so I've suggested a short cut to save a bit of distance.

This is another ride with the advantage that it is much further out than back - it's only 28 miles back from Swanbourne, so a 9.30 ride doesn't arrive ridiculously early for lunch.

• Out through Oakley and Brill - straight through the latter and down the steep descent. Turn right at the bottom and keep going to the T-junction. Turn left here and after a while, up a steep climb to Ashendon resevoir.
• Turn left at the top through Ashendon and Westcott to reach the A41. Turn right then left, and over the railway line to Quainton village.
• Turn right in Quainton, then next left after about 2 miles through Pitchcott, Oving and Whitchurch.
• In Whitchrch, turn right onto the A413 then left after half a mile to Cublington, straight acoss the crossroads to the next junction. From here, you can either turn right into Wing and thence Leighton Buzzard (take the B4032 out towards Stewkley), or else left directly to Stewkley, where you pick up the B4032.
• The cafe is on the exit of Swanbourne village on the right after about four miles.
• From Swanbourne, continue into Winslow, then it is a series of right-left-right-left back home - head first for "the Claydons" then:
• right fork after Winslow to East Claydon;
• right in Botolph Claydon;
• left to Calvert;
• straight over the crossroads to Charndon, where left again,
• then through Marsh Gibbon, Blackthorn, Ambrosden, Merton, Islip and home.