All Categories - RFW

Go West! (to Kibworth/Tur Langton)

12/11/2023

This route goes to one of our favorite cafes, Mint and Ginger in Tur Langton, and it passes Windmill Farm Café just outside Kibworth too. It goes West to Shearsby before looping back to the cafés at some 42 km into the 62 km ride.

Alternatively you can carry on to Rural Relaxing in Medbourne at 54 km.

karoo-tur_langton_west_62km__1_.gpx
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E to Wadenhoe, King's Head 68km

5/11/2023

Here's the route in Strava, returning via the North of Corby.
This pub is cycle friendly, has great cakes and a lovely riverside garden.
Their website kingsheadwadenhoe.com

wadenhoe_round_68km.gpx
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Top Lodge, Fineshade Wood

29/10/2023

Top Lodge café at Fineshade Wood can get busy if the weather is good, but there's lots of room and an outside courtyard. Fineshade is one of the last remaining wooded areas left of the old Rockingham Forest.

This loop starts off going West from the club, then swings up North through Uppingham and Rutland before returning across the Welland Valley to Fineshade. The total loop is 75km; here's the route in Strava.

top_lodge_fineshades_75km.gpx
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Cafe Ventoux, Tugby

22/10/2023

Café Ventoux in Tugby is a real cyclists 'honey pot', where you'll always find plenty of customers in lycra.

The first route takes us out to the North-West via Houghton, before coming back up and round from the North; here's the Strava link.

café_ventoux_73km_nw.gpx
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And this second route goes North East and round Rutland Water, arriving at Cafe Ventoux after 55 km.

cafe_ventoux_via_rutland_74km.gpx
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And here's a shorter route that also goes North-West and is a loop of 60km.

nw_loop_to_tugby_60km.gpx
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Holly Lodge Cafe near Hamerton

15/10/2023

Short description of a longish ride, beyond Oundle to a new location, Holly Lodge Farm Cafe just beyond Hamerton, SE of Oundle. The route is a 89 Km ride with the cafe half-way around. Facebook page looks promising!

karoo-holly_lodge_cafe_nr_hamerton_89km_loop.gpx
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Weldon Woodland Park CX

8/10/2023

With Rocko hosting the CX racing at Weldon, these routes loop around to stop there for refreshment and see the early action. Both routes start off the same, reaching the Park at 33 km, then there's a choice of going South or North of Corby to get back to the clubhouse.

karoo-weldon_loop_51_km.gpx
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karoo-weldon_loop_49_km.gpx
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Pitsford Reservoir

1/10/2023

Heading South West from the clubhouse, this route visits the café next to the Pitsford Reservoir.

karoo-pitsford_78km.gpx
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Winging it!

10/9/2023

Here's a 78km route into the Rutland Alps, with the coffee stop some 60km in, then a shortish ride back to the clubhouse.

Strava route is HERE, and the gpx file is below.

clockwise_to_wing_78km.gpx
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Here's a slightly altered route, with a bit less climbing, but a similar distance (75km).

karoo-clockwise_to_wing_75km.gpx
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Rutland Water East

9/9/2023

Here are a couple of routes that visit the East end of Rutland Water. The longer route targets the Harbour Café on the North Shore, while the shorter route stops at Wing Hall. Both routes hit their café stops after 40km, so are good for a winter run out.

At time of writing though, the Harbour Café has closed down; we hope it opens again soon.

karoo-rutland_water_harbour_cafe_70km.gpx
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karoo-rutland_water_and_wing_59km.gpx
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Wandering Route to Tur Langton

27/8/2023

Sometimes you don't need to go for distance! This route wanders around some of the roads nearby that we usually ride past, and targets Mint and Ginger at Tur Langton for the coffee stop.

karoo-wander_to_tur_langton_61km__1_.gpx
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Mint and Ginger in Tur Langton

27/8/2023

Mint and Ginger is a lovely courtyard café on the edge of Tur Langton, and very cycle friendly.

Here are three routes that can take us there; the first goes South from the clubhouse, around Market Harborough and back up to Tur Langton, a loop totaling 67km. The second is more direct and Westerly, going via Gumley and Kibworth. The third is a variant on the first, a loop totaling 63km, shown on the right.

tur_langton_south_67km.gpx
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karoo-clockwise_tur_langton_63_km.gpx
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tur_langton_west_55km.gpx
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W to Mini Meadows in Welford

6/8/2023

Mini Meadows is a modern café attached to a family-friendly farm near Welford. Here's their website.

Here's a link to the 77 km Strava route used in November 2020, and a longer ride of a little over 80 km is downloadable below.

karoo-club_run_to_welford.gpx
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SE to Woodford Mill, 85 km

30/7/2023

Two rides to a lovely tea-room by the side of the river. Indoor or outdoor. WaterMillTearooms.co.uk

Two distances to choose from; 84 km and 92 km.

karoo-quickish_to_watermill_tearooms_woodford_mill_84km.tcx.gpx
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karoo-watermill_tearooms_woodford_mill_92km.tcx.gpx
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Cafés near Church Brampton

23/7/2023

It is a small café at a stables with a lovely outdoor verandah, but sadly Cafe Monde is not open on Sundays or Mondays now... :( so an alternative is Smith’s Coffee Shop a couple of miles down the road.

Longish 84/92 km round trips from the clubhouse, but worth it.

karoo-café_monde_church_brampton.gpx
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karoo-rfw_to_smiths_near_brampton_92km.gpx
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Loop around Corby

16/7/2023

Here's a loop if you want z ride to return to the clubhouse. Just over 60 km (so almost 40 miles) in a clockwise direction, showing how nice the countryside around Corby can be.

karoo-open_day_40_miler.gpx
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Circuit to Uppingham

9/7/2023

This route takes in a west and northerly circuit from the clubhouse to Uppingham. When there we usually pause at the Uppingham Garden Centre for coffee at The Orchard Café, some 60 Km into the route.

karoo-uppingham.gpx
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Belvoir Vale

2/7/2023

This is a longer route for summer, almost 130 km, or 80 miles. It heads North through Oakham and visits the Vale of Belvoir before heading back south around Melton Mowbray. A stop after 95km (probably for lunch) is planned at the Dairy Barn Farm, famous for its ice cream.

karoo-belvoir_round_128_km.gpx
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Wistow in Summer

18/6/2023

Here's a summer route to Wistow Garden Centre, with the coffee break coming after 160 km of an 85 km ride. It takes in some lovely roads North of the A47, so there might be a few hills to get over!

karoo-wistow_85km.gpx
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Cafés near Oundle

11/6/2023

There are two nice cafés just to the south of Oundle; Kingfisher Café and Boxwood Café. Kingfisher is in the Barnwell Country Park, while Boxwood is behind the Barn Garden Centre one Km further south. Both have nice outdoor and indoor spaces.
Kingfisher has a lovely terrace overlooking a small lake and is usually a family favourite. Find out about it here.
Boxwood is modern and usually full of adults; here's their webpage.

There are a couple of loops from the clubhouse below, one that's 86km long, is on Strava here, and a shorter one of 67km here.

kingfisher_cafe_67km_loop.gpx
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kingfisher_café_in_oundle_86km_loop.gpx
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Wing or Uppingham - Winter

7/6/2023

Here's a 48km route that suits winter; not too long and with a couple of possible coffee stops in Wing or Uppingham. The route goes down the valley, then over towards Rutland Water before looping back to Wing then Uppingham. The coffee stops are 29km for Wing, and 33km for Uppingham.

karoo-wing_and_uppingham_48km.gpx
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