12 April. Pubs open. 22 miles.

A welcome bonus for the Windmill Club when lockdowns are eased is that changes tend to take place on Mondays, which gives us an extra reason to celebrate. This ride was no exception with the wonderful bonus of pubs opening again, albeit outside, with no requirement to eat a Scotch egg or any other substantial meal, plus the ability to ride in groups larger than six should we wish to do so. So, The Red Cow in Chrishall exploded into life once again with people flocking in for a celebratory drink in the fresh air, warm at first but freezing cold as the evening wore on. The overflow car park was jammed, some customers making a special effort by arriving in their vintage cars. The Duke of Edinburgh would have loved it.

Maurice’s promise of chips after the ride was perhaps another reason why so many Windmillers turned out, but concern was expressed that the ‘Pimp my Fish’ van was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it had been held up or found more lucrative business elsewhere? Perhaps it would be in place and frying away at the end of the ride? Speculation was rife.

It was great to have Sandra with us again after a long absence, showing off her smart new van full of familiar equipment for shearing Alpacas and mowing lawns. Likewise, it was great to have Simon O join us and so together with Andrew, Charles, Deborah, Jenni, Nick, Simon T, Lawrence, Alan, Jeremy and Martin, that made 13 Windmillers in all who set off in two groups at 4.30 pm to navigate the local lanes in near perfect conditions.

This is where we went:

Alas, ‘Pimp my Fish’ was nowhere to be seen on our return but that didn’t stop Windmillers ordering chips galore from the pub’s kitchen, served with natty tubs of mayo and tomato sauce and washing them down with some fine ales and soft drinks. Andrew had told us of his success stripping down some grubby brass window handles by soaking them in tomato sauce, which put many off from ever touching the stuff again.

(Now why did I sell my 1953 Austin-Healey 100/4 in 1967 for just £170? Ok, only 3 of its 4 cylinders were working but even so…….Ed.)

Knowing the cold air was about to descend most Windmillers donned warm jackets and, in Deborah’s case, a very smelly horsey jacket (or so she claimed whilst socially distanced), but this didn’t stop some getting very cold indeed as stories began to unfold, one involving a dead granny in Calais.

We were promised ‘Pimp my Fish’ would be back again next week (their chips are worth waiting for) and so we look forward to a repeat of the ride. Thanks go as usual to Maurice for planning the route and to Andrew for organising us.

Martin