There were no fools out on this ride, just 17 wise Windmillers relishing the re-introduction of the rule of 6 and enjoying a change of scenery in South Cambs, North Essex and West Suffolk. Bartlow was the starting point for 13 Windmillers and 4 chose to start in Steeple Bumpstead, both villages having fine pubs which we hope to take advantage of in the near future. Andrew had made arrangements for parking to take place in the Three Hills car park in Bartlow which was very convenient.
This is where we went:
Andrew, Geoff, Victor, Lawrence, Deborah and Jenni went clockwise from Bartlow, most of them sticking together like peas in a pod the whole way, whilst Charles, Ken, Suzanne and Martin went AC before being caught up by speedsters Graham and Mike in Steeple Bumpstead. Maurice, Rod, Alan and Roger went AC from Steeple Bumpstead, which explains why they never saw the AC group from Bartlow. Such are the logistics of CAC rides.
Cruising from County to County, crossing borders at frequent intervals, and soaking up the scenery is what makes a Windmill ride such as this a real pleasure, particularly after such a long period of lockdown when we have been unable to travel very far from base. It will be good to revisit familiar places in farther parts of Essex, Herts, Cambs, Norfolk and Suffolk in the coming weeks and to try out new routes too.
The half way point on a CAC ride for those starting from the same place is never one that can be predicted with any accuracy, but recently we seem to have found nice quiet spots such as the Wimpole ridge last week and, this week, a lane just outside Kedington, where Andrew can be seen above perching on a wall trying to make a phone call from his coffee flask.
Also perching on a wall, but rather wishing she hadn’t, was Jenni:
Two groups of 6 Windmillers meeting up for a chat across the road did result in a bit of a traffic jam but luckily there were very few vehicles about – just a few stationary OpenReach vans. Martin took this opportunity to ask the men in question if their next job was to install fibre broadband in Ickleton, but the answer was no. They had never heard of the place.
Thoughts of coffee / refreshments started soon afterwards for the Bartlow AC crew who found a British Legion bench in Kedington to sit on and watch the passing traffic go by.
In Little Thurlow there are some interesting properties. One is a thatched barn with what looks like a miniature bomber wedged in the thatch whilst the one-time grand building next door, a former school built in 1614, looks nearly derelict – a rare sight these days for such a historic property.
Cruising on towards Weston Colville and West Wratting, full of the joys of Spring, the Bartlow AC group enjoyed a final downhill, downwind very fast ride all the way back to the Three Hills, stopping only briefly to cross the busy A1307.
Thanks to Maurice for taking us farther afield on a lovely circuit, Andrew for his organisation and Charles, Graham and Suzanne for their photos, plus The Three Hills for the parking – we’ll see you soon.
Martin
The Windmill Cycle Club 