The last Thursday ride of 2025 saw twelve Windmillers huffing and puffing their way around a hilly route of Graham’s devising.
After last week’s very wet outing it was good to be riding under glorious blue skies. Here we are somewhere between High Cross and Sacombe Green.
With Christmas in the offing there is a good case for moderating one’s calorie intake ahead of all that feasting on turkey and plum pudding. And what better way to make tummy room than an energetic 30 mile workout around the lanes of north-east Herts.
Sweet temptation at Ermine’s Tea Room
Alas, half way into the ride and confronted with the display of exquisite cakes at Ermine’s Tea Room all good intentions went out the window. Moderation be damned seemed to be the unspoken consensus as we tucked into our sweet treats.
Back on the bikes and labouring up the hill away from Thundridge there were some who regretted the cake, at least until digestion took its course and we settled into a steady pace on the return leg to Brent Pelham and The Black Horse – for yet more food and a very welcome beer.
Plenty of Christmas trees to be seen along the way. This one’s knitted!31 miles clockwise from Brent Pelham
For the record, our turnout of twelve Windmillers featured Alan, Andrew, Brian, Chris, Geoff, Graham, Howard, Keith, Ken, Ric, Robert and Victor.
Our thanks go to Graham for planning the route and leading the way.
Keith’s route – from Steeple Bumpstead to Glemsford and back – provided what was possibly our most traffic-free ride of the year. Coupled with a bumper turnout of sixteen Windmillers* it made for a most enjoyable Thursday morning’s outing.
Pausing for a breather beside the duck pond at Belchamp Walter
Setting off from the Fox & Hounds, the outbound ride took us through many a fine north Essex village, and none finer than Great Yeldham, famed for its Great Oak – which is recorded in The Domesday Book – and its crinkle crankle wall. “What’s that?“, I hear you say.
The crinkle crankle wall at Great Yeldham
These walls mostly date back to the days of the brick tax (1784 to 1850) when the government levied a duty of half a crown – about £24 in today’s money – per 1000 bricks to help fund the American War of Independence. No sooner was the tax introduced than canny builders found ways to minimise its impact. Some just used bigger bricks and some opted to build walls crinkle-crankle style. These curved structures provided stability and required just one layer of bricks rather than the usual two, doing away altogether with the need for buttressing. Not only were the walls economical to build but the curves provided shelter and retained warmth for the growing of fruit trees.
The tax was eventually abolished in 1850 leading to a boom in the brick industry (and a return to the building of straighter walls!)
Some seventeen miles after setting off we crossed the River Stour into Suffolk and pulled in at the excellent Willow Tree Farm Café, just outside Glemsford.
Refreshed and back on the bikes we re-traced our way over the Stour and back into Essex for the return leg via Belchamp St Paul, Ridgewell and Birdbrook – and it was somewhere along here that we encountered that scourge of autumnal outings – the tractor and hedge flail.
There’s many a puncture from thorny hedge flailings
Sure enough, and just a few miles short of the pub, MartinB pulled up with a puncture, a long thorn protruding from his tyre. Seeing it would be the quickest way for us all getting back in time for lunch, Rod dashed the remaining few miles to the pub, got the car and retrieved both Martin and machine. Well done, Rod!
We subsequently learned Martin wasn’t the only one to suffer a puncture; a similar fate had befallen Alan, though his caused by glass and thankfully mended en route.
Returning to the Fox & Hounds we were delighted to find MartinW waiting there for us and together we enjoyed a beer or two and a good lunch.
Al fresco aperitifs at the Fox & Hounds
Our thanks go to Keith for planning and leading an excellent morning’s ride.
33 miles anticlockwise from Steeple Bumpstead
* The turnout was: Alan, Brian, Deborah, Geoff, Graham, Howard, Jenni, Keith, Ken, MartinB, Maurice, Paul, Rach, Rod, Simon and Victor.
Thursday morning saw nine Windmillers gathering in the car park of The Rushbrooke Arms, Sicklesmere, just south of Bury St Edmunds where, with the beet harvest in full swing, there is a distinct tang in the air from the nearby British Sugar factory as it cooks up lorry-loads of the stuff and refines it into Silver Spoon sugar. It makes for quite a stink.
Keith, Rach, Alan and Robert pause to take in the view
Keith, this week’s ride leader, led us southwards away from the stink towards Lavenham and on to Brent Eleigh where we pulled in at Café Como, fast becoming a Windmill favourite given its fine selection of homemade goodies.
Not only is Suffolk beautiful cycling country but, if you keep your eyes open, there is plenty of history hereabouts worthy of closer inspection. So it was that our return route, via Thorpe Morieux and Little Whelnetham, took us past the memorial to the seventeen American airmen who died in 1944 when two Flying Fortress’ collided and crashed midair near Hitcham.
Rod, Andrew and Roger at the memorial on the road between Kettlebaston and Hitcham
Later we pulled over to admire the fine 15th century farmhouse near Brettenham.
Popples Farmhouse, Brettenham
Back at the pub Keith bought us all a beer and endured our rowdy rendition of Happy Birthday. Top chap!
Beers at the Rushbrooke Arms
Cheers, Keith!
30 miles anticlockwise from Sicklesmere
Thanks go to Keith for planning the route, leading the way and buying the beers; also to Simon and Robert for the many photographs.
Arriving by train, visitors to Cambridge are confronted with Ariadne Wrapped, an artwork commissioned to grace the new station forecourt. According to sculptor Gavin Turk, the mythical Ariadne is,
‘. . . presented as a packaged shape forever in transportation, informed by the sound of the train the parcel lies in limbo. The criss-cross of ropes and string act like compositional or navigation lines, pointers to new perspectives.‘
Chris and Jenni weren’t impressed
The general consensus among Windmillers was that it was a monstrosity, best replaced by a statue honoring a Cambridge worthy, say Stephen Hawking or suchlike.
Following last week’s hilly ride in North Herts, Brian – this week’s leader – had opted for a flatter ride around South Cambs and, having set off earlier from Little Shelford our first port of call was Cambridge Station.
From there we wound our way along quiet backstreets to the riverside and thence some five miles along the towpath to Waterbeach. This idyllic stretch of the River Cam is particularly peaceful just now as the section between Cambridge and Milton has been shut to boat traffic for the past year. Inspection of the locks at each end has shown the lock islands to be unstable and vulnerable to collapse. Both carry public footpaths over the river and they too have been closed.
Jesus Green lock in Cambridge – closed until further notice
We witnessed some of the short term stabilisation currently underway – see Simon’s pictures below – but the locks are likely to remain closed until the lock islands are rebuilt at a cost of £25M and, as yet, no-one seems prepared to stump up the money. Meanwhile, visitors are unable to reach Cambridge by boat, indeed many boats are stranded on the river and some owners have taken to craning their vessels out in order to leave. The situation seems to be stalemate.
Simon snapped these divers engaged in remedial work on the Baits Bite Lock
Arriving in Waterbeach Brian had arranged for us to visit the Military Heritage Museum on the site of the wartime RAF airfield and subsequently barracks for the Royal Engineers. The base was decommissioned in 2013 and is now a development site for the planned Waterbeach Newtown and it’s 11,000 new homes.
Simon loves museums and, as you can see below, he got very hands-on with the exhibits. We won’t be taking him to glassware museums or maternity wards anytime soon.
Mind what you do with that, Simon
Leaving the museum we headed half a mile further down the road and pulled in for refreshments at the Evolve Coffee Shop & Bar. Refreshed and back on the bikes, we headed for Landbeach where we picked up the Mere Way, a new and very wide cycleway, taking us back to Cambridge. Come the new year this will be extended all the way to Waterbeach where the new cycle bridge spanning the A10 has recently been lifted into position. We must plan a ride in the spring to try it out.
The A10 cyclebridge at Waterbridge being lifted into position on 21 September
Returning to Little Shelford, we piled back into the Side Quest for a well deserved lunch.
For the record, 14 riders completed a 26 mile circuit: Alan, Andrew, Brian, Chris, Deborah, Geoff, Jenni, Keith, MartinB, Nigel, Rach, Ric, Rod, Simon.
. . . was just one of the many oaths heard from the peloton as we crested yet another hill, Keith’s route proving quite a workout as we effed and jeffed our way up ascents totalling some 600m.
Robert, Nigel, Jenni and Rod pause for a breather before the next hill climb
Oaths aside, it was a delightful outing as, blessed with good weather, each hilltop afforded fine views over the north Herts countryside. We were equally impressed with Keith’s choice of refreshment stop, the hitherto unknown Lolleywood Café, tucked away on Fairclough Hall Farm, just a stone’s throw from Halls Green.
Along the way Martin spotted this Commer Q4 lorry, a 3-ton, 4×4 general-purpose workhorse looking very smart in its AFS (British Auxiliary Fire Service) livery.
Martin spotted this Commer Q4 in AFS livery
It most likely dates from the 50s and was used for various tasks such as hose laying and foam and water tendering on military bases and airfields. Many were subsequently converted for civilian use when the AFS was disbanded in 1968.
Other highlights included pulling up to admire George Orwell’s house in Wallington where the blue plaque declares he lived from 1936 to 1940. It’s just down the road from Manor Farm, the name he gave as the location for his Animal Farm.
Much grunting in front of Manor (aka Animal) Farm
Having clocked up 34 miles we returned to The Woodman for lunch and a round of beers, courtesy of Robert this week’s birthday boy.
Some say we’re as much a lunch club as a cycling club
Our thanks go to Keith – for planning and leading the outing – and to Robert for the generous round of drinks.
Happy birthday, Robert!
And – for the record – the turnout was 15 Windmillers: Alan, Andrew, Brian, Geoff, Graham, Jenni, Keith, Ken, MartinW, Maurice, Nigel, Ric, Robert, Rod and Simon. Well done, team!
The Woodman’s bomber squadron heritage34 hilly miles anticlockwise from Nuthampstead
When people ask where the Windmill Club is based, there isn’t really a simple answer. With members scattered over a wide rural area we don’t so much have a home base as a home patch straddling the Cambridgeshire / Hertfordshire / Essex borders and roughly bounded by Royston, Baldock, Stevenage, Bishops Stortford and Saffron Walden. But now it seems a name has been given to this particular neck of the woods – The Barleywolds.
I can find no mention of the name in the historical records but there is a newish website – barleywolds.com – making the case for this “. . . area of wolds (gently-rolling hills) and 60 villages, about 30 miles north of London, between Royston, Stevenage and Bishop’s Stortford, on the border of Hertfordshire, Essex and Cambridgeshire”.
While Barleywolds has a certain ring to it, academic opinion would seem to favour The Hundred Parishes, so named by David Heathcote, Saffron Walden historian and author who coined that name in 2009, as defining “a large, attractive, gently-undulating area, around 450 square miles, of northwest Essex, northeast Hertfordshire and southern Cambridgeshire that is largely unspoilt and is richly endowed with many fine examples of agricultural and built heritage.” Indeed, two years ago the Windmillers enjoyed a presentation from the Hundred Parishes Society.
Whatever the name, this was the area Keith chose for Thursday’s outing. Setting out from The Black Horse, Brent Pelham, he led the way along quiet roads and the occasional bumpy track to Ermine’s Café, Thundridge, a new (to us) venue and, given the high standard of refreshments on offer, we are likely to return in the not too distant future.
32 miles anticlockwise from Brent Pelham
Thanks go to Keith for planning the outing and getting us all organised.
For the record our peloton comprised: Alan, Brian, Geoff, Graham, Jeremy, Keith, Ken, MartinB, Paul, Ric, Rod, Simon and Tom.
A sunny August morning saw Maurice leading the peloton out of Balsham and over the Cambridgeshire border into East Suffolk where, this being harvest-time, each rise in the road opened up vistas of golden fields dotted with hay bales and bounded by dusty hedgerows. What a delightful part of the world.
Ken pauses to take on water . . .. . . while Geoff does some grim reaping
Along the way we pulled in at Café 33, ever popular with motorcyclists, cyclists and prison visitors, for coffee, cake and ice cream.
Returning to The Black Bull, we enjoyed a hearty lunch on the patio and free beer (hooray!) courtesy of Ric, this week’s birthday boy.
Happy birthday, Ric!
For the record the turnout was: Alan, Brian, Geoff, Graham, Jeremy, Keith, Ken, Mark, Maurice, Nigel, Ric, Rod and Simon.
Windmillers pride themselves on being courteous and proficient cyclists. Alas, their table manners can be, well, rudimentary with dining mishaps legion and well documented; witness Simon throwing beer around and Martin sousing everyone in hot coffee. But this week it was Victor’s turn as he demonstrated a whole new way to dispense ketchup by smashing the bottom end out of the bottle; an effective, albeit messy, technique and fellow diners are advised to probe their lunch for glass shards.
More ketchup, Victor?
So it was just as well that, mindful of landlady Mel’s carpets, curtains and soft furnishings, we were dining al fresco at The Cock in Henham. Ketchup capers aside, we enjoyed an excellent lunch and Andrew, whose birthday passed quietly several weeks ago, finally bought us all a beer.
Andrew, top chap, conducted the choir in a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday
All this followed a very enjoyable ride. Planned and led by Graham, it was scenic, quiet (apart from the occasional Ryanair approach to Stansted) and traffic-free with a mid-way coffee stop at NT Hatfield Forest.
Photo courtesy: Graham
Many thanks, Graham, for devising such a lovely route and getting everyone organised. Our thanks also to Andrew for the drinks.
For the record the turnout was: Alan, Andrew, Brian, Deb, Geoff, Graham, Jenni, Paul, Simon and Victor.
Essex boasts many a fine market town – and Maldon is up there with the best of them
Ten miles into Thursday’s outing, we pitched up on Maldon High Street seeking refreshment and, in particular, a guided tour of the Moot Hall. The six hundred year old brick tower has at various times been a mansion house, town hall, courthouse, police station and town jail, and boasts a fine view over Maldon and beyond to the Blackwater Estuary.
Maldon Moot Hall: in bygone times a prison where inmates left their mark on the wallsWhile today visitors climb the tower and take in the view
An hour or so earlier, ten Windmillers1 had set off from The Rayleigh Arms, Terling, following Martin’s route through some of the prettiest lanes in Essex. And it was on the approach to Maldon that we chanced upon the intriguingly named Cut A Thwart Lane.
In old English athwart meant crosswise, as in “Cutting athwart the bow,” meaning one vessel was passing directly in front of another. So Cut A Thwart Lane could well refer to the lane being a shortcut between Maldon and Woodham Walter. Interestingly, Cambridge, Bedford, Chelmsford and many other English towns can all boast a Cut Throat Lane, a likely corruption of Cut Athwart Lane.
Heybridge Basin
Leaving Maldon, we followed the Chelmer & Blackwater Canal to Heybridge Basin before turning inland and returning to Terling via Great Totham, Wickham Bishops and Hatfield Peverel.
Back at the pub, Deborah bought us all a beer and endured a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday.
Happy birthday, Deb. Seen here at Arisaig27 miles anticlockwise from Terling
Thank you, Martin, for planning the route and thanks again, Deborah, for the beers.
Thursday’s team roster was: Brian, Deborah, Graham, Howard, Jeremy, Keith, Ken, Martin, Ric and Simon ↩︎
The weather forecast was bleak – it was odds-on we were in for a soaking. Several Windmillers had already tendered apologies and Brian was in two minds about calling the whole thing off. But eventually he thought “Sod it, let’s ride!”
So it was that just six hardy, some might say foolhardy, Windmillers set off from Balsham heading for Newmarket, Brian leading Simon, Ric, Charles, Howard and Alan away from the Black Bull. We had hardly gone a mile when Simon pulled up with a puncture, but with help from Howard this was soon fixed and we were underway once more.
Pausing for refreshments in Newmarket
Wonder of wonders, apart from a few spits and spots, we somehow stayed dry and arrived back at the pub in high spirits, hungry for lunch and a good beer.
Riding through Ashdon reminds one of the splendid Ashdon Meteorite on display in Saffron Walden Museum. A century ago this grapefruit-sized space rock landed in the village and today a post marks the spot where it fell. Yet another reason to wear a bike helmet, eh?
Having set off from The Crown in Little Walden, we were 6 miles into a 31 mile route of Ken’s devising. Before setting off, Andrew – aka Mr Elf & Safety – had listed the many hazards we would encounter along the way and, though omitting to mention meteorites, it all sounded rather alarming. Given the bumper turnout of 18 Windmillers, we wondered how many would make it to the finish unscathed.
Before the off: fear and trepidation
Several miles on from Ashdon we paused in Radwinter to admire the fine building at the crossroads.
Risen from the ashes; Radwinter Village Hall
Opened in 1885, the Village Hall formed the centrepiece of the village re-development following Radwinter’s Great Fire of 1874. Caused by a young girl playing with matches in a barn, the fire destroyed 24 buildings and left 95 people homeless. Note to Andrew: add playing with matches to list of hazards.
Pulling in at Debden Barns, we realised Simon was missing. He turned up as we were finishing our coffee and cake having overshot the Barns by some miles before realising his mistake and turning back. Note to Andrew: add rider inattention to list of hazards.
Old relics at Debden BarnsNice to see Rach again
In the event, we successfully avoided Newport’s potholes, dodged our way through Saffron Walden’s busy traffic and all arrived safely back at The Crown.
31 miles clockwise from Little Walden
Ken’s ride saw a bumper turnout: Alan, Andrew, Brian, Geoff, Howard, Jeremy, Keith, Ken, Martin B, Martin W, Maurice, Nigel, Paul, Rach, Ric, Rod, Simon and Victor – and we were delighted to see Ann, Deborah and Deborah’s new love, her black labrador puppy, join us for lunch.
Our thanks go to Ken for planning and leading the ride, not to mention buying the very substantial round of drinks.
A fine, if chilly, Thursday morning saw sixteen Windmillers gathering at The Three Horseshoes, Helions Bumpstead. Andrew, Brian, Charles, Geoff, Howard, Jenni, Ken, Keith, Martin B, Martin W, Maurice, Paul, Ric, Rod, Simon and Victor were there, all raring to go and looking forward to returning for a big birthday lunch with Charles.
Steady on, Charles, it’s only 9am
Splitting us into three groups, Martin led the way out of the village towards Steeple Bumpstead and on to Ridgewell and Ashen, keeping to the southerly, Essex side of River Stour marking the boundary with Suffolk. There was some uncertainty as to whether the route had been devised by Martin or by Victor, each modestly claiming it was the other’s, but there was general agreement that it was up there with the best, 29 miles of traffic free lanes and fine views.
Near Great Yeldham we pulled in at Petals Tearoom and, as you can see from the photograph, it is quite the pinkest, most floral of tearooms; the sort of place you would expect to find Barbara Cartland, all pearls and twinsets, sipping Earl Gray in the corner. The service was lovely and the cakes were fabulous; we shall return.
The pinkest of places, Petals Tearoom, near Great Yeldham
Refreshed and back on the bikes we headed for Finchingfield, pausing for the obligatory windmill photograph, before turning north for the return leg to Helions Bumpstead.
There are many sensible people in the Windmill Club . . . as well as some daft ones
Arriving at the Three Horseshoes, we enjoyed an excellent lunch and Charles, top chap, bought us all a beer while enduring a lusty rendition of Happy Birthday. Many happy returns, Charles!
Happy Birthday, old timer!
Thanks go to Martin – or was it Victor? – for devising a splendid route and getting everyone organised. And thanks, of course, to Charles for the drinks.
All too often in this ever-online world we find ourselves at the mercy of autofills and spellchecks that render our hastily despatched messages into meaningless gibberish – or even unintended filth; we will never forget Andrew’s promise of a sinning trip to London! This time round it was Martin who, ahead of Thursday’s ride was promising “bidet drinks“. How intriguing; Cillit Bang martinis? Domestos daiquiris? Who knew? On reflection we decided he meant birthday drinks; more specifically, free beer. Top chap! No surprise then that 15 Windmillers turned up for the ride and a couple more freeloaders rolled in for lunch.
Victor enjoying a glorious winter’s day, with Maurice following up behind
What a sumptious day, all blue skies, sunshine and very light winds, to explore the rural idyll that is North East Herts. Setting off from The Pheasant, we headed south to Anstey and The Hormeads before turning east to Furneux Pelham, Manuden and Rickling Green where we pulled in at The Cricketers for coffee. There’s never a good time or place to suffer a puncture but, if that is your misfortune, where better than just before the coffee stop. So it was that Howard, notwithstanding his sealant-filled tubeless tyres, pulled up with a flat rear tyre. Not to worry; while the rest of us took refreshment, Howard, with the help of yet more sealant (courtesy of Charles) affected a swift repair.
Stopping for a breather – with one of Clavering’s two windmills in the background
Back on the bikes we made short work of the return via Arkesden, Clavering and Langley Upper Green to Great Chishill.
Despite the glorious day, the ride was wet in parts. Here’s Rod making waves somewhere near Clavering
As ever, we enjoyed a cracking lunch at The Pheasant and Martin, top chap, bought us all a beer.
15 for lunch, including Charles behind the camera
For the record, the turnout was: Alan, Andrew, Brian, Charles, Deborah, Geoff, Howard, Martin, Maurice, Nigel, Ric, Rod, Roger, Tom and Victor – and we were delighted to see Gareth and Ken joining us for lunch.
Happy birthday, Martin. It seems no time since the last one!30 miles anticlockwise from The Pheasant, Great Chishill
Our thanks go to Alan for planning the route, booking the pub and leading the ride; Charles for the many photographs and, naturally, birthday boy Martin for the big round of drinks.
Our first Thursday outing of the year and, alas, Graham, the poor chap who’d planned the ride, tendered a sick note. Undeterred, we wished him well and set off from The Black Horse, Brent Pelham, following the GPX route Graham had kindly supplied.
The ride featured a new – to us – coffee stop, Crumbs Bakery & Café in Watton-at-Stone. “Muddy boot walkers are welcome, cyclists can have the perfect refuel, and we love a good dog!” says the website. All bread and pastries are baked on site and I can personally vouch for the excellence of the Eccles cakes. That said, it is a small establishment and while the six of us were comfortably accommodated I fear they would struggle to fit in more than ten of us given a larger turnout.
Crumbs Bakery & Café, Watton-in-Stone
Notable along the way was the old garage at Dane End. Now converted into a home, the petrol pumps have been retained and the frontage has featured in several TV period dramas such as Grantchester and Foyle’s War.
Old grumps, old pumps
Don’t tell Graham but at Roger’s behest we cut a corner towards the end, allegedly to save a mile and get to the pub more quickly. But, don’t tell Roger, there were mutterings in the peloton about it being muddy and, in Brian’s case, puncture inducing. That said, Roger did the decent thing and drove back to pick him up, so all was forgiven and Brian, this week’s birthday boy, was decent enough to buy everyone a beer.
Graham’s route in blue – with Roger’s shortcut shown in red
For the record, the turnout was: Alan, Andrew, Brian, Howard, Gareth and Roger – and Geoff joined us for lunch in the pub. Get well soon, Graham.
Setting out from Henham, it was a decidedly chilly 1°C. This may not have been our coldest outing (undoubtedly that was last January when for the entire morning it remained several degrees below), but reason enough for Victor to leave his shorts in the drawer.
So it was that ten* hardy Windmillers pedalled away from The Cock Inn, well wrapped against the cold. It should have been a fifteen-strong turnout but for five sheepish excuses received, all with dog-ate-my-homework themes. Some credence, however, was given to Charles’ account of being unable to start his car, and he at least went to the trouble of sending a photograph. As for the others, we await sick notes.
A long face alongside a broken down jalopy. We missed you, Charles
Graham’s route was scenic and free of traffic, with many a quiet lane, one muddy track and a very welcome coffee stop at the Blue Egg. But given the cold, no one was willing to remove a glove (certainly not Brian, who was wearing three pairs) and take a photograph. Alas, dear reader, you will have to make do with Charles’ mugshot above and the map below.
31 miles anticlockwise from Henham
Otherwise, there’s not much to report: no punctures, nobody fell off and it wasn’t anybody’s birthday so, sadly, we all had to buy our own beer, and we enjoyed a hearty lunch back at The Cock.
Thanks go to Graham for planning the day and leading the ride.
* The turnout was: Alan, Brian, Deborah, Graham, Howard, Neil, Nigel, Rod, Tom and Victor. Well done, all.
Thursday being Halloween, we were on the lookout for wizards, witches and ghouls. However, we mostly just saw pumpkins until, arriving in Long Melford, we were greeted spookily by the ladies serving coffee and cake at Café Hygge.
We were 16 miles into a 30-mile outing: Alan, Brian, Jeremy, Keith, Neil, Roger and Simon having set off earlier from The Eight Bells in Bures (locals pronounce it Bew-is), a pretty village straddling the River Stour which for most of its length marks the boundary between Essex and Suffolk.
The ride from Bures to Long Melford was picturesque with plenty of twists and turns, not to mention ups and downs, along quiet lanes notable for long stretches of grass, gravel and occasionally mud too. Tucked away in a deep valley between Twinstead and Great Henny, we pulled up to admire the 14th century farmhouse at Sparrow’s Farm.
Sparrow’s Farm
According to the Colne-Stour Countryside Association website, when renovated in 2011 the farmhouse was found to have several honeybee colonies living in the walls. These were “of immense size . . . it was necessary for us to remove two of them from the bedroom wall in the farmhouse, because they made a constant buzzing and heated up the walls with their activity, as well as, at times, coming up through the floorboards . . . we also removed over 60lbs of honey from the walls“. That’s rural idylls for you.
Quiet roads with grass up the middle – and sometimes mud and gravel too.
The outbound ride having been northwards along the Essex side of the Stour, on leaving Long Melford, we turned south and made the return leg down the Suffolk side.
Back in Bures, we enjoyed a pint and a good lunch at The Eight Bells, an old-fashioned, welcoming sort of place offering a decent selection of real ales and good value, hearty pub fare – and they were more than happy to provide early morning coffee and biscuits too. We must go back.
Lovely ride today on another of Maurice’s scenic, traffic-free routes along the border between north Herts and north Essex. Setting off from The Catherine Wheel, Albury, we headed for Hazel End where we turned north for Manuden, Rickling and Arkesden, clocking up some sixteen miles before pulling in for refreshments at Compass Courtyard.
30 miles anticlockwise from Albury
Back on the bikes and turning south, we headed for Langley Upper Green and the Pelhams – where Brian pulled up to fix a puncture – before returning to Albury for lunch at the pub.
Thanks go to Maurice for another fine route.
For the record the turnout was: Alan, Brian, Deborah, Howard, Jenni, Keith, Maurice, Nigel, Paul, Ric, Rod, Roger and Simon.
A fine autumn morning saw Keith leading the Windmillers once more around the route he pioneered several weeks ago, only this time we were doing it t’other way round. Setting off, we’d also noticed Keith sporting new footwear. Gone was the shower caps ‘n trainers combo – a look he had made all his own – here he was resplendent in shiny new gardening clogs. When it comes to combining function with cutting edge style, the man is a visionary.
Keith’s group, with Keith behind the camera
So it was that we followed Keith through many a quaintly-named Suffolk village – Belchamp St Paul, Belchamp Otten, Belchamp Walter, Puttock End – along quiet lanes, many of which qualified for one of Maurice’s Nice Road Awards having little or no traffic and lots of grass growing down the middle.
Brian’s group, with him behind the camera
It was certainly a hilly route. At the outset Tom’s satnav was forecasting 12 hill climbs totalling some 1500 feet, information some of us really didn’t want or need to know. In pre-satnav days, you never knew what was around the next corner and in many ways you were psychologically better prepared for the hard yards ahead; you just got on with it.
That said, whenever the going got tough, some of the pedallers were glad of the helpful push-alongs from kindly e-bikers. Step up Charles, top chap!
Once again, we pulled in for coffee at Willow Tree Farm Café, just outside Glemsford where, having slogged up seven of the twelve hills we were warmed up enough to sit outside and enjoy the pale autumn sunshine.
Arriving back at the Swan Inn, birthday boy Keith kindly bought us all a beer as we complimented him on his excellent route. Nobody mentioned his eccentric taste in footwear. Happy Birthday, Keith!
Twenty one for the 3rd time
For the record, the twelve Windmillers turning out for the ride were: Brian, Charles, Deborah, Geoff, Keith, Maurice, Nigel, Rod, Roger, Tom and Victor. Well done, team!
News travels fast in the licensed trade. So when the landlord of the Hare & Hounds suggested we lunch in the garden we guessed he’d been warned about Simon’s inability to hold a drink. Fortunately, it was a sunny autumn day and an al fresco lunch made for the perfect end to a delightful morning’s ride.
Windmillers gathering at The Hare & Hounds, Harlton, with Charles behind the camera
Led by Brian, we had set off in two groups from Harlton on a 30 mile circuit taking in the pretty villages of Knapwell, Elsworth and Boxworth, places we last visited some five years ago, and it was in Elsworth that we pulled in at Frank’s Farm, for us a new venue serving good coffee and home made cakes in a very pleasant garden overlooking a meadow.
Refreshments at Frank’s Farm, Elsworth
Back on the bikes we notched up another first for the club, crossing not just one but two suspension bridges dedicated to cyclists, walkers and horseriders. (Bridge nerds will know these are really cable-stayed bridges rather than suspension bridges and, if you really want to know the difference, it’s all here.)
The bridge at Swavesey . . .. . . and the one at Bar Hill
Between the bridges there was a two-mile purpose built cycleway running beside the eight lanes of traffic that form the new A14 plus the adjacent old road it replaced; all a bit noisy but otherwise safe, easy riding back to the more rural lanes leading to Dry Drayton and Madingley.
Group 1, as photographed by BrianGroup 2, as photographed by Jeremy
For the record, the turnout was 12 Windmillers: Alan, Brian, Charles, Gareth, Geoff, Howard, Jeremy, Keith, Neil, Ric, Simon and Tom – plus Ken and Rod who turned up for lunch.
Windmillers are nothing if not eccentric. Indeed, some might say downright batty. Where else would you find a cyclist who, shunning conventional wet weather apparel, improvises using shower caps – yes, shower caps – for both headwear and footwear. And then we have another member who, having already experienced a wet weather soaking proceeds to spill not just one, but two pints of beer in his lap. Windmillers, eh? Outwardly normal, but kinda weird.
So it was on Thursday morning that some thirteen singular, strange and unique cyclists were seen gathering at The Red Lion in Preston – that’s the pretty little village in Herts rather than the dour mill town in Lancs – where Sandra had summoned the club for a 30-mile tour of the countryside around Stevenage. And it was here while sipping our pre-ride coffees that Keith, hearing rain was forecast, removed his shoes and pulled on some natty floral shower caps over his socks before putting his shoes back on. Nobody batted an eyelid.
Sandra leads the way
Come 9.30 we were off, Sandra leading one group and Brian the other. The first half of the outing, which took us as far as the delightful Brewery Tearooms in Walkern, was uneventful, other than Alan having to pull over and fix a puncture.
Sandra helps with Alan’s puncture repair
Until the refreshment stop we had stayed dry, but it was as we exited the tearooms that the weather closed in and, sensing rain, Keith proceeded to remove his helmet, then one shoe and one shower cap which, for the remainder of the ride, he wore under his helmet. Stone the crows, Keith!
One blue shower cap, one pink one
Sandra had warned us about the stiff climb on the final half mile of the ride – and there’s no doubt it was the steepest hill we’ve experienced this year; easy for the e-bikers but a real slog for the pedallers. But to my knowledge, no one got off and pushed. Well done, team.
It was in the pub that Simon, already wet from the ride, did his party piece of spilling a pint in his lap, replacing it with another, only to spill that one in exactly the same manner. Now that’s what you call a drink problem.
As if Simon wasn’t wet enough . . .. . . soon he was even wetter
For the record the turnout was: Alan, Brian, Charles, Deborah, Keith, Neil, Paul, Ric, Rod, Roger, Sandra, Simon, Victor.
All smiles over lunch in The Red Lion
Thanks go to Sandra for organising a super ride (we will overlook the killer hill). Also to Deb, Simon and Charles for the many photographs.
30 miles anticlockwise from PrestonJust £2.99 on Amazon for a pack of four – while stocks last
The Windmill Cycle Club 