17 August. Salad days. 34 miles.

“Salad days” is a Shakespearean idiom referring to a period of carefree innocence, idealism, and pleasure associated with youth. It might also apply to middle aged and elderly members of The Windmill Club but after this ride it took on an additional meaning when salads and bread rolls were traded quite liberally around the table whilst sitting outside having lunch at The Crown in Hartest. More anon.

What a glorious day Maurice had managed to arrange for this cruise around Suffolk lanes. Thirteen Windmillers managed to find their way via various routes to what must be one of the prettiest villages in Suffolk, the houses facing the green sporting colours representing the dyes used in days gone by in the local production of textiles.

Smart houses in Hartest and smart cars to dye for

So Maurice led two groups comprising Rod, Brian, Andrew, Graham, Alan, Paul, Howard, Roger, Iain, Deborah, Keith and Martin W on an anti- clockwise circuit which avoided, in theory, having to climb Hartest hill but that wouldn’t have been possible in any event as the road was closed, necessitating a detour on the return leg.

This is where we planned to go. In the event a diversion was made via Audley End, (yes, a different Audley End) which added around 4 miles:

Coffee was taken at the splendid isolated Maglia Rosso café cum bike shop.

Advertisement over.

The return leg took us once again past this lovely cottage whose garden is always a harmonious picture of mixed flowers and vegetables:

Back at The Crown, lunch was served outside in the garden but a mix up by the pub over the orders for whitebait resulted in a combination of salads of various types, courgettes, peas and bread rolls being thrown around with gay abandon, causing much mirth of a Shakespearean quality.

Thanks, as always, go to Maurice for planning the route and to Andrew for organising us.

Martin W