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“It’s alcohol-free!”, choked Keith, mid mouthful. Maurice had invited us in to his Aldeburgh cottage for refreshments. “It was a bargain; eight bottles of Ghost Ship for a tenner – and now I know why”, he admitted bashfully. Much leg-pulling – of his good leg, of course – followed.

Mid-way round a 37 mile route from Framlingham to the seaside and back, Andrew, Lawrence, Roger, Keith, Ken and Brian had followed Maurice to Snape Maltings for coffee and then on to Aldeburgh for lunch. Along the way we had bumped into John Bagrie; though we seemed to lose him at coffee time. Strange that.

At Easton, we rode past Britain’s longest crinkle crankle wall. That’s a wavy wall to you and me; look at the picture and you’ll get the general idea. Dating back to the 18th century, crinkle crankle walls were cheap to build as they were made just one brick thin, they didn’t need buttressing and, no doubt, with the money saved the owner could treat pals to real beer instead of that cheap non alcoholic stuff.

Meanwhile, back in Aldeburgh and a few doors along from Maurice’s place, we enjoyed a fine seafood lunch before mounting up and heading back to Framlingham. Throughout the day we had been blessed with fine weather, good food and excellent stewardship, all thanks to Maurice. Thanks too, to Andrew, for getting us organised.

Brian

 

Sandra’s report of trusty steeds on 17 September reminded me that speedy steeds had an interesting circuit from The Bull in Lower Langley on 3 September, which had not been blogged.

Here is the route taken:

It was Andrew, Keith and Martin who set off on yet another glorious evening circuit only to find at the end that John B had been doing much the same in the opposite direction, having started a bit later, but never the twain did meet until back at The Bull. Instead of going directly from Heydon to Elmdon, Martin introduced a new off road but relatively smooth path from Chrishall to Elmdon which runs through the woods (wonderful smells at bluebell time).  Interesting to see that the trusty steeds did it again in reverse.

Whilst climbing up to Catmere End, Martin noticed a sprayer busy spraying and in the interests of photography and sprayer identification by Tom at some future stage, he stopped to take pics, whilst the others went ahead and waited. It wasn’t long before the driver stopped his sprayer and sauntered over to ask if there was anything wrong. ‘Nothing at all’, wimpered Martin, thankful that he was not about to crush his bike and as soon as Tom’s name was mentioned he melted into a long discussion about nozzles and weeds, demonstrating what he was trying to eradicate. Meanwhile, Andrew and Keith were worrying about Martin’s safety but showing no signs of intervening.

Sprayer at Catmere End in need of identification by Tom

Then the speedsters got going, Andrew and Martin recording their best ever top speed of 33.4 mph descending the long hill from Littlebury Green.

Not long afterwards, we came across a recently torched / burnt out Land Rover Discovery on the side of a field leading up to Duddenhoe End. The heat had been so intense that all the glass had melted into pools and nothing was left except the shell. Quite a sight:

Finally, we wended our way through the lanes taking a left at Langley Upper Green which meant delaying a pint by another 10 minutes but adding a couple of miles to the ride and enjoying the countryside.

And then we were soon back at The Bull sampling a pint of Benny’s Best, still not knowing where it is brewed and all the staff refusing to tell us. But it’s a fine pint.

Thanks, Andrew, for organising a great circuit. Apologies for the delay in reporting.

Martin

 

 

 

 

The Bull, Langley Lower Green would be the meeting place for this evening ride, 17.00 would be the start time. Assembling in the car park were Maurice choosing non electric cycling to push those muscles, Andrew, Sandra and a newby Simon, whom we welcomed to the group and hope to see again on many a ride.

Setting off across the ford towards Meesden Bury before cutting down towards Roast Green and then along back up to Langley Upper Green passing ‘The Olivers’ residence, on to Duddenhoe End, where we circled to incorporate a little off road section through Rockells Farm, a little stoney for some of us!! Back on tarmac we headed to Littlebury Green, passing Simon’s residence on to Catmore End and Strethall (Thankfully no angry looking farmers spraying tonight but we know how to calm them now, “Just mention Tom Robinson and all will be well!!’)

Onwards towards Elmdon on the lovely smooth tarmac, this wouldn’t last long as Andrew had plans for another off road section from Elmdon to Chrishall, through a lovely wooded area, much smoother than the previous off road section. Weaving our way through the lanes and passing The Red Cow, sadly not open on a Monday, we headed back through Heydon, Gt Chishill, Shaftenhoe End and Little Chishill to a warm welcome at the Bull and welcome refreshments. We were soon joined by John B with a rye grin on is face – “That was close” he said, assuming he meant the fading light but no, dusting off his knees, he told us of an off road section close by, a bit like being on a roller coaster ride. While relaxing and enjoying himself, his ‘Trusty Steed’ decided otherwise and catapulted him into the verge, thankfully no major damage, dusty knees and dented pride and he was on his way to the pub for a well deserved beer.

Thanks Andrew for organising us and the ride.

Sandra

What to wear when the mornings are autumnal but summer lingers at lunchtime? The turning season poses a dilemma for the fashion conscious Windmiller.

It was a chilly Thursday morning and our wardrobe choices were many and varied. Bare knees were still in the majority, Ric alone opting for winter leggings, and Lawrence, sporting ski gloves, clearly wasn’t taking any chances. Then there was John B toughing it out in skimpy retro shorts and T-shirt; those of you familiar with the 118 118 ads on the telly will know the look.

So it was that twelve randomly attired Windmillers headed out from The Fox & Duck for a 30-odd mile circuit of the lanes south of Therfield. Maurice – followed by Ric, Lawrence, Roger, Brian, Andrew, Ken, Keith, Victor, Chris and both Johns – led the way towards Buntingford and thence on to Puckeridge, where we pulled in at the Something Lovely tea room for refreshment. No coffee for Victor though, as he set about mending a slow puncture.

Back on the bikes, we dodged the speeding traffic on the A10 roundabout and headed west towards Dane End before turning north for the return leg via Cromer and Sandon.

Arriving in Therfield, and with the pub garden now bathed in glorious sunshine, we enjoyed an excellent lunch while Roger – pint in hand – entertained us with his falling backwards off a bench without spilling a drop trick. He promises to do it again at the Christmas lunch.

It was a well chosen, scenic and mostly traffic-free route, thanks again to Maurice. Thanks also to Andrew for getting us organised.

And let’s hope we can keep the bare knees going – at least until the clocks go back.

Brian

A sunny Thursday morning saw seven Windmillers setting off from The Carriers Arms, East Bergholt, for a 34 mile circuit of the Shotley Peninsula.

Maurice – followed by Andrew, Lawrence, Roger, Ken, Keith and Brian – led the way eastwards towards Shotley Gate at the tip of the peninsula, where the rivers Stour and Orwell meet.

Along the way we stopped to admire Erwarton Hall, a 16th century stately pile with a particularly imposing gatehouse.  Legend has it Anne Boleyn stayed at the house and that her heart is buried at the nearby church.

Looking out from Shotley Gate we could see wind turbine installation vessels moored across the Stour at Harwich and – across the Orwell – giant container ships docked at Felixstowe.

Turning westwards for the return leg, we stopped off at scenic Pin Mill for coffee at the Butt and Oyster. Back on the bikes we continued westwards, crossing the causeway at Alton Water before heading back to East Bergholt for lunch at the Carriers Arms.

Thanks, Maurice, for another delightful route – and Andrew for getting us all organised.

Brian

PS: Here is this week’s caption competition . . .

Maurice was busy at the Aldeburgh Carnival and so it was just four Windmillers who set forth from The Tally Ho! In Barkway to explore local lanes on yet another fine summer’s evening – Andrew, John T, Sandra and Martin.

Our route took us firstly to Buckland, a road we rarely take because of the need to negotiate a short stretch of the busy A10 but well worth doing with a small group as the views left and right are stunning. As it happens, the A10 wasn’t too busy and so we were soon turning right towards Sandon and then left past Lyn and John B’s house (got it right this time!).

Buntingford was reached in no time, where we stretched our necks to try to see the damage done recently by an aggrieved contractor who put his digger through a recently completed house, and a brief stop was made to check if the creaking coming from Martin’s bike was coming from the bike or himself. The mystery was not solved but the creaking continued and it was Sandra who came up with the answer – the front disc brake was slightly out of alignment. And guess who caused that through a bit of tweaking of the cable before setting out? Yours truly, of course, or Bodgermart as he is also known.

The haste in riding was because we were going past the exact same spot as a few weeks back when John T was the first to spot two bikini clad girls wandering down a track near Wyddial playing loud music, having left their Mini Convertible near the road with their two burly minders in the back seat……… Alas, there was no repeat but we had to stop anyway to see what they may have been up to and discovered some burnt out material, lots of drinks cans and a teaspoon that looked as if it may have had a substance in it whilst being heated over the fire…… Or is that just our wicked imagination? There may well have been other items in the bushes but we decided not to venture there.

Returning via Nuthampstead, we had time and distance to spare and so Martin suggested a tour of the old airfield, which was led by Vice Marshal  Rusack. John T, being a local resident, had seen it all before and indeed takes part regularly in a flag ceremony in commemoration of those who died, left us to it and retired to go back to his and Bridget’s house.

After admiring the memorials and reading the wonderful poem of the 55th Fighter Group we took a path down to the airfield where many of the concrete taxiways are still in existence. The main runway is still used in part as a private airstrip and there were in addition two other runways. The whole site is huge – no wonder it was considered as a site for London’s third major airport in the 1970s.

Then it was back to The Tally Ho! after first admiring an ancient war-time (probably)   Leyland bulldozer in need of a little tlc but with an engine which looked as if it might still work.

Sitting outside on the deck of The Tally Ho! on a warm sultry evening was a perfect way to end a good ride.

Thanks to Vice Marshal Rusack for organising the ride and for the tour of Nuthampstead airfield.

Martin

 

 

With The Tally Ho, Barkway being the starting point, 5 Windmillers were to turn out for this ride – Maurice, Andrew, John T, Sandra and Keith. Looks like it’s going to be a dry evening then!! Well I must admit, I had turned out anticipating an odd shower but my fears were put aside when Keith pulled into the car park.

With Maurice back on his electric stead, we set off towards Barkway Golf course, at the first hill, were there issues with this bike, as we all bunched up close to Maurice, expecting him to take off up the hill but NO, determined as he is to be back to full strength ASAP, it turned out he was using minimal power and the heavier bike slowed, crash averted and those of us keen to get to the potential watering hole carried on.

Trough Anstey to Brent Pelham and a brief stop for everyone to get back together or so we thought. No Maurice!! He did appear and the suggestion that he may have a technical fault were dismissed, NO, a slow puncture but also with minimal equipment to repair. It was decided that Maurice with chief assistant Andrew head back, pumping the tyre as needed, change to vehicles and meet us at the watering hole.

On through Brent Pelham, John T took the reigns thankfully and guided us through some muddy at times roads to Stocking Pelham, Berden and Little London with its delightful cottages on to Clavering, where both Keith and my phones had been ringing and the decision to stop and check out who it would be (I’m certainly not adept at riding while on the phone, so the best to stop first, don’t need another invalid in our household!!). It was Andrew checking on our progress, having collected Maurice now on ‘run flat tyre’ on the back of his bike. A slight change of plan and instead of The Cricketers at Clavering for timely refreshment, let’s meet at The Bull, Lower Langley, which we did. Mid pint and John T decided to depart and leave Keith and myself to finish the route via Meesden and Anstey, back to The Tally Ho and a warm welcome from Sally.

So it would be two out of five to finish the ride!!!

Thanks to Maurice for organising the route, Andrew for organising us and John T for taking over when needed to keep us in check.

Sandra

It was dry at first, but not for long as the first rain for nine weeks descended on the six hardy Windmillers who had gathered at 9.00am at The Red Lion in Great Wratting near Haverhill for coffee before placing their lunch orders. Maurice had gone electric again, Vernon was riding his son’s featherweight hi-tech bike (hoping there was no off-road in store) whilst Sandra, Roger, Victor and Martin were on their usual steeds.

It was not exactly tipping it down, just a few spits and spots to start with, but wet enough for Maurice not to get a very good grip on his pedals with his clippity clop cycle shoes and so after half a mile he returned to slip on some deck shoes which were more appropriate for the prevailing conditions, leaving the rest of the group sheltering behind a hedge whilst admiring the entrance to the local pig processing factory:

With Maurice having got a grip on his pedals we soon re-started and started a clockwise route through wet but still delightful Suffolk lanes. Here is the route taken:

The churches, houses and cottages in the villages we passed through all looked splendid and there was a general absence of potholes thanks to some recent repairs and re-gravelling, necessitating some careful riding at times. There were hills too, steep enough in the fields near Boxted for a blue ski run, according to Roger.

Thoughts of more coffee began at about the 15 mile mark but the destination was the old Station at Clare after 20 miles, by which time we needed to dry out a bit too. This is a favourite stop with coffee and cakes being served in the Waiting Room amongst all kinds of railway paraphernalia.  The Eccles cakes were still warm, and very good too, likewise the coffee.

According to Wikipedia, Clare Castle was built shortly after the Norman conquest of England by Richard Fitz Gilbert. In the 14th century the castle was the home of Elizabeth de Clare, one of the richest women in England, who maintained a substantial household there. The castle passed into the hands of the Crown, and by the 16th century was in ruins. It was damaged by the construction of the Great Eastern Railway in 1867 which went through the middle of castle, which could perhaps be the origin of that old song about The railroad runs through the middle of the house, the middle of the house, the middle of the house etc.. Perhaps not.

Then it was 10 miles back to The Red Lion, with Maurice having just two of five blobs left on his battery gauge, in heavier rain but not torrential, and it was good to see John B’s car in the car park. We sat down to a good lunch and were later joined by John who had started his ride a bit later than the rest of us.

Thanks, Maurice, for organising the ride. We had the best part of a wet day judging by what came later.

Martin

PS. What came later was one of the wettest days ever recorded in Cavendish.

 

 

 

 

Once again it was nothing but sun on this glorious evening ride, made more glorious by fields of sunflowers and a stunning sunset. But there were just three Windmillers out to enjoy it, this being the peak of the holiday season, and so Maurice, Sandra and Martin set off shortly after 5.00pm from the Tally Ho! in Barkway to take it slowly through the lanes to Clavering and back, clocking up 20 miles.

Maurice decided to go non-electric for the first time since his hip op which had the advantage of a long refreshment stop being needed at The Cricketers in Clavering, where a large crowd were outside drinking, grazing and generally enjoying the lovely weather.

Here is the route taken:

Setting off back to Barkway, Maurice soon regretted trying to get his leg over (his bike) in his pre-hip op style, resulting in a bit of a tweak of the new joint. But all was well and we trundled steadily through the lanes enjoying some spectacular views on the way.

Shortly afterwards it was a pleasant surprise to come across a large field of sunflowers. reminiscent of the Charente region of France – is this a further sign of global warming?

And then, one of the most stunning sunsets ever seen on a Monday ride, radiating through the clouds in spectacular style:

By the time we were back at The Tally Ho! the light was beginning to fade, a reminder that late afternoon starts will start to become earlier from now on as the days shorten. A warm welcome was received from Sally which was a pleasant end to a very pleasant ride.

Thanks, Maurice for organising the ride but obey doctor’s orders in future!

Martin

 

 

 

Yet another hot Thursday ride was in store as eleven Windmillers gathered at 9.30am in the shade of the Fleur de Lys car park in Widdington. A tanker of water / beer towed by someone with an electric bike would have come in useful but, alas, Maurice was unable to make the ride. Andrew therefore organised it, assisted ably by John B who introduced a couple of off-road elements , and so with the others comprising Ken, Ric, Brummy Brian, Keith, Tom, Lawrence, Roger, Victor and Martin, the peloton set off in search of The Blue Egg near Great Bardfield. It was great to have Ric with us again on his first major ride since his accident earlier in the year and fully recovered, so much so that he rode also to Widdington and back to Harston clocking up over 60 miles in all. Furthermore, it had been Ric’s birthday a couple of weeks before and so there was the prospect on beers on him. Well done, Ric!

Here is the route taken:

John B’s first off road section was a splendid piece of smoothish farm track not far from Widdington which took us directly to the Thaxted road south east of Debden avoiding several annoying hills and busy roads in the process. Whether that was the cause of Victor’s puncture was not known but with help of Roger and Brian it was mended in record time and the group all met up again in Thaxted in the shade of the church spire.

Lawrence and Andrew speeding towards Thaxted with both church spire and windmill visible in the distance

The Blue Egg Café in Great Bardfield was the coffee destination, a place visited only once before and attempted on other occasions without success due to inclement weather. So it was good to be back at what is apparently one of Mark Cavendish’s favourite bike cafés, and understandably so as the coffee, cakes and all important scones were excellent and likewise the service. Someone even thought the bearded fellow biker near us was indeed Mark Cavendish but on closer inspection he was only a look-a-like.

Refreshed , but getting hotter, the peloton headed back via Bardfield Saling, Lindsell and Great Easton but were soon turning off the main road to explore John B’s second off-road section. We had to stop outside a wonderful wood carver’s cottage to admire, in particular, his carving of a bearded man with a pointed hat which we all agreed bore a great resemblance to Ric, except perhaps for the hat. Here he is taking pride of place in the photograph:

The off-road section was short, narrow and fine on a dry summer’s day, but probably left well alone on a wet Essex-mud kind of day. We exited onto a quiet lane and then continued on a mix of hot and shady lanes with only the occasional difficult Essex van driver to contend with. Thoughts of beer began in earnest around Henham, which John took advantage of, but the others had lunch in mind and continued towards Widdington with a final steep climb to the Fleur de Lys, which was a welcome sight after 34 hot miles in the saddle (and even more for Ric). An excellent lunch was had, washed down with some fine beers, courtesy of Ric. Thanks Ric! And it was good to have Vernon join us too, having ridden over from Melbourn. Let’s have birthdays every week.

Thanks also to Andrew and John for planning the route, and to Brian for the Strava map and some of the pics.. It was a great ride.

Martin

 

 

 

 

‘Time flies, mind your business’ was the reminder once again as five Windmillers stopped outside St Mary the Virgin in Furneux Pelham to admire the church clock.

The starting point once again was The Tally Ho! in Barkway where we are always made to feel very welcome by Sally and the locals. Maurice, Andrew, John T, Keith and Martin were the five who set forth, hoping that Sally might one day be able to join us too as she has done in the past. Here is the route taken:

The lanes were empty as usual and the temperature bearable, having set forth at 6.00pm. Wouldn’t it be nice if time just stood still instead of flying by, then we could always set off at 6.00pm on a Monday evening? The route took us almost past Keith’s house in Anstey and almost past Roger’s house in Furneux Pelham and so Keith could easily have been blindfolded without losing the way.

Opposite the church in Furneux Pelham is a house with, for some unknown reason, a slightly different version of the inscription on the church tower, which says simply  ‘Mind Your Own Business’:

Local lore states that the Church version of the inscription apparently reminded farmers and landowners to get on with the harvest, as the church bell was rung at 6pm, during the harvest, to allow gleaners into the fields to scavenge spilled corn. So gleaning would have been in full swing many years ago at the time when we stopped at 6.47pm. If you believe that you’ll believe anything! More local lore also states, probably accurately, that all the Pelhams were once known just as Pelham and recorded as such in the Domesday Book of 1086. Here endeth today’s Hertfordshire history lesson.

On we went to Brent Pelham via the notorious Violet’s Lane (the longest ford in England [Correction: Europe. Ed.] according to Roger) except that we turned right before hitting any water or mud. Maurice recalled how his Range Rover had once been up to its bonnet in water (as a dare from some his pals).  A lane to perhaps avoid in the middle of winter on a bike.

Finally we met up with our outgoing route in Anstey and returned to The Tally Ho! ready to do justice to the Hophead on offer.

Thanks go to Maurice for planning the ride and to Andrew for getting us to the start line on time. Congratulations are also due to Maurice for raising the handsome sum of over £600 for the East Anglian Children’s Hospice through holding his annual classic / interesting car show on 29 July.

Martin

 

 

 

Too many of us? Too noisy? Too much lycra? Whatever the reason, we were turned away from the Westmill Tea Room. We won’t be darkening their door again.

Twenty miles into a circuit of North Herts and the hottest Thursday of the year so far, we could have done with some refreshment. We’d had a lovely ride from Therfield, through Sandon, Cromer, Wood End and Haultwick – and we were on the return leg heading for Buntingford and lunch back at the Fox and Duck. We knew there’d be a warm welcome there.

Maurice – astride his natty new ebike – had led the way, followed by birthday girl Sandra, Andrew, Tom, Lawrence, Roger, Chris, Martin, two Johns, both Brians and new boy, Victor.

Arriving back in Therfield, hot and gasping for a beer, we were delighted to be joined by Bridget, Lyn and Ric – who had all cycled in  – and Vernon, the only Windmiller looking cool, thanks to Jaguar air conditioning.

Great company, a good lunch – and Sandra was buying the beer. Life doesn’t get any better.

Thanks, Maurice and Andrew, for organising another great outing.

Brian

This was to prove an enchanting evening in so many ways. Firstly, it was Sandra’s birthday and she was buying the beers; secondly, we had visions of loveliness never seen before on a ride; thirdly we were once again entertained to Rogers and Hammerstein and various East End songs by the dazzling duo of John T and Julian in The Tally Ho! after the ride.

So five Windmillers comprising electric Maurice, Andrew, John T, Sandra and Martin set forth from The Tally Ho! in Barkway not knowing what lay in store, other than the promise of a beer at the end. Maurice’s recent purchase of an electric bike from a chap in Aldeburgh meant he was soon zooming on ahead at high speed leaving some of us less fit ones gasping for breath to keep up. The route took us through familiar lanes on a delightful circuit via Therfield, Kelshall, Sandon (where we rang our bells as we passed Lyn and John B’s house [corrected with apologies, ed.]) and on to Buntingford.

It was just after Wyddial that, on first sight, the vision we had could have been a dream or some kind of stroke brought on by heat exhaustion but, no, on second sight, there really were two very scantily clad beautiful young ladies walking down a track playing loud music, having parked their Mini Convertible near the road. Were they clothed at all, some wondered? Yes, but only in itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikinis, or perhaps underwear of a similar design. Needless to say, being responsible Windmillers and also having a lady amongst us, there was no sudden braking or U-turns or photographs taken to see if this really was a dream or reality. Such a manoeuvre might in any case have been unwise, according to John T, who claimed to have seen two chaps sitting in the back of the Mini……..

And so on we sped, averaging 12.5mph, until The Tally Ho! finally came into view soon after passing the very brown Barkway golf course. Sandra very kindly bought the beers and we celebrated her birthday by singing a rousing Happy Birthday. It was of course the singing that got John T and Julian going with another splendid rendition of some Rogers and Hammerstein favourites, including of course Some Enchanted Evening, sung to an equally high standard:

We were in stitches listening to Julian’s version of Who Killed Cock Robin?, the words of which will not be repeated here. This is a decent blog.

Thanks to Maurice for planning the route, Andrew for organising us, Sandra for owning up to her birthday and buying the beers and to John T and Julian for the cabaret.

Finally, commiserations to Sandra’s Steve who broke his collar bone at the weekend by colliding with a roadside bank at only 10mph on his electric bike whilst watching combine harvesters at work. Just as well that a similar fate didn’t happen this evening when watching those girls; it could have been an almighty pile up.

Martin

 

 

 

 

 

Another glorious day was in store as 9 Windmillers descended on to The Henny Swan in Henny Street, situated deep in the Suffolk countryside  alongside the River Stour near Sudbury. Unfortunately, Ken didn’t quite make it in time and so it was Maurice, Andrew, Sandra, Keith, Brummie Brian, Chris, Tom and Martin who set forth on one of Maurice’s dazzling  5-star rides.

Here is the route taken:

Going in a clockwise direction we soon entered a familiar stretch of disused railway line, skirting Sudbury, which was very pleasant to ride on in dry, shaded conditions. Then it was along quiet roads and lanes, passing many beautiful churches such as this one, St. Lawrence, in Great Waldingfield:

Thoughts of coffee began to occur shortly after this stop, Boxford being the original destination, but it proved difficult to pass through Kersey without stopping at the delightful Bell Inn, where the coffee was superb (and the beers probably not bad either). On the way we had to stop to take in this amazing view of the Suffolk countryside at its best:

There were a surprising number of hills from Kersey onwards but none too challenging, particularly for Maurice who was breezing along once again on Ann Worthing’s electric bike, albeit in eco mode in order to gain more muscle strength for when he rides battery free once again, continuing his amazingly quick recovery from his hip op. Well done, Maurice!

Other than a pause for Andrew to pick up a road-kill onion on the side of the road, the return leg to Henny Street was uneventful, but passing a pub rated as having 5 stars seemed to sum up the ride perfectly. The Swan was heaving with customers, some of whom had travelled down from Sudbury on the pub’s own electric boat, the John Constable, but once the drinks had been served we could relax and have a pleasant lunch outside in the shade. Ken joined us having done his own tour of Suffolk but Brian had to whizz away.

The pub’s table tennis table beckoned after lunch with Andrew, Sandra, Keith and Martin taking part, but the clear winner was Keith thanks to some demon spins.

Thanks go to Maurice for organising a great ride and to Andrew for getting the majority of us to the starting line on time.

Martin

 

Andrew, Laird of Wendens Ambo, had invited us to meet at his place for our regular Thursday outing. We were very pleased to see Ric for the first time since his tumble in May. Even more impressively, he had cycled to Andrew’s from Harston. Andrew and Ric were joined by Sandra, Tom and both Brians – Yorkie and Brummie.

Setting off, the six Windmillers made the long ascent up El Bastardo and on via Strethall, Ickleton, Duxford and Whittlesford to Great Shelford, where we pulled in at the excellent Deli for refreshments. Here we met Pam, Brummie Brian’s missus, who joined us in the garden for coffee.

Having already done 25 miles, Ric thought it best to not overdo things on his first outing and headed home to Harston.

The rest of us continued to Stapleford, where we negotiated the gravel trap at the Granary, and took the off road route to Babraham and Abington. Along the way, Brummie Brian, caught napping by the rutted track, took a spill and fell in a nettle patch. No real harm was done, apart from nettle rash. We have yet to find out if there’s footage of it on Sandra’s handlebar camera.

Despite the tumble, we were gung ho enough take another off road section from Hildersham to Linton. Along here we came across a woman leading a pair of working horses pulling a plough. Her name was Calixta and the horses were Comtois, a French breed from the Jura Mountains. They were working a market garden supplying organic produce to up market restaurants, including Midsummer House and Cotto in Cambridge.

Setting off again from Linton we took the return leg via Hadstock and Little Walden back to Saffron Walden and Wendens Ambo. Having clocked up 31 miles on a hot day, we were glad of a beer at The Bell and lunch in the garden.

Thanks, Andrew, for organising everything.

Brian

Yet another sunny Thursday morning saw nine Windmillers gathering in the car park of The Black Bull Inn, Balsham. There was Andrew, Yorkie Brian, Sandra, Ken, Roger, Tom, Chris, Brummie Brian and Keith who, following a YouTube crash course in bicycle mechanics, was back on his favourite machine, now fitted with shiny new parts.

We were off on one of Maurice’s routes, 30 miles or so, taking in West Wratting, Withersfield, Great Wratting, Kedington, Baythorne End, Steeple Bumpstead, Castle Camps and Bartlow.

It was in Great Wratting that we pulled into the Red Lion, an interesting old place with a pair of ancient whale jawbones standing guard by the front door. Inside it was cool and dark with a fine collection of brass and copper ware hung from the ceiling. “Cappuccino?” asked Andrew hopefully. “We’ve got coffee – or there’s beer” replied the landlady flatly. Thinking 10.30 am a little early for a pint, we settled for coffee all round. Served in the garden with a generous supply of biscuits, the coffee was good and – at £1 each –  supremely good value. We like The Red Lion; seemingly open all hours, it qualifies as a John Bagrie “proper pub”. We shall return for lunch at a later date.

Continuing on into Suffolk and enjoying the peaceful lanes around Boyton End, there was a yelp from Andrew, followed by some robust language. Pulling up sharpish, he declared he had been stung on the face by a wasp. It’s one of those summer cycling hazards; at least he didn’t swallow the thing.

The rest of the route was uneventful. Approaching Balsham we were delighted to be joined by Maurice who had cycled out to meet us. Back in the pub we were further delighted to be joined by Ric who had cycled up from Harston, his shoulder now well and truly on the mend.

It had been another fine outing. Thanks, Andrew, for organising things, seeing us safely around the course and facing down that pesky Mr Wasp.

Brian

It was a lovely summer’s evening as four Windmillers set off from the Tally Ho! in Barkway, not knowing what a sing-song might occur later. Maurice was once again on Ann Worthing’s electric bike, with which he became so enamoured that he bought one for himself in Aldeburgh over the weekend, which needs a bit of tlc before being allowed out on the road.

Accompanied by Andrew, John T and Martin, the quartet set off on a delightful trip around the lanes taking in Anstey, Meesden, Clavering, Arkesden, Duddenhoe End, Langley Lower Green and back via Anstey, with John T taking a longer route via Nuthampstead. Here is the tadpole route taken (apologies for the first attempt at creating a Strava image):

It was of course thirsty work and so a stop had to be made at The Bull at Lower Langley, which was somewhat less busy than the Friday evening before when Ken Worthing organised a ride, which also happened to pass by The Bull. Then it was heaving with families and kids all having a great pizza evening and enjoying the sunshine.

Then it was back to The Tally Ho! to receive a warm welcome from Sally behind the bar and the locals, most of whom we had met before on previous visits. Somehow or other, the conversation got around to Rogers and Hammerstein whereupon John T professed to be a great fan and indeed knew all the words of pretty well every R&H musical ever written, and began to serenade us in a fine tenor voice that Lawrence would have loved to hear too. South Pacific, Carousel, Oklahoma, you name it and John knows it. Sadly, however, this site does not support videos but if a way can be found to create a link to Andrew’s filming of John and the chorus, it will be added at a later date. Thoughts of a follow up at the annual Christmas lunch also spring to mind………..

Thanks to Maurice and Andrew for organising the ride.

Martin

 

 

Just 5 weeks after his hip operation, Maurice was back on a bike, albeit an electric one courtesy of Ann Worthing. This must surely rank as one of the fastest recoveries known in the history of hip transplants?

And so it was that 10 Windmillers gathered at a new starting point, the Eight Bells at Abbotsley near St Neots. Accompanying Maurice were Andrew, Sandra, Keith, Rod, Chris, Brummie Brian, Yorkie Brian, Roger and Martin, freshly back from his trip down the west coast of France. Having adjusted Ann’s bike to ensure the all important 90° angle between torso and legs (on doctor’s orders) Maurice roared away from the pub leaving the others struggling to keep up.

This is the route taken by all except Maurice:

Maurice thought he was setting an easy pace but it wasn’t until some traffic lights in St Neots that the gasping peloton finally caught him up when a U-turn was required before  negotiating a tricky river crossing and then going the wrong way around the Market Square, much to the notice of local townsfolk. So it was a question of getting out of town fast and that is indeed what Maurice continued to do.

Once under the A1, the roads got a little quieter and it wasn’t long before we reached Perry on the shores of Graffham Water after about 16 miles. At this point Maurice decided wisely that a 6 mile section of off-road riding around Graffham Water might not be what his consultant had in mind and so he pedalled on anti-clockwise to a café further round the shore whilst the rest of us continued at a blistering pace on the narrow and bumpy track in a clockwise direction. Funny how Maurice’s influence continued, or was it the thought of coffee and cakes that kept us whizzing along?

As it happens, the peloton got to the café not long after Maurice and so we suspected he had switched the controls of Ann’s bike from ‘sport’ to ‘normal’ to conserve battery power for the homeward leg.

The return leg took us again under the A1 at Buckden, passing a delightful church on the way:

Buckden was clearly a major stopping off point for travellers on the Great North Road – Buckden Towers was the 5 star place used frequently by bishops and royalty.

Maurice’s speed back wasn’t quite as fast, which enabled Roger, Sandra, Brian and other speedsters to overtake him at times but towards the end when he realised that the impressive battery still had 28% of its charge left he appeared to revert to sport mode and charged off again. However, despite the assistance of a battery, there is still a considerable amount of effort needed to pedal an electric bike and so it is truly remarkable what Maurice achieved on his first day back in the saddle for 5 weeks. Well done! And well done, too, to Rod who continues to make a great recovery and who is fighting fit again. But hauling Rod back from disappearing up the wrong road continues to exercise our vocal chords at times.

There was a warm welcome back at the Eight Bells and a good lunch was had in the garden.

Thanks, Maurice, for leading the way. It’s good to have you back. And thanks to Andrew for organising us and to B Brian for the Strava map and a pic.

Martin

P.S. If anyone would like to read of our exploits and the food and wine consumed by me and my chum Dick on our recent French ride, it’s all here: https://martinwoodheadsblog.wordpress.com

Thursday morning saw Andrew and his band roll into Stapleford Granary to give an impromptu performance for Lindsey and her staff at the Ace Foundation. Having played just a few notes, however, Andrew was asked to leave the £68,000 Steinway alone and move over to the adjacent, less valuable instrument. Undimmed, he played some thundering chords, cheered on – or rather woofed at – by his biggest fan, Hector.

Having persuaded her spouse to leave the piano, Lindsey gave us a fascinating tour of the recently restored granary building with its impressive exhibition and performance space. They intend to open a coffee shop soon – so it will no doubt feature as a stopover on some future Windmill Club outing.

We did a little cycling too, though it turned out to be a very short ride for Keith. Starting from Andrew’s house, we had gone barely a mile when he pulled up with a mechanical problem, some spokes having detached themselves from the wheel rim. Even for Tom that proved too big a roadside repair job – so Keith was obliged to make the short walk back to Wendens Ambo, collect his car and go home.

That left Ken, Sandra, Roger, Brian, Tom and Andrew to continue on through Saffron Walden, Hadstock and Linton to Abington. Leaving the road at this point, Brian led the way over the A11 on a footbridge and thence on a cross country route via Babraham to Stapleford; a picturesque off road section of some 3 miles.

Following our tour of the Granary and back on the bikes once more, we made the short hop on to Great Shelford where we pulled in at Brian’s house for coffee and cake in the garden. Then it was onwards to Whittlesford, Duxford, Hinxton, Ickleton – where Ken peeled off to tend his bees – and Strethall, before the pleasantly cooling descent back down to Wendens Ambo.

Dismounting at The Bell Inn we found Keith consoling himself with a beer while considering whether to replace his ailing bicycle. We were soon joined by Ken – who was somewhat miffed at being stung by his beloved bees – and John who had done his own off road thing.

We enjoyed an excellent lunch while Roger and John regaled us with true crime stories from the Pelhams; by all accounts a pretty rum part of Hertfordshire.

Brian

Thursday morning in the Fox and Duck car park and Sandra was giving a safety briefing to the assembled Windmillers: Vernon, Ken, John B, John T, Chris, Roger, Lawrence and Brian. She would be leading us around a circuit of some 30 miles from Therfield through Sandon, Ashwell, Baldock, Weston, Cromer and Rushden, returning to Therfield for lunch.

There was a lot of interest in Vernon’s Quintana Roo. That’s not a medical condition but an Australian-made triathlon bike which he had shipped back from Australia some years ago. Like Vernon, it has been lovingly restored. Together with Roger’s Eddie Merckx, Maurice’s Claud Butler and Ric’s Mercian (more of that below) it joins our ever growing quota of vintage machines.

John B, ever the free spirit, opted to do his own thing while the rest of us enjoyed Sandra’s route. The day was dry and the roads were mostly quiet, though we did have an interesting encounter with a large tractor on a narrow lane. Both the tractor driver and ourselves saw the funny side; he pausing to take pictures of us pressed into the hedgerow and us taking pictures of him trying to squeeze past eight Windmillers.

We pulled in for coffee at the Delizia Italian Café in Baldock. Back on the bikes for the return leg, we caught up with John B at Sandon where we found him waiting for us on a bench. He persuaded Ken and Brian to join him on an off-road shortcut between Sandon and Therfield while the others, fearing a repeat of last week’s mudfest, thought it wise to stick to the road. John’s track proved to be pleasantly dry and both parties were eventually reunited at Therfield where we were delighted to be joined by Bridget, Lyn and Maurice for lunch.

Brian

14 June update: Three weeks on from his involuntary dismount, Ric reports that his shoulder is getting better and – crucially – his trusty Mercian bicycle is repairable. He knows this because has taken advice from the Mercian Cycles factory in Derby. He hopes to be joining us again in a few weeks’ time. Meanwhile he is becoming an accomplished one-armed gardener.