As the saying goes, it was cold enough on this ride to freeze the balls off a brass monkey – a reference to cannon balls on a ship’s deck in case you were wondering, or so the myth goes. But this didn’t stop 19 Windmillers from venturing out on yet another mixed day of sunshine and icy cold April blasts, including hailstones at one stage. Amongst them were Alan and Martin who chose, and bitterly regretted, baring their legs whilst Simon wore just his familiar white shirt under his jacket and shivered his way around the Suffolk lanes.
Those more sensibly dressed were Maurice, Andrew, Ken, Howard, Charles, Roger, Lawrence, Brian, Rod, Geoff, Chris, Mike, Suzanne, Ric, Graham and Jeremy. Ric was already warmed up having ridden all the way from Harston.
Setting off in two groups from The Three Blackbirds, Maurice led the first group around lovely quiet Suffolk lanes on a route which included both familiar and new roads, followed by Martin’s group a few minutes later. This is where we went, clockwise:
Cycling past the posh, neat and tidy studs in Cheveley it wasn’t long before Dalham was reached where both groups stopped to look at the Lower Windmill, minus its sails. Presumably there was an Upper Windmill at some stage but there is no sign of one now.
On we went through picturesque villages being pelted with hailstones at times, which attack bare legs like shotgun pellets. Group A decided to have coffee at a Stradishall café outside the prison gates whilst Group B stopped at The Plough at Rede and enjoyed plentiful supplies of coffee in the back garden. So impressed were they that a return visit is planned for lunch when the weather allows. Just outside Rede is the highest point in Suffolk at a mountainous 131m.
By this time, Graham and Mike had caught up with Group B which then subdivided again to form Group C to keep numbers down and a slightly different route to Group A was taken through the lanes on the return leg.
Back at The Three Blackbirds in Woodditton where everyone arrived at around the same time, unlike last week, warm clothes were donned by those who had them whilst blankets were dispensed to others as we sat in a wind tunnel to tuck into a good lunch, although some wished they had gone for dishes with larger portions. Some warmed up, others didn’t, not helped by the gas heater expiring but it was good to be back once again around tables in the time honoured fashion of The Windmill Club telling stories and swigging good beer, all paid for very generously by Howard whose birthday we celebrated. Cheers Howard!
But there was one person who never quite warmed up:
Despite the cold, this was a great route and we look forward to exploring more Suffolk lanes soon. Thanks to Maurice for arranging it, Andrew for organising it and Brian, Charles and Suzanne for the photos.
Martin
PS. Congratulations to Graham for clocking up 3,000 miles to the end of April. And huge thanks to everyone for raising the magnificent sum of £3,405 to date, i.e. approx £1 for each of Graham’s miles. So if Graham does 9,000 miles for the year, will we make £9,000 and achieve two bullseyes?
The Windmill Cycle Club 