23 October. Red kites at night, Windmillers’ delight. 19 miles.

What started as a beautiful autumn evening’s ride, with a red kite cruising along beside us from Great Chishill to Shaftenhoe End, was soon marred by not one but two large dumps of fly-tipped material on the road to Nuthampstead. The first was a dump of concrete / hard core but the second was a huge load of household refuse including a bed, bath, tyres and bags which looked as if it had just happened:

Keith had warned us in advance of what to expect but it was on a scale unsurpassed. But after ferreting around amongst the rubbish Maurice found some packaging and an address of a person in Hitchin, and as John T and Bridget lived very nearby we knocked on their door and handed over to Bridget the evidence and suggested she called 101 to report it.  It is such a shame to see our lovely countryside spoiled in this way.

So, sleuthing over, our leader Maurice guided Andrew, Keith, Sandra and Martin onwards through our usual lanes to the Bull at Lower Langley where a warm welcome, as always, was received.

There were more red kites to be seen on the return leg as it was getting darker, this being the last summer-time Monday ride, and let’s hope we see them throughout the coming winter months too. All agreed to avoid the John B off road route back to The Pheasant and so a relatively clean puff of Windmillers entered the pub to enjoy succulent cod goujons and chips.

Thanks, Maurice, for organising the ride and to Andrew for getting us to the start line on time. Let’s all hope the fly-tipper is caught and fined enough to deter him from doing it again.

Martin