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Who were those grizzled men offloading bikes in the pub car park on a cold Thursday morning? Shifty looking types; maybe the Hatton Garden Gang? But then Sandra arrived and all became clear; it was the Windmillers, gathering for their regular weekly outing.

Eleven strong – Maurice, Victor, Martin, Andrew, Rod, Lawrence, Simon, Roger, Bruce, Brian and Sandra – we set off from Westmill heading south towards Ware. There was a wintry edge to the wind and various items of ski wear – mits, thermals, etc – were in evidence. Sandra, having cycled from home, was already warmed up and, together with Rod and Maurice on their whizzy electric bikes – set off at a cracking pace leaving the rest of us trailing in their wake.

Somewhere along the way we managed to lose Martin. There was some debate as to where he was last seen and speculation as to whether he had been distracted taking  a picture of some old church or other. But following a phone call or two – and a judicious short cut on Martin’s part – we caught up with each other again a few miles on.

Pulling in at our regular café on Ware High Street, we ordered coffee and some of us even had a mince pie. ‘ Twas the season, after all. Indeed, Lawrence and Brian were so impressed with said mince pies that they bought more and force fed them to Maurice and Andrew, who agreed they were mighty fine pies.

Restored and back on the bikes, Maurice led the way westwards along the Lea towpath to Hertford where we turned northwards for the return leg via Sacombe and Nastry to Westmill. Arriving back at the Sword Inn Hand, we were delighted to be joined by Ken for lunch.

It had been another excellent Thursday outing. Thanks as ever to Maurice and Andrew for organising everything.

Brian

Evenings are drawing ever closer and the shower clouds were looming, so 2.30 would be the start time from The Tally Ho, Barkway. Simon at the bar playing ball with the barman’s dog, in the hopes to tire this young dog out before the trip home, not much chance of that with a spaniel. Sandra and Maurice joining him before setting off in the glorious sunshine but sadly this wouldn’t last for the whole ride.

Setting off north through Barkway to Reed, Therfield and Sandon before heading to Buntingford and this would be the start of the changing skies, darkening with rainbows in front, as sure sign of rain, thankfully we passed through Wyddial and on to Anstey quarry before turning to pass Barkway Golf course and into some rain, enough to annoy but not soak us, arriving at the Tally Ho before the official opening time but Saleesha would take pity on us and let us in for a warm by the fire and refreshments. Plenty of lagers to choose and Guinness but Hophead was the only choice for beer, hoping for more choice soon. The heavens opened and a huge downpour happened while inside, clearing just before I set off home. Saleesha is prepared to open earlier for us in future, there’s only so much I can drink to make it worth her while, thankfully it’s downhill most of the way home and fairly straight.

Thanks Maurice for yet another great ride.

Sandra

As it happens, today’s ride included 2 of the 14 most rude and funny place names in Essex, namely Steeple Bumpstead and Rotten End. That means we still have to visit Fiddlers Hamlet, Turkey Cock Lane (where houses are apparently difficult to sell) and another 10 besides.

And so it was that 11 Windmillers gathered at the Fox and Hounds in Steeple Bumpstead and placed their lunch orders before setting off on a delightful tour of quiet lanes. Maurice led the way on his e-bike with his faithful followers behind – Ken, Vernon, Sandra, Lawrence, Brummie Brian, Chris, Graham, new boys Jeff (Geoff?) and Bruce (friends of Deborah) and Martin. Lawrence caught up at coffee time having been stuck in a jam on the A505.

Here is the route taken:

Maurice claimed to have brought his bolt croppers with him just in case Martin decided once again to padlock his bike to Vernon’s at the coffee stop in Castle Hedingham having forgotten to bring the key, as happened once before on his first ever outing with the club. But with a club policy of 3 strikes and you’re out, Martin’s membership was luckily allowed to continue.

The weather was cloudy but dry and except for a slight error of route we proceeded steadily towards an earlier than usual coffee stop in Castle Hedingham after just 9 miles, where there was a noticeable absence of hunger. Clearly, 15+ miles are needed before the yearning for scones and cakes sets in.

There was also a noticeable absence of hills initially, as can be seen in the gradient chart above, but that changed after coffee when a few gentle hills reminded us not to get too complacent. Eventually we arrived at Rotten End but there was nothing particularly rotten about it as far as we could see – it was in fact an idyllic spot with a bridge / ford over the fast flowing River Pant (surely another candidate for a funny Essex name?) which commences just east of Saffron Walden and feeds into the River Blackwater.

The Autumn colours were at their best in places, particularly the avenues of beech trees, and being a mild day this meant for comfortable riding with little traffic to contend with.

At Waltham’s Cross, not to be confused with Waltham Cross, we said hello once again to a field of wallabies who were lolloping around and seemed quite happy even though they were 10,000 miles from home:

Then came the pretty village of Great Bardfield and its Gibralter Mill:

We were by now on the last leg and passed a stunning litttle church in Little Sampford with an interesting tower. This turned out to be the Grade 1 listed early 14th century St Mary the Virgin, but looked from the outside as if in need of some tlc. More information here: http://www.english-church-architecture.net/essex%20l/little%20sampford/little_sampford.htm .

Continuing through quiet lanes, the peloton began to spread out a bit towards the end of the ride, in the usual fashion, or is this just a race to the bar? Having started a bit earlier than usual we were back at the Fox and Hounds by 12.45 and received a warm welcome before tucking into an excellent lunch washed down with Ridley’s Bishop’s Nick and other fine beers.

Thanks to Maurice for organising a great ride and to Statesman Andrew who was in New York up to mischief in Central Park………..

And congratulations to Graham for cycling from Ickleton and back again and to Sandra who accompanied Graham back, via Whittlesford railway station bridge (of all places!), and then through the lanes to near Royston, both clocking up an impressive mileage for the day.

Martin

 

 

 

 

 

 

This ride seems to have slipped through the net and with no known photos of the day I’m working with vague recollections of the day of who may or may not have been included. Starting out from The Sword in Hand, Westmill, who at the time were in full preparation for the impending August Bank Holiday beer festival and around 30 different barrels of ale settling neatly on the racking ready, maybe for thirsty Windmill Club cyclists to sample on our return, alas they needed to have some left for the weekend revellers, so we stuck with the very refreshing in-house beers.

From memory – (10) riders – Maurice, Andrew, John B, Lawrence, Brummy Brian, Yorkie Brian, Ken, Victor, Keith and Sandra rode out this day. If you rode and I’ve missed you off or if I’ve included you and you don’t recall riding, please let me know and I’ll edit accordingly, we all know how important statistics are!!

From Westmill we headed to Nasty, Great Munden, Dane End, Sacombe, Stonyhills to Bengeo (I recall a brief wait here as I think Yorkie Brian had a puncture, happy to be corrected if incorrect). Once regrouped we headed along the towpath cycle track to Ware and sadly our usual coffee stop was closed, no idea why but we just went around the corner to Jacoby’s for our caffeine fix while John B carried on and would meet back up with us at Westmill, might have been a wise decision, as this establishment seemed to only be able to make one drink at a time and took an age to serve us all. Suitably refreshed we set off, at this point the two Brians left us and headed straight back to Westmill, a prior arrangement and the need to get back after the elongated coffee stop. While the peloton headed on to Babbs End, Barwick, skirted Standon, before crossing over the A10 to Colliers End and back to Great Munden and Nasty. This was where I may have led a few followers astray and headed back along what I now know to be a more hilly route to Westmill, while Maurice took the chasing pack via the downhill route and were back all loaded up and heading for the bar on our arrival, sorry to those who followed me but we did end up at the same place.

Thanks Maurice for a great route and Andrew for organising us.

Sandra

With the start time 14.45, gradually creeping forward in the hopes of getting back to the pub before dark but not having to wait too long for opening at 17.00. Maurice and Rod (E-bikers), Andrew and Sandra (Purist peddlers) met at The Bull, Lower Langley. Rod having invested in some new Schwalbe Marathon shoes for his steed, hopeful this would prevent a repeat of last weeks thorn gathering experience. A promise had been made that the route would be swept personally by hand by Andrew, so that thorns wouldn’t be an issue this week. Meanwhile, Andrew’s shares in Schwalbe must have increased greatly thanks mainly to The Windmill Club, as he too arrived with an, as good as new off-road steed to try out, very nice looking too. Be prepared for some more off-roading in the summer!!

We set off to Little Chishill, Great Chishill, Heydon and Elmdon, stopping for a brief break to check the time and daylight situation, before setting off again to Strethall along a route where some hedge cutting was taking place, thankfully no-one succumbed to thorns this time. On through Littlebury Green and up to Duddenhoe End, picking our way through closed road signs and on to Arkesden, Clavering and Sheepcote Green. The daylight was really closing in on us now and a large herd of deer chasing across the road just before us, some choosing to pause in the field, always a worry, as you never know which way they are going to go but they stood fast and let us pass.

Back to The Bull with only a few minutes wait, as Sarah took pity on us and let us in out of the now chilling air. Great beer and Pistachios (the new healthier goujons!!).

Another great ride, thanks Maurice and Andrew for organising us.

Sandra

The prospect of free beer – courtesy of Vernon – heralded a bumper turnout for lunch at the Pig & Abbot. No fewer than 15 thirsty Windmillers, back from a 31 mile outing, raised a celebratory glass to the birthday boy while tucking into Landlady Pat’s excellent meat pies.

Setting out from Abington Pigotts, we had visited Bassingbourn, Meldreth, Shepreth, Barrington, Haslingfield and the Eversdens, enjoyed coffee at Bourn Golf Club, and returned via the Hatleys, Wendy and Shingay.

Even the RAF had turned out to salute Vernon. Pausing for a breather at the top of Chapel Hill, we were treated to a low level flyby – a pair of Apache helicopters skimming the hedgerow. One even acknowledged our waves with a quick side to side waggle; it was quite a sight.

 

All in all, it had been another splendid ride on a lovely day. Thanks as ever to Maurice and Andrew for getting us all organised.

Brian

A lovely afternoon/evening was in store. A bright glow in the air as I approached The Bull, Lower Langley, was it the Sun or the newly acquired High-Vis garments in preparation of cycling into the evening Sun, NO, it was the beaming grin on Rocket Rod’s face, showing off his shiny new E-Bike to Maurice!!

Having only acquired this sparkly steed on Saturday, minimal road work had taken place, so this would be a good test amongst friends, none of us competitive at all!! Lets just say that Rod no longer requires a jetpack, as the battery pack has more than enough power for the local hills. On leaving The Bull, Rod took off into the distance, I managed to catch up with him, heading up to Little Chishill before dropping to Shaftenhoe End, where we stopped to regroup with Maurice and Andrew before heading up to Barkway, Rod’s orange glow took off up the hills into the distance briefly stopping at the top of one of the hills to take in the sun, suggestion of adding a solar panel on such occasions to add longevity to the battery. Passing through Barkway and pausing in The Tally Ho car park, checking the opening times for future rides, further investigation required here.

On to Nuthampstead, Anstey and Little Hormead before heading to Furneux Pelham and a little off road stretch down towards Hartham Common. Whether it was the off road section, the narrow road with recently flailed hedges both sides and well basically a mat of hedge cutting all the way along or the curse of new bike tyres (thinest material they can find), the wind was most certainly taken from Rods sails, well his rear tyre anyway!! With the light failing, it was decided to divert back to Lower Langley via Meesden and Maurice went back in his car to collect Rod.

In spite of the puncture (which I now know was a thorn), another great ride. Great to have you back on board again Rod after some time away.

 

Thanks Maurice for organising the ride, Andrew for organising us and Rod for the refreshments, much appreciated, very kind.

Sandra

What a glorious Autumn evening, sitting in the sunshine waiting for Andrew and Martin to join me outside The Bull, Lower Langley, watching Red Kites circling, some even dipping in and out of The Bull’s garden.

This being the first ride after the clocks went back, meaning an earlier start of 15.00. Autumn certainly in the air, temperature dropping rapidly but Martin hopeful maybe that the sun would keep some warmth in the air, choosing to bare knobby knees, while Andrew freshly back from warmer climes and noticing the dramatic change to the weather after just ten days in the Mediterranean.

We set off to Duddenhoe End then on to Arkesden, it wasn’t long before we came across a small herd of deer grazing the fresh crops, on through to Rickling taking in the vibrant Autumn colours. On leaving Rickling a young stag was spotted, hopeful of getting a picture against the setting sun and horizon, we slowed down but the stag was proving more difficult to capture and took off, running along side us for a while before cutting across the road in front of us, to a point where the photo would not have the same impact, I think this stag could have been John B in disguise, the way he managed to avoid the camera!!!

While watching this stag, we were fortunate enough to see a Buzzard drop out of a tree at the side of the road to catch a small mammal and devour in one go and then take off. All in a evenings Windmill Club Autumn Watch ride.

On to Berden and Stocking Pelham, where a comfort break would make an amazing discovery in a garden, a 5″ scale model railway line!!

 

On from here via Brent Pelham to Meesden Bury and Roast Green to Lower Langley, with a couple of stops to check Martin’s bike which had developed a strange noise, it turns out he’s been tinkering again.

The Bull looking fabulous, lit up to welcome us in. What better way to finish a ride than with Benny’s Best.

19.5 miles clockwise

Thanks Andrew for organising and Martin for the photographs.

Sandra

With Andrew cruising the ‘Med’ and Maurice otherwise engaged, I was asked to organise this ride. Well the email went out for any willing/brave cyclists to join me!! Word clearly had not got around to Simon about my past exploits (storm Sandra!!), as he was the only intrepid cyclist willing to join me. The weather looked fine for this evening ride, not too windy and the sun looked set to join us, if maybe a bit chilly. Having a route in mind and knowing that Simon had yet to experience the notorious ‘Three Hills’, we set out from Lower Langley down through Little Chishill to then turn up to Great Chishill taking in the said hills, getting them out-of-the-way at the start of the route, we’d certainly warmed up by the time we passed The Pheasant, on through Heydon and dropping to Chrishall Grange before turning towards Ickleton before turning back to head up to Elmdon, yes UP again, yet another hill with a ‘nice’ (if that’s the correct term!) kick at the end, on through Elmdon dropping down and then heading UP again to Duddenhoe End, this time a hill I’ve only ever gone down before with the Windmillers (I now know why we’ve only ever gone down this one!), at this point it’s pretty much down hill all the way to the welcome of The Bull at Lower Langley, having done all those hills, the thoughts of adding the extra 4 miles passing ‘Chez Oliver’ at Butt’s Green went out of our thoughts, so straight back to The Bull it was, where Maurice joined us later on.

Thank you Simon for being brave enough to join me.

Sandra

Thursday’s outing was a particularly hilly one. Starting from Long Melford, Maurice led the way around a 30 mile circuit taking in Henny Street, Lamarsh, Nayland and Boxford. There were 10 of us – Graham, Roger, Lawrence, Chris, Sandra, Simon, both Brians and, of course, Routemeister Maurice himself.

Iron Man Graham clocked up an additional 30 miles, having cycled all the way from Ickleton to Long Melford, where he arrived clutching a sausage roll and all set for the next 30 miles. We were impressed.

Nayland shall be forever imprinted upon Lawrence’s mind as it was here that an impetuous driver tried to run him off the road. There was a coming together of car and bicycle, nothing too serious, thank God, and Lawrence managed to avoid being spilled from the saddle. The front seat passenger, however, leapt from the car and berated Lawrence for, well, being a cyclist. Despite the abuse, Lawrence kept his cool. It was the offending motorist who came off worst with various vehicle parts, notably a wing mirror housing and fuel filler cap, ending up in the road. Just deserts, we thought; tangle with Lawrence at your peril!

Coffee stop at Boxford

Back at Long Melford, we stowed the bikes and drove to Steeple Bumpstead for lunch at The Fox & Hounds. And what a lunch; notable for the huge volume of dairy product consumed by Martin and Roger, both having selected the Cheese Feast from the menu. They each must have put away half a kilo of various processed curds; everything from Norfolk Dapple to Suffolk Gold. We must up their statin prescriptions.

Thanks, Maurice, for leading us over another delightful route. Andrew too for getting us all organised.

Brian

The plan was to have an early start and finish to allow Deputy Dawg Andrew to scoot off on his hols but it didn’t quite work out like that. Lawrence was running late and so it was 11 Windmillers who set off from the Fleur de Lys in Widdington on a clockwise circuit to Puckeridge and back – Maurice, Andrew, Vernon, Sandra, Keith, Chris, Tom, Roger, Deborah, Simon and Martin. Here is the route taken:

Was it the rain the day before washing mini axe head flints onto the road, choice of tyres or just bad luck that caused four punctures en route, with Deborah suffering one in both front and back wheels? Most probably it was the rain, as has happened before, but there is always talk of Schwalbe Marathons at such time, in which company we are convinced that Andrew holds shares.

Tom was the first to get a puncture but he was so far ahead of the peloton that he already had his front wheel off by the time the others arrived. Although not breaking his personal record of 5 minutes he was soon on the go again:

Then it was Deborah’s turn in Much Hadham but some willing helpers soon had her front wheel off and a new tube inserted whilst the others pedalled on towards Puckeridge to place their orders for coffee and cakes.

At this stage of the ride we were around 30 mins behind schedule but there was more in store on the return leg when Deborah got her second puncture, this time in her back wheel, when Tom, Sandra and Vernon once again came to her rescue and fished out a mini flint before fitting a new tube.

Finally, it was Vernon’s turn, not long after leaving Rickling, his tough Continental Four Seasons tyres also showing that they are susceptible to our local flints. Meanwhile the others were already on their first pint back at the Fleur as the familar puncture repair team again swung into action:

Tom, Sandra and Vernon will definitely be up for the Puncture Repair Team of the Year Award at the Christmas lunch.

And so it was 1.00pm, an hour behind schedule, that we finally all assembled at the Fleur de Lys for yet another wonderful lunch. Sadly, having arrived late, Lawrence set off to find us without success and so was unable to join us for lunch, having returned to the Fleur by 11.30am.

Thanks to Maurice for planning the ride, not knowing of course that all those nasty flints were out there to get us, and to Andrew for organising us. Hopefully Andrew didn’t miss his boat.

Martin

PS. This must be a record for puncture pics on a blog. Ed.

 

 

 

This Autumn afternoon/evening wasn’t what it was supposed to be but the four intrepid souls embarking from The Bull, Lower Langley, were determined to ride their bicycles into the night. As the dry weather had dispersed, so the battle with low, blinding sun would not be the case this afternoon.

Maurice, Andrew, Simon and Sandra, set forth into the damp air. Most took to layers of waterproof gear, while Simon chose to brave the most natural, probably quicker and easier to dry layer of “skin” (I must add, not the full birthday suit!!). This would prove at the end of the ride to be a wise decision, as even though it was damp throughout the ride, it certainly was a pleasant temperature but that may have also been down to the layers we were wearing!!

We set forth to Meesden Bury, Brent Pelham and then on to Berden, with the roads quite damp, muddy and littered with leaf debris care needed to be taken, thankfully Maurice had chosen an unpowered steed, so there was no need for us to be chasing after this Speedster!!

On to Wicken Bonhunt, Arkesden, Duddenhoe End and Langley Upper Green, along the way a cheeky hen pheasant took flight alongside Andrew and cut across in front of him, possibly an attempt to take him out prior to the beating/shooting season and saving all her friends/family! The conversation quickly turned to game recipes and making space in the freezer for ‘the bag’!!

At Langley Upper Green, the group split, with Maurice and Simon heading the short route back and Andrew and Sandra going via Butts Green and Roast Green to add approx 4 miles to the route. A warm welcome awaited us at The Bull. ‘Flanders Field’ the beer of choice, Green King – British Legion special, very refreshing too.

Thanks to Maurice for organising the ride, Andrew for organising us and to Simon for the delicious Quince jelly (still warm).

Sandra

For the third week running a baker’s dozen of Windmillers assembled for a ride around our beautiful local lanes. Starting this time from The Fox & Duck in Therfield, Maurice chose a clockwise route via Baldock, Ashwell, Guilden Morden and Royston before the climb back to Therfield.

Accompanied by Andrew, Vernon, Birthday Boy Keith, Sandra, Ric, Brian B, Brian Y, Chris, Lawrence, Simon, Graham and Martin, the group set off a bit earlier than usual so that Maurice could fit in a flu jab in Royston on the way back.  Here is the route taken:

There was indeed a breeze in our favour on the outward leg which meant we swept along, clocking up an average speed close to that achieved the previous Monday. The route through to Baldock is very pretty, particularly the village of Wallington which was once the home of George Orwell, author of Animal Farm.

And here are the animals and humans (minus Napoleon and Vernon the horse) outside George Orwell’s cottage:

For more information about George Orwell and Animal Farm, here’s a link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm .

The animals and humans then left in single file, speeding down the long descent to Baldock before heading north east towards Ashwell for coffee at Rhubarb & Mustard. The breeze seemed to be still in our favour.

 

After coffee we sailed downwind towards Wrestlingworth before finally turning for home, when the breeze became a full on near gale on the nose, reminiscent of some past rides organised by Storm (Pinkeye) Sandra. The imposing Litlington church was passed on the way:

The peloton thinned out and by the time we reached the A505 there was some distance between the front and back. A slow climb up the hill to Therfield, hoping that a golf ball would not impede progress, was finally rewarded by the welcome sight of The Fox and Duck and a welcome birthday pint courtesy of Keith (thanks Keith!) sitting outside in the hot sunshine before having a splendid lunch inside.

Thanks to Maurice for planning the route and to Andrew for getting us to the starting line on time. And congratulations to Sandra, Ric and Graham for clocking up many additional miles by riding to and from The Fox & Duck.

Martin

 

 

 

Six Windmillers comprising Maurice, Andrew, Keith, Sandra, Simon and Martin set forth from The Bull at Lower Langley at 4.30pm on this cloudy but dry autumnal evening, not knowing that they would be achieving a higher than usual average speed of 12.4 mph for the ride. Was this the wind, increased fitness levels or the thought of a pint of Benny’s Best at the end? Perhaps all three.

Maurice led the way on his highly charged steed firstly towards Shaftenhoe End and then due South to Little Hormead before turning left towards Furneux Pelham and back via the outskirts of Clavering. Here is the route in detail:

There were some significant hills at times, as shown in the graphs above, resulting in a loss of 839 calories, according to Mapometer. A pint of Benny’s Best only amounts to 210 calories and so we can comfort ourselves with a net loss of 629 calories……………

There were few stops, not even outside the church in Furneux Pelham where ‘Time Flies’, but a brief pause was made to take on and expel water, rather like a steam engine.

The moving average had slowed to 12.0 mph by Roast Green but thanks to a high speed descent to Lower Langley this increased to 12.4 mph just as the welcome sight of The Bull came into view.

Thanks once again to maestro Maurice for leading us around the Autumnal lanes and to deputy dawg Andrew for organising us all. It’s a good feeling not to have anything to do except just turn up and pay our dues. Over £1500 has already been raised for charity this year and so by Christmas this should be a tidy sum to distribute.

Martin

This used to be Maurice’s home turf, so for him it was a trip down memory lane; no map required. Starting out from the Sword Inn Hand at Westhill, we were on a 28 mile circuit of east Hertfordshire, Maurice leading the way around his old haunts, followed by Deborah, Andrew, Graham, Keith, John B, Martin, Victor, Ric, Chris, Roger, Lawrence and Brian. A baker’s dozen once again.

Along the way we stopped at Standon to admire the Old School House and the nearby puddingstone (you’ll have to look it up).

It was 22 miles before we pulled in for a coffee stop, this time at Whitehill Golf Club. Then it was back on the bikes for the short trip back to Westhill, where we were delighted to catch up with Sandra who had cycled out to join us. She was a pint ahead but we soon caught up and together enjoyed a hearty lunch at the big table.

Thanks, Maurice, for leading the way – and Andrew for getting us organised.

Brian

An earlier start of 4.30pm was necessary today due to the shorter days creeping in slowly but surely. As long as The Bull was open at the end of the ride, that’s all that really mattered, which indeed it was.

It was good to have another new member join us, Jenny, a friend of also new member Deborah. Welcome Jenny! Accompanied by electric Maurice, Andrew, Sandra, Keith, Simon and Martin, we set off at a brisk pace to get some warmth flowing into those brave enough to display knobbly knees. Here is the route taken:

The route took us down Andrew’s favourite off road / track past Rockell’s Farm in Duddenhoe End and on to Rickling and Rickling Green. The lanes were quite busy for a while, this being rush hour, but it soon settled down to the usual peace and quiet we have become accustomed to. Then on to Manuden where it was tempting to stop at Martin’s daughter’s house but baby Willow was busy watching Cbeebies with her dad before tea and might just have wondered what Grandpa’s hi-viz friends were up to on what would have been a lightning visit.

Maurice had a devious off-road / track section planned in Furneux Pelham but before that we just had to pay homage to the gleaners of yesteryear who are said to be responsible for the inscription on the village church of Times Flies – Mind Your Business . Gleaners were apparently allowed onto harvest fields after work had finished, strictly at 6 pm.

Time was indeed flying – 6 o’clock meant it was opening time at The Bull – and so on we sped up the track and down a bumpy concrete bit towards another Pelham, Brent this time, before finally zooming downhill to Lower Langley. Saying farewell to Deborah and Jenny, the remaining Windmillers received a warm welcome inside The Bull.

Thanks, Maurice, for another entertaining ride and to Andrew for getting us there and supplying the photo.

Martin

It was a magnificent Suffolk morning as a baker’s dozen of Windmillers gathered at The Packhorse in Moulton on a Newmarket race day. Driving past the gallops from Newmarket to Moulton watching the horses in training is always a special sight and on this crisp sunny autumnal day it was extra special.

We nearly filled the car park as Maurice, Andrew, Vernon, Sandra, Keith (still recovering from a bug), Ken, Lawrence, Chris, Roger, Victor, Simon, Deborah and Martin got ready for the off, knowing also that Ric would be cycling over from Harston and joining us for lunch. Simon had to firstly mend a puncture – possibly caused by the same thorn / flint on Keith’s driveway that caused Martin’s puncture on Monday? Maurice distributed a map and off we went, not knowing that the actual route might be somewhat different.

This is where we were meant to go:

…and this is where we actually went:

The main variation was a scenic detour into the suburbs of Bury St Edmunds followed by a U-turn and a  stretch along a busy A road but other than this the lanes were fairly quiet. Not long after starting, however, an overtaking car, just before a bend, forced a fast oncoming car to take quick evasive action on to the verge which avoided an accident. Which all goes to show how careful Windmillers need to be at all times, particularly when cycling in a large group.

Our coffee destination was Ickworth, but not the café in the grounds. Every now and then Windmillers like to splash out and so it was the hotel that Maurice had booked us into, where we enjoyed our coffees sitting outside in a magnificent garden in warm sunshine:

The Suffolk countryside was in fine fettle, post-harvest. As always, there were some fascinating churches, cottages and fine country houses to admire as we pedalled along.

And this one too:

Knowing that lunch was to be served promptly at 1.00pm some of the group charged on ahead whilst others were content with admiring the views. But on reaching Moulton there was a large group on the fine bridge desperate to be caught on camera:

A treat was in store back at The Packhorse, our second upmarket eating establishment of the day. An earlier photo shoot had left cocktails all over the bar that needed drinking up, and who better to oblige than a gang of thirsty Windmillers?

Then we sat down in a large private room and enjoyed a Wherry good lunch, joined by Ric who once again gets the prize for the longest ride of the day – approx. 45 miles from Harston and back. Well done, Ric.

Thanks, Maurice, for organising the Lost Tribe and getting us back for a splendid lunch bang on time. And Andrew too for getting us to the starting line. Let’s try a greasy spoon next week.

Martin

 

 

 

 

What a glorious evening to go cycling, meeting at The Bull, Lower Langley in the sunshine were newest New-by Deborah, shortest time as New-by Simon (1 week), Maurice, Andrew, John T, Keith and Sandra.

Introductions over and we headed up towards Meesden Bury, Brent Pelham, Furneux Pelham, thankfully not opting for the off-road route or what is also known as the longest ford!! We would have been more than happy to meet ‘Off Road King Andrew’ at the other end, had he chosen to partake but was persuaded otherwise, even though it had been a very dry period of late.

On to Manuden and up to Rickling Green, Maurice having thrown down the gauntlet to anyone wishing to have a bit of a burn up the hills on route. Well it seems that I was the only one feeling the need to stretch my legs a bit more (even though I’d ridden to the start, John T having ridden to the start too). So, I sat over looking the green and the Cricketers Arms, longing for some refreshment until the crew arrived (probably could have managed a swift half after all!!).

Once regrouped we headed to Rickling and the hopes of a photo opportunity with the Black Swan but sadly no swan and a dry pond was found (Not sure what has happened to the Black Swan)!

The sun was dropping and the shadows lengthening, so we returned via Wicken Bonhunt, Arkesden, avoiding the gravely off-road section to Duddenhoe End and then into the now blinding sun to Langley, Lower Langley and welcome refreshments at The Bull.

Thanks to Maurice for the route and Andrew for organising us.

Sandra

It was good to have two newish members, Simon and Deborah, join Andrew and Martin on this Monday evening ride around the lanes. But given their interest in stopping to examine a nuclear fall out shelter near Brent Pelham, were they in fact Russian spies we wondered, or is this just fake news?

Starting from The Bull in Lower Langley, where a large beer festival had been held over the weekend and luckily for us there was a lot left over, our ride took us through stunning lanes just as the sun was getting low in the sky. Here is the route taken:

Avoiding all off-road alternatives, we sped along thinking of the beer to be sampled back at the Bull until we pulled up near the aforesaid nuclear bunker, built during the height of the cold war when it was feared the Russians could have been overhead at any time.

Then it was on to Anstey where one bright spark who shall be nameless suggested we might call on Keith, but not knowing exactly which house he lived in we just rode up his driveway, hung around making a few noises and then departed without seeing him – just as well as he had a rotten cold. But the security system of thorns / flints on his driveway succeeded in giving Martin a puncture at a time when the light was beginning to fade but it was repaired in a reasonable time thanks to a team effort.

When we finally reached The Bull it was great to see John B who had been out riding in the same area and maestro Maurice was propped up on a bar stool too with an indecent suntan having just got back from sailing around Majorca. The huge range of beers left over from the festival were priced at just £2.00 a pint and so we just had to take advantage of that, and take some home too for good measure.

Thanks to Andrew for organising a great ride and to the staff of The Bull who always give us such a warm welcome.

Martin

 

It was a murky Essex day as 6 Windmillers gathered at the Fleur de Lys for a ride to Finchingfield and back, not even bearing to think about Maurice soaking up the sunshine and drinking gin and tonics on his friend’s large yacht in the Mediterranean. So Andrew led the way, followed dutifully by Sandra, Chris, Lawrence, Roger and Martin via Henham, Thaxted, Great Bardfield, Sydney (only joking) and Waltham’s Cross (no joking).  Here is the route taken:

The first stop on what was quite a brisk ride was Henham where large fish were seen swimming in the village pond, which never seems to dry up. Sadly they were not seen on camera:

Thaxted came and went in a blur and on we sped towards Great Bardfield with thoughts of coffee beginning to become uppermost in one’s mind.  But then came the hypothetical Sydney, a field full of mini wallabies munching happily away but almost as invisible as the fish in Henham:

Coffee was had at the delightful café in Finchingfield where we have stopped many times before, Bosworth’s Tearooms. Several scones were consumed, some with clotted cream (on top of the jam of course) and there were thoughts of why Keith was not with us. That soon became clear when the murk turned to heavy rain and we had to sit it out until it cleared, so Keith had clearly read an accurate forecast.

But the rain soon stopped and other than a spot or two on the way back (badly judged by Martin who stopped unnecessarily to don a waterproof only to remove it again shortly afterwards) we returned in the murk via Thaxted and were soon taking the off road route behind Debden to reach Widdington in time for a splendid lunch at the Fleur de Lys.  Chris was celebrating the arrival of his second grandchild, Ethan, and so we had great pleasure wetting the babe’s head courtesy of Chris. Thanks Chris!

Thanks to Andrew for organising a great ride.

Martin