28 September. The Axe and Compasses reopens. 32 miles.

Rod very kindly offered to organise this ride at short notice following a decision to postpone a proposed ride from Mersea Island due to only seven members being able to make it. There might have been a riot and those concerned being thrown out of the club if the magnificent seven were later to be seen stuffing themselves silly with delicious local seafood and local wine at The Company Shed. So, another time for Mersea when the time and tides are right.

But what better than to celebrate the reopening of The Axe and Compasses in Arkesden following the disastrous fire on Mothers’ Day in 2022 when most of it was razed to the ground. And the bonus was that two additional members could take part, making nine in total – Rod, Andrew, Victor, Roger, Gareth, Howard, Ken, Brian and Martin, plus the pleasure of having Maurice join us for lunch.

After some debate as to whether Violet’s Lane near Furneux Pelham was doable, necessitating a visit and assessment by Monday’s riders, the route was revised by Rod to ensure no one got stuck in mud or, worse still, punctured. Violet’s Lane is the longest ford in the UK, all three quarters of a mile of it. Just imagine cycling through this lot – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOE4ah1tLXc

This would of course not pose any problem for Simon and his snorkel who is renowned for his love of getting into deep water.

There was a fair amount of traffic to contend with at times (was a major road closed somewhere we wondered?) but after 15 miles we entered Braughing, bypassing The Golden Fleece for a change, and heading to Pearce’s Farm Shop on the A10 where we were treated to excellent cakes and coffee served with great efficiency – definitely one for a return visit.

There was evidence of long trousers on this ride, a sign of things to come perhaps, but once the sun got through it still felt really warm. Indeed, September has been recorded as one of the warmest on record.

Returning via Westmill, Buntingford, Hare Street and Nuthamsted the two groups met up at a traffic jam before Duddenhoe End due to two skip lorries being unable to pass each other. But Lorking’s Lane, a bridleway leading to Beard’s Lane and Cooper’s End came in handy as an escape route for Rod and Martin who whizzed along both and got to the bar of The Axe and Compasses before the others.

After a £1.6m restoration, in an astonishingly short space of time for a Grade 2 listed building, The Axe and Compasses looks just as it did before and the menu hasn’t changed much either – still a strong Greek influence. There is a passage from the Public Bar to the Saloon Bar but, otherwise, the layout is the same. The choice of new materials such as beams and windows is superb and, luckliy, much of the furniture was saved by the locals before the fire took hold.

And this is where we went, clockwise:

Thanks again to Rod for organising the ride at short notice and the excellent refreshment stops, and to Brian for the photos. We’re all a bit worried, actually, about Brian heading off to Hebden Bridge on holiday, known as the Transitioning Town of the North of England. Watch this space……

On a more serious note we wish Maurice well with his medical tests. Likewise, after Iain’s recent hospitalisation in Brittany, we wish him a good recovery and we look forward to having both of them join as again as soon as possible.

Martin