11 November. Road closed? Not to Windmillers. 20 miles.

Occasionally Windmillers come across closed roads that can easily be got around, usually on a path for pedestrians. This time it was different. There was no path but just heaps of spoil from a large trench being dug in the road between Langley Lower Green to Roast Green. After much squelching in sticky mud and traversing ditches the refuse-to-be-beaten Windmillers got through.

Earlier, the gang of five including Andrew, Rod, Simon, Nick and Martin had departed on a circuit from the Blind Fiddler in Anstey for a change, on a route devised by Martin. The Blind Fiddler’s opening hours were conducive to an afternoon ride in mid-November, being open all afternoon. This is where we went:

Unfortunately, Nick had fallen off his bike the day before and was still suffering a bit and so he peeled off in Nuthampsted at The Woodman. The remainder continued past Bridget Tarrington’s house, who we look forward to seeing at the Christmas lunch, and then to the spoil heap via Shaftenhoe End, Little Chishill and Langley Lower Green, passing en route the byway from Building End near Chrishall which we aim to try out one day.

Having hauled Rod’s heavy e-bike through the mud and scraped the mud off it, and our shoes, on we went through the now fading light but enjoying the sunset and reasonable road conditions despite the amount of rain that had fallen recently. A nice surprise was the lack of a ford on Violets Lane near Washall Green, enabling us to climb the concrete track to Furneux Pelham. From there it was a steady ride back to a warm welcome at The Blind Fiddler, and sustenance in front of a roaring fire.

The story of the blind fiddler of Anstey.

Martin