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Eight colourful characters comprising Squadron Leader Maurice, Deputy Dawg Andrew, John T, Wee Jimny Ken, Half Scone Keith, Rick, Brummy Brian and Minister Moley, set off from the Pheasant earlier than usual at 9.00am on yet another glorious May day. The 36 mile route took us via Heydon, Melbourn, Steeple Morden, Ashwell, Baldock, Sandon, Therfield and Barley:

Not only were the riders colourful but the scenery was too – May at his best. The first stop was at the memorial to 355th Fighter Group at Steeple Morden where the Dawg took advantage to cure his growl, with the help of a few others.

Thanks to Rick for identifying the growling saddle, which was all due to the Dawg’s posterior! No wonder he had been squeaking such a lot recently.

Then it was off to Ashwell for a coffee stop in the village before heading on to Baldock and a steady climb up the hill to Sandon and Therfield, where May colours were at their best.

Finally, it was the beer inducing climb back to the Pheasant from Barley where a splendid lunch was had in the garden, amongst the herbaceous plants and trees of Simon and Ollie’s beautiful garden.

Thanks, Maurice, for arranging a wonderful ride and the weather to go with it.

Six Windmillers comprising Maurice, both Andrews, Carl, Kell and Martin set off from The Pheasant at 6.00pm on a series of multi-coloured rides of varying distances which Maurice had plotted to take into account the different needs of members – red (10 miles), blue (14 miles), black (19 miles) and green (23 miles), which immediately caused some confusion amongst the skiers present!

It wasn’t long before Kell peeled off in Elmdon, with further talk of acquiring an electric bike, which left 5. Then Carl took the blue route in Littlebury Green, which left 4,  after which the Deputy Dawg’s bike started making loud growling noises and he peeled off near Wenden’s Ambo to try and sort it out in the comfort of his shed at home, which left 3. The remaining trio continued doing the green and black until Andrew G peeled off in Little Chishill which left just Maurice and Moley to climb the hill back to the Pheasant, clocking up a mysterious 19 miles in total.

Other than a few spits of rain the ride was very pleasant and warm, which applied also to the welcome back at the Pheasant where we met up once again with the Dawg, Kell and Carl to devour delicious goujons and chips, washed down with some good beers.

Thanks, Maurice, for planning the rides. Let’s hope that the warm weather, light evenings and a choice of rides on a Monday will encourage others to join us over the coming weeks.

On a gloriously hot spring day, whilst our leader Maurice was scrubbing the decks of a monster yacht in Majorca and John B was walking in the Lake District, Andrew Deputy Dawg led our party on a 36 mile circular tour of quiet Essex lanes from and back to the Fleur de Lys in Widdington via Henham, Great Easton, Great Bardfield, the famous Blue Egg café, Finchingfield, Radwinter, Wimbish and Debden. Others on the ride included Wee Jimny Ken, Two Scones Keith, Rick, Hot Rod and the Right Revd Moley Martin. Kell also joined us at the start but, sadly, we lost him after the first couple of miles. Kell has been testing out some rapid electric bikes recently and we are looking forward to him giving us a tow up the hills in the near future.

The Blue Egg was the main destination, and one not visited previously. As the Dawg said in his briefing notes:

The Blue Egg in Great Bardfield, Essex, is the long-standing destination for riders from around the county, as well as South Cambridgeshire and even parts of Hertfordshire. The coffee is good, the cakes are better, and the scones are enormous. It’s surrounded by quiet roads, so wherever you’re coming from there’s a selection of routes to get you there. Even on a midweek morning, there are always bike riders in, often including stars Alex Dowsett or Mark Cavendish, who live locally. And if you want to fill your jersey pockets with bedding plants, there’s even a nursery next door.

The scones were indeed so enormous that Keith could only share one with Moley! Here we are enjoying the sunshine:

On the return leg we cycled through yet more quiet lanes, passing by Spains Hall on the way for a bit of culture:

Spains Hall is a lovely Elizabethan country house near Finchingfield, now used as a wedding venue. The hall is named after Hervey de Ispania, who held the manor at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086. The pic above was taken from the web and this one shows Moley blocking the view:

Thoughts of the first beer started at Wimbish and it wasn’t long before the knights of the round garden table were tucking into an excellent 2 course lunch at the Fleur de Lys,

but it might be cider next time if the weather is as hot – was 25 C a record for early May?

Thanks, Dawg, for organising an excellent ride to The Blue Egg.

Our shepherd Maurice announced that this would be an easy flat route starting and finishing at The Golden Fleece in Braughing. 35 miles later, the view was that since his childhood in these parts some geological activity must have happened to create some significant hills, including a final granny gear hill in Braughing itself!

It was a clear, bright but slightly chilly start to the ride when Maurice led the way clockwise down memory lanes, followed by a herd of sheep including Deputy Sheep Dawg Andrew, John B (back from a week’s walking in Majorca), John T, Keith, Hot Rod, Jimny Ken, Brummy Brian, Marmite Tom, Peter, (landlord of, appropriately, The Golden Fleece), and Moley Martin. Here is the route:

After traversing fords and cart tracks, the first photo call was at the same spot in Barwick (pronounced Barrick) where Maurice’s grandfather was once photographed with his traction engine:

……and this is what it looks like today:

Note the building on the right is the same as 100 years ago but the house behind has gone and been replaced by barn style buildings. Here’s another photo of Maurice’s grandfather’s traction engine driving a hay elevator with the hayrick being built in the background:

Then it was onwards through fabulous deserted countryside taking in Wadesmill where Maurice and  Moley stopped to look at the monument to Thomas Clarkson who was instrumental in the abolition of slavery:

This spot also happens to mark the point of the start of the first English turnpike, which probably had fewer potholes than today’s roads. By the time we reached the picture postcard village of Westmill, the need for refreshment was considerable and the local tea shop produced some excellent coffee whilst we sat outside and admired another customer’s Harley Davison:

Some useful advice was also offered in the toilet:

The return leg took us through Buntingford, Wyddial, Great Hormead, Furneaux Pelham and a strong headwind ride to Braughing, where a good lunch was had at The Golden Fleece. Other than a few chain problems the ride was uneventful.

Thanks are due to Shepherd Maurice for planning a wonderful ride and to Deputy Sheep Dawg Andrew for herding the sheep to the starting pen. Baa baa!

The attraction of the lanes around Balsham discovered last week resulted in a return visit, starting and finishing at The Black Bull. Maurice’s route took 10 members, the others being Deputy Dawg Andrew, Two Scones Keith, Brummie Brian, Hot Rod, Marmite Tom, Rick, Jimny Ken, John T and Moley Martin on a scenic 41 mile ride through very picturesque East Cambridgeshire and West Suffolk villages. Kell joined us at Dullingham, from where he had ridden from Balsham, and he and Andrew cycled back together to Balsham, but not via the recommended route. Together with other errors of course near the end, certain members may well have clocked up nearer to 45 miles. Congratulations especially to Kell for clocking up 23 miles.

Here is the route, anti-clockwise via West Wickham,  Great Thurlow, Hargrave, Barrow (coffee stop), Higham, Moulton, Cheveley, Stetchworth and Dullingham:

Spot the Lancaster buried into the thatch of this house in Great Thurlow:

En route we admired the sculptural efforts of a local farmer:

and also the very impressive bridge over the River Kennet in Moulton, which was clearly needed in times of flooding many years ago (where has all the water gone?), now adorned with impressive looking Windmillers, one who appears to be cocking his leg (Deputy Dawg of course):

And so back to The Black Bull for a well deserved pint and a good lunch, all feeling glad we hadn’t attended this unspecified public school whose closet rules, as displayed in the gents, were clearly disobeyed by most who used it:

So, from one miserable weak beast, rotten at games and work, let’s thank Maurice who is clearly innocent of these things for planning a superb route and guiding us around tiny lanes and only getting partially lost once!

On a fine spring day nine members set off from The Pheasant at 9.30am, led by Squadron Leader Maurice and followed by Deputy Dawg Andrew, Two Scones Keith, Brummie Brian, John B, John T, Hot Rod, Tom (Marmite Tom?) and Rick, downhill to Ickleton where they picked up Moley Martin who joined for 30 miles of the ride. The route then went via the Hinxton and A505 cycle paths to Great Abington, through to Hildersham and up the long climb to Balsham where refreshments were had at The Black Bull. Then it was back via Bartlow, Ashdon, Saffron Walden, Littlebury, Littlebury Green (where Moley peeled off back to Ickleton) and finally lunch at The Pheasant. Here’s the route:

And here are some of the group outside the walls of the Castle in Saffron Walden:

Thanks to Maurice and Andrew for organising an uneventful but very pleasant ride.

Nine keen cyclist arrived at the Fleur De Lis Widdington in brilliant sunlight ready for another Maurice adventure. On the advice of our leader it was suggested Kell meet us somewhere between Finchingfield and Helions Bumpstead as it was his first ride (welcome back Kell) -then there were 8.

Our route took us past Debden, Wimbish, Radwinter following a narrow track to Ashdon  aptly named Water Lane through two fords. Unfortunately John T wasn’t feeling 100% and decided to turn back just before Ashdon  – Then there were 7.

Our route took us past Ashdon up to Steventon End skirting past Tim Vesty’s estate towards Helions Bumpstead and onwards past Spains Hall and Finchingfield. enroute Brummie Brian’s front tyre ingested a shard of glass resulting  a puncture repair at the roadside

John B not being particularly mechanically minded conveniently found a bench to relax and enjoy the spring morning sunshine.

Following a perfect coffee stop at Finchingfield where we sat outside observing a number of  small pelton’s racing by -where I would add Two Scones had no scones however Rod  consumed a gigantic chocolate brownie, we made a hasty retreat via Little Sampford, Thaxted, Henham and up a nasty little hill to the sanctuary of the Fleur Di Lys and a glorious two course meal washed down by various types of amber nectar.

Kell the old sport donned his lycra and cycled up to the pub from Newport – and then there were 8

Andrew Agatha Christie  

Deputy Dawg Andrew led the way, hotly pursued by John B, Lyn, Bridget, Tom and Moley Martin, down to Little Chishill and then up the steep hill in the Langley direction. But only four riders climbed the hill, puffing and panting as they did so. Where were John and Lyn B? John appeared eventually to announce that Lyn’s chain had snapped at the bottom of the hill and so not wishing to leave a damsel in distress we all descended the hill to discover that it was well and truly bu*****d. We happened to be next to a footpath leading back to Great Chishill and John, wishing no doubt for brownie points, gallantly offered to swap bikes with Lyn and push her bike back to the Pheasant.

This chain reaction meant that the rest of us had to climb the hill for  a second time except for Lyn, who firstly had to get to grips with John’s gears…….. And so we continued towards Langley where Lyn and Bridget took a shorter route home whilst the lads returned via Clavering and Arkesden.

At Duddenhoe End we stopped briefly to admire the little Hamlet church:

Then it was full speed back to The Pheasant to meet up with the others and to warm up in front of a roaring fire and to consume some fine beers and goujons. The mileage was 17.5 for the lads and around 15 for the lassies.

Thanks, Deputy Dawg, for organising this chain reaction ride. Now let’s hear you sing it Diana Ross style!

OK, it’s usually 12 men good and true  but they don’t make bikes for that number. Instead, here is what our 10 men on 17 March might have looked like a few years ago:

From the right, we have Squadron Leader Maurice, Deputy Dawg Andrew, John T, John B, Wee Jimny Ken, Rod, Two Scones Keith (with a warm welcome back from his trip to South Africa, Mozambique and Portugal), Brummy Brian, Tom and, bringing up the rear,  the Right Revd Holy Moley Martin. Contrary to rumours beforehand John B was not using crutches to help him get up the hills, having had an accident skiing recently but, fortunately, not too serious.

Setting off at 9.30am,  these Pheasant Pluckers rode for 33 miles in an anti-clockwise direction via Barkway, Sandon, Cromer (the Herts not Norfolk version), stopping for coffee at a very attractive, in all respects, farm shop in Ardeley and then returning via Nasty (nice village, actually), Buntingford and Barkway, before the final roller coaster ascent to Great Chishill. The weather was dry but chilly and it was good to have Kell join us for lunch back at the Pheasant.

In Sandon we paid our respects to the village goose which was allegedly shot dead in February by an evil gang. According to one newspaper report: 26 Feb 2016 – A village is in mourning after a goose was killed in a drive-by shooting.The animal, simply known as The Goose, was slain with an air rifle by a gang in what sounds like the most British thing ever. It happened in the tiny village of Sandon in Hertfordshire, and residents are sure …. . And the Daily Mail said a reward of £27,500 had been offered to catch the criminals but, on the other hand, other reports said:

Sandon goose update: Post-mortem examination concludes …

And here is another tear jerking picture:

By the time we reached Ardeley for coffee we had dried our eyes, only to weep with laughter at this tangle of farming wires, which was more reminiscent of New York or Delhi:

The homeward leg made Moley feel at home:

and soon afterwards we were tucking into a splendid lunch at The Pheasant:

except for poor Rod who was suffering from a spot of cramp which, fortunately, did not last long:

All in all, a terrific ride on a chilly Spring day. Thanks, Maurice, once again for organising it and Deputy Dawg Andrew for keeping us all informed. It was good to have 10 men good and true out for the ride.

Opinion in The Pheasant was divided: were we three disheveled men and their carers? No! We were the Windmillers: John T, Tom and Brian back from a 35 miler and joined for lunch by Bridget – aka Mrs John T – and Lynne, Mrs John B.

Rod, sensible chap, had peeled off for home before the long slog up the hill to salvation and sustenance at Great Chishill.

Thanks to John for mapping out an excellent ride taking in Fowlmere, Shepreth, Orwell, coffee at Wimpole, Kingston, Barrington and Haslingfield – though not necessarily in that order.

Journey’s end.

Monday 29th Feb 16 – Deputy Dawg Andrew, Husky Andrew & Squadron Leader Maurice set of from club HQ The Pheasant  for a very pleasant 20 mile ride passing  Nuthampstead, Meesden, Brent Pelham, Starlings Green, the two windmills,  Langley Upper, Duddenhoe End and Chrishall, only to be met by the Right Reverend Holy Moley cycling in the opposite direction. Moley taking some essential exercise after a heavy lunch at the Worshipful Company of Stationers.

After a successful ride we were welcomed back to HQ by slow puncture Simon and Deputy Dawgs Dawg. The lights were on on the pub and all and sundry enjoyed a well deserved refreshment follow by goujons and chips.

Much to the approval of John Bagrie no photographs were taken on this excursion 🙂

On a bright but cold morning, nine well wrapped members gathered at Trumpington Park and Ride at 9.30am to ride various distances from 30 – 40+ miles. Brian and Tom had already ridden from Shelford / Stapleford and it was good to have Howard join us again, who lives in Cambridge. Others included our leader Maurice, Deputy Dawg Andrew, Ken, John B, Rod and the Extreme Right Reverend Holy Moley Martin.

The route that Maurice devised was to the auction rooms at Willingham via Granchester, Cambridge, Cottenham and Rampton, and back via the guided busway to Milton, through Mill Road back streets to the Railway Station (thanks Tom!), and then the busway again back to Trumpington. Cycling alongside the river on both the outward and return journey was a great pleasure except for Rod who crashed into a bollard on the way back. Rod, we hope your leg and bike survived the crash without too much damage. As you did not make a detour to A&E at Addenbrooke’s we assume you escaped relatively unscathed, but it was quite a bang.

Here are some pics of the gang enjoying the route through Cambridge:

The auction rooms at Willingham were last visited in October 2015 and  was remembered for its wide choice of extra strong beers (presumably to encourage higher bids). But, this time, it was mainly coffees and cakes  because it is easy to fall asleep on the very smooth cyclepath alongside the busway.

We said farewell to Howard near Histon and to Tom near Addenbrooke’s and then some stopped to examine the busway crash that happened on 22 February, luckily with only a few injuries to passengers but as it had careered across the pedestrian / cycle path it could easily have been a lot worse. The general consensus was that it was driver error, which has since been confirmed, but a flaw in the design could easily result in a similar occurrence.

An excellent lunch at The Queen’s Head in Newton then followed, the menu not having changed in living memory.

Thanks, Squadron Leader, for planning the route and Deputy Dawg for keeping members informed of what’s happening.

A small group of four comprising Squadron leader Maurice, Deputy Dawg Andrew, Husky Andrew and Moley Martin re-commenced riding on a Monday afternoon, leaving The Pheasant at 3.30pm and riding 21 miles in glorious weather, with Maurice choosing as many hills as possible, until the end at 5.30pm. The route was via Heydon, Elmdon, Littlebury, Wendens Ambo, Littlebury Green, Duddenhoe End and Chrishall:

A stop had to be made outside Audley End House to admire the view, but some posers spoilt it:

Then it was onwards and upwards and downwards and upwards and alongwards and downwards and alongwards and upwards and downwards and upwards and, finally, alongwards to the welcome sign of The Pheasant where a roaring fire and good ales were awaiting us.

Thanks, Maurice, for putting us though our paces.

After a delayed start due to bad weather that did not materialise, eight fit chaps set off from The Pheasant at 2.00pm for a 27 mile ride in lovely weather in the direction of Shelford, via Chrishall Grange, Fowlmere and Thriplow, ostensibly to see the daffodils.The large contingent comprised the Squadron Leader Maurice, Deputy Dawg Andrew, John B, John T, Ken, Brian, Tom and Moley Martin, but their real destination was their favourite coffee stop in Great Shelford where it was impossible to find a table inside due to an equally large contingent of yummy mummies and their offspring, but never the twain did meet (to quote Kipling). So we were forced to sit outside and cool off:

Then Brian led the way to Sawston via the bumpy bike path, after which it was a pleasant meander through to Whittlesford Church via a new bike path and on to Ickleton via Hinxton where Ken and Moley, having started from Ickleton,  left the others to continue their ride back to The Pheasant.

Thanks to our leader for organising such a yummy ride.

A 10.00am start in a temperature of 2.5 C saw four stalwarts venture out on a circuit from The Pheasant via Heydon, Littlebury Green, Arkesden, Lower Langley and Little Chishill, clocking up 19 miles in the process. Squadron Leader Maurice led the way with Deputy Dawg Andrew, John B and Moley Martin in cold pursuit, with thoughts of a roaring fire at The Pheasant and nice beer already in mind before reaching Heydon. Moley had his usual gardening gloves on for extra protection but those didn’t prevent the cold reaching his other extremities, as he discovered at one ppoint in the ride.

But by the time we were climbing the final hill warm glows had spread comfortably and all enjoyed an excellent lunch in front of the fire. It won’t be long until Monday afternoon / evening rides can recommence due to the lengthening days.

Thanks, Maurice and Andrew for organising the ride.

Our squadron leader Maurice led a party of 7 others comprising Deputy Dawg Andrew, John B, John T, Brian, Tom, new member Rick (welcome!) and Moley Martin on a glorious circuit of 35 miles from The Pheasant to Wimpole Hall via Barkway and Steeple Morden and back via Barrington, Fowlmere and Heydon:

Thanks to Deputy Dawg, you can also view the route here:
http://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4246835

Although a bit nippy to start with, after an overnight frost, warmth reached our extremities by the time we got to Therfield after which it got decidedly hot. The sun shone throughout and, being February, there was not a wasp in sight at Wimpole, unlike our last trip there in August 2015 when Maurice’s scone and jam was the centre of attention for the Wimpole wasp population.

Bulls eyeing up the heifers.

Wimpole Hall in all its glory

Not a wasp in sight, but any of these guys could sting you

The return trip was only about 15 miles but orders for beer were taken on the ascent to Heydon and these soon disappeared down the thirsty throats of the Pheasant pluckers, followed by an excellent lunch.

Thanks, Maurice, for an excellent ride.

Here is a thank you letter from East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices for the £400 cheque that The Windmill Club sent them after the Christmas lunch in December, and also another copy of the letter from Khandel Light, which received £600.

Let’s raise even more for charity in 2016, so give that bike a spring clean and come on out for a ride! Each ride costs just £2.00 and it’s amazing how it all mounts up to such worthwhile amounts for charity at the end of the year.

East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices DocScan

Windmill Khandel Light DocScan

The person responsible for today’s weather forecast shall remain nameless, for the time being, but at least we didn’t get lost. Starting with drizzle just a few minutes after leaving the Fleur de Lys in Widdington, it didn’t stop until we returned for lunch, when the sun emerged briefly. But that didn’t stop the Squadron Leader, Maurice, accompanied by Deputy Dawg Andrew, Ken, Brian and Moley Martin having an enjoyable ride of 30 miles via Henham, Great Bardfield, Finchingfield and Radwinter. The assorted rats got a warm welcome at our favourite coffee stop in Finchingfield where Maurice enjoyed his favourite scone, and likewise Martin (fuel for the return journey they claimed):

Now you know why we stop there, and how Two Scones Keith got his name.

And here are the assorted rats:

Having only partially dried out, the homeward stretch into headwinds and more rain resulted in large appetites being created for a splendid lunch in front of a roaring fire at the Fleur de Lys, washed down with some fine ales and lager for the Dawg. Lawg?

Thanks, Squadron Leader, for a good ride but ask for a new barometer for your next birthday!

Mechanic Maurice, Moley Martin and Deputy Dawg Andrew set off from Clavering in winds gusting up to 38 MPH for a what turned out to be a very pleasant Monday ride.

The intrepid Windmillers itinerary took in Wicken Bonhunt, Ricking, Quenden, Manuden, Furneux Pelham, Stocking Pelham, Brent Pelham and finally Starlings Green (saw none) and eventually back to Clavering.

Apart from battling some headwinds the ride was reasonably uneventful apart from Maurice being attacked by a rabbit and Moly Martin hitting another pothole both incidents took place on the descent to Pinchpools Farm – Both riders were unscalthed.

As a pleasant surprise Moley arranged for the peloton to be refreshed with coffee in Manuden at the residence of his lovely daughter Jessie and husband Robin who was having a lie-in until Moley called.

The ride concluded with a very pleasant lunch at Jamie Olivers parents pub The Cricketers in Clavering where we were eventually joined by the super grumpy Kell (the Irish) complaining that Deputy Dawg hadn’t sent out the usual smoke signals of our impending arrival !  (intentionally ha ha)