Whilst out cycling the other day I came across a cottage with a sign outside advertising afternoon teas. It reminded me of the tea runs when I was a member of Swindon Wheelers Cycling Club.

One of the favourite tea places was Mrs Keen’s at the village hall at Stanford in the Vale. It was 2s 6d which consisted of an assortment of sandwiches and home-made cakes.

I remember one cyclist drinking milk out of the jug on the table, much to the disgust of the president’s wife!

At the next committee meeting this was spoken about and the rider was banned for a month from joining in the tea runs.

At Stanford we often met up with the Oxford City Road Club and the Oxonian Cycling Club. There would be about 60 or more at tea and it was good to talk about our day’s ride and lots of touring and racing stories.

Day runs usually met up with the tea run riders. Tea runs were usually those who were new to the sport and wanted less miles to cycle.

I can also recall a tea place at The Whiteway, near Birdlip. This was a colony of people who lived off the land. They made their own bread, jam and so on and tea was made using goat’s milk. Practically everything we ate came from the land. Once again the cost was 2s 6d – it seemed to be the going rate at that time.

A tea run to Malmesbury also brings back happy memories. It was a Christmas tea and I remember buying a raffle ticket. Some months later I was told I had won first prize - the biggest box of chocolates I had ever seen. This posed a problem - how was I to get it home? I solved it by a bus journey from Swindon to Malmesbury and back.

Runs were always well organised with the captain at the front and everyone else being told to ride two abreast – not like today’s cyclists who are all over the road!

They were happy days and I will always remember the tea runs to Devizes, Wantage, Burford, Langford, Filkins, Cold Ashton, Brockenhurst, Hungerford and many more.

Clive Alexander, Alma Road, Aldbourne.