Raspberry Ride
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Trip out west for some pick your own produce

Raspberry Ride

I was not sure how many would pitch up for such a late ride to a pick-your-own farm out west. But eight of us turned up at the Town Hall and without further ado sped up the Grand Union canal.

We stopped at West Drayton after a frustrating number of motor cycle gates only to discover my curse of the stop over had struck again and my carefully researched “7 days a week café” was shut for the bank holiday weekend. We pottered further into the town and found a Spar which restored flagging spirits.

We made it to the Slough branch were David Lomas unexpectedly caught us up. The nine of us continued along the slight rougher tow path until we hit Langley and turned north for about a mile on roads to the farm itself.

Copas Farm is a real gem I came across – there’s an adequate farm shop selling local produce aswell several large fields for pick-your-own fruit and interestingly vegetables too – sweet corn, peas, beans, marrows etc. The website www.copasfarms.co.uk/newsite/pickyourown.htm describes the history of the farm as well giving details of the produce. There’s also a 24 hour message line giving you details of what is currently available. They sold themselves short by describing some produce as in its final week, but we picked a large punnet of raspberries and some lovely plums.

Chantel took some people into the Black Country Park for a picnic whilst the rest of us picked our produce and picnicked at the farm. We re-grouped and then followed NCN 61 in a sneaky back route over the M25 and back onto the canal saving us having to repeat the Slough branch.

A much welcome stop at the division of the canals at the pub was well received as we sat in the warm afternoon resting our legs. Fortunately some one had the resolve to get us going and we continued along the canal back into friendly territory and as usual people peeled off at their allotted junctions.

To be repeated next year – although not with raspberries as we discovered ours had nearly turned to jam at home, summer pudding recipes to be found instead, and certainly a month or two earlier to ensure a different set of crops on offer.

25 miles