So You Hate Hills!!

I hate hills because I am not good at them! I am not good at them because I try to avoid them. I am not alone. Let's get out there and tackle some and try to improve our climbing.
The ride is in two halves, returning to the start point halfway through so if you can't spare the time for the whole ride, or feel it might be too much for you, you can call it a day at this point.
The first loop winds out of Burley, uphill towards the main road. We will turn off on the back road towards Ringwood. From there it is all left turns through Bisterne and Sopley until we get to Bransgore. Here, we will tackle the pretty Braggers Lane. It is a bit steep but it's not long. We will ride it at our own pace and regroup at the top, then head back across the heath and into Burley along Pound Lane. After a quick stop at the carpark to refuel and use the loos, we will head out along Chapel Lane and the quiet B road that heads towards the A35, undulating through forest and farmland. We then have about two miles on the main road, including a short, steep section on the way towards Lyndhurst.
We will turn up the hill to Emery Down, opposite the Swan pub. We will be straight into a short steep section that will have me on my lowest gear. Then there is a flattish bit where we can get our breath back before tackling the steepest climb of the day, up to the Canadian War Memorial.
We will return down the beautiful Bolderwood Ornamental drive, back to the A35 and then the road back to Burley. Those little undulations on the way out will seem bigger on the way back, making sure you earn your pice of cake after the ride!
Make sure you have a roadworthy road bike or hybrid with road tyres, a helmet, jacket and money for the carpark and refreshments. As this is a road ride, I would strongly suggest that you have lights on your bike to increase visibility to traffic.