Rain. As a cycling group we’d almost forgotten what its like to ride in wet conditions ! So; after the unfeasibly warm and dry weather we’ve had this month, the rain finally arrived. I’m sure the keen gardeners out there were offering up a silent prayer of thanks this morning as a steady downpour sprang from a heavy, grey sky. Meanwhile, sometimes keen Windmill cyclists were shaking their fists and crying into their early morning porridge. Autumn was here. At one point, there was even talk of cancelling the ride but finally rule 5 * prevailed and the ride was on.
Nine riders congregated in the Crown, Little Warden for a 9.30 start. However the ongoing steady drizzle and the offer of coffee meant that the start, by consensus, was delayed until 10.00. It was still raining as two groups started up the hill towards Hadstock common, but it wasn’t long before Simon and Chris thought “sod this for a game of soldiers” and sensibly turned back.
Ostensibly to make up lost time, various short cuts and diversions were adopted (including a sampling of the new cycle path from Linton to Abington and missing out long stretches of off road riding), en route to Graystones Cafe, Duxford where Ken was waiting for us. Inside, warming drinks and cakes were being enjoyed when in strode an extremely irate Charles, dressed head to foot it seemed as a lollipop man. Somehow he had missed us on the ride, no doubt during one of our short cuts and had only just found us. Not so stressed was Brian, who also joined us here directly.
With the rain finally abating, but time for lunch rapidly approaching, the executive decision was taken to head fairly directly to Little Walden via Coploe Hill and Chestnut Avenue and then via Audley End House (once bigger than Buckingham Palace, apparently, according to a man in the pub).
About 38km all told, which felt like an achievement in the conditions.
Back at the pub and slowly drying out, Chris rejoined and kindly stood his round for a ‘significant’ birthday celebration – many thanks and much appreciated.
Wimpole has been continuously occupied for at least 2,000 years, with evidence from Roman, Anglo Saxon and medieval times. The earliest maps show a four-gabled manor house surrounded by a moat. Nowadays the extensive estate comes under the auspices of the National Trust.
These gentile surroundings form such an unlikely setting for the unseemly scrum for available deckchairs that occurred last Thursday. And the perpetrators of this unseemliness ? It turns out it was the vanguard of the Windmill cyclists laying claim to all of the available sunbeds and, without any remorse, leaving their later arriving club mates to look around in vain for seating.
On any normal October day the competition for sunbeds would be somewhat more muted, but for this ride the weather played ball and the National Trust cafe had arrayed a number of deckchairs out on their lovely lawn in the sunshine. Unfortunately, that number of chairs was fewer than the 18 Windmill riders that had set off from cafe 19, Duxford that morning !
I would like to report that the three groups on the road progressed from Duxford to Wimpole via the short but sharp Chapel Hill over to Barrington and around the multi-use path around the estate without incident.
Unfortunately, this would not be true. Group three had barely travelled 100 metres from the cafe before Paul reported a back wheel puncture. This shouldn’t have been a particular issue – fingers were warm, spare inner tubes abounded and we had ace technician Tom in the group. We hadn’t bargained on a faulty replacement tube, however, which promptly blew out its valve once having been laboriously pumped up by Paul (all the while asking for more volunteers to man the pump). Luckily the next tube proved more robust, and a CO2 inflator saved Paul from more sweat and effort *. Nevertheless group 3 were now half an hour behind schedule.
The return ride did pass without incident via Shepreth and Fowlmere. Following breeze and no hills. Thanks to Jeremy for organising this ride and the weather gods for the fine conditions.
Apologies if I’ve missed name checking anyone here: Jeremy, Andrew, Charles, Alan, Keith, Deborah, Graham, Paul, Tom, Roger, Graham, Sandra, Ken, Simon, Victor, Gareth, Ric, Rod.
* CO2 cannisters are great for quick roadside tyre inflation but there are a few things to look out for:
Best get an inflator with a proper tap on it rather than a marginally lighter ‘one shot’ push on type.
The tyre pressure gets high very quickly. If in your haste you had the inner tube trapped under the outer rim, it WILL blow out. With a bang.
The CO2 cannister will get very cold. Do not handle with bare hands !
Tyres are more porous to CO2 than normal air, so when you get home, let the CO2 out and re-inflate with a normal pump.
Rod very kindly offered to organise this ride at short notice following a decision to postpone a proposed ride from Mersea Island due to only seven members being able to make it. There might have been a riot and those concerned being thrown out of the club if the magnificent seven were later to be seen stuffing themselves silly with delicious local seafood and local wine at The Company Shed. So, another time for Mersea when the time and tides are right.
But what better than to celebrate the reopening of The Axe and Compasses in Arkesden following the disastrous fire on Mothers’ Day in 2022 when most of it was razed to the ground. And the bonus was that two additional members could take part, making nine in total – Rod, Andrew, Victor, Roger, Gareth, Howard, Ken, Brian and Martin, plus the pleasure of having Maurice join us for lunch.
After some debate as to whether Violet’s Lane near Furneux Pelham was doable, necessitating a visit and assessment by Monday’s riders, the route was revised by Rod to ensure no one got stuck in mud or, worse still, punctured. Violet’s Lane is the longest ford in the UK, all three quarters of a mile of it. Just imagine cycling through this lot – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOE4ah1tLXc
This would of course not pose any problem for Simon and his snorkel who is renowned for his love of getting into deep water.
There was a fair amount of traffic to contend with at times (was a major road closed somewhere we wondered?) but after 15 miles we entered Braughing, bypassing The Golden Fleece for a change, and heading to Pearce’s Farm Shop on the A10 where we were treated to excellent cakes and coffee served with great efficiency – definitely one for a return visit.
Contented cake consumers and knobbly knees at Pearce’s Farm Shop
There was evidence of long trousers on this ride, a sign of things to come perhaps, but once the sun got through it still felt really warm. Indeed, September has been recorded as one of the warmest on record.
Returning via Westmill, Buntingford, Hare Street and Nuthamsted the two groups met up at a traffic jam before Duddenhoe End due to two skip lorries being unable to pass each other. But Lorking’s Lane, a bridleway leading to Beard’s Lane and Cooper’s End came in handy as an escape route for Rod and Martin who whizzed along both and got to the bar of The Axe and Compasses before the others.
After a £1.6m restoration, in an astonishingly short space of time for a Grade 2 listed building, The Axe and Compasses looks just as it did before and the menu hasn’t changed much either – still a strong Greek influence. There is a passage from the Public Bar to the Saloon Bar but, otherwise, the layout is the same. The choice of new materials such as beams and windows is superb and, luckliy, much of the furniture was saved by the locals before the fire took hold.
Empty glasses and full bellies at the end of a meal to celebrate the reopening of The Axe and Compasses in Arkesden
And this is where we went, clockwise:
Thanks again to Rod for organising the ride at short notice and the excellent refreshment stops, and to Brian for the photos. We’re all a bit worried, actually, about Brian heading off to Hebden Bridge on holiday, known as the Transitioning Town of the North of England. Watch this space……
On a more serious note we wish Maurice well with his medical tests. Likewise, after Iain’s recent hospitalisation in Brittany, we wish him a good recovery and we look forward to having both of them join as again as soon as possible.
Iain is still interred in a hospital in Brittany after being very expertly and sympathetically treated by the French health system for a pulmonary embolism sustained during his, Alan and Martin’s cycle holiday. He is being treated considerably less sympathetically by his insurance company. As a consequence, Martin W has very kindly mounted a rescue mission involving a return trip to France to pick up both Iain and bike. He is probably somewhere Sous La Manche as we speak. We all hope the treatment went well, Iain, and chapeau to Martin.
Meanwhile, les stay-at-home rost beefs were enjoying a great little weather window of blue skies and light winds, which came sandwiched between last nights floods and this afternoon’s thunder storms. 14 riders took to the roads from outside the Red Lion, Great Sampford and, unusually, managed to split into two equal groups of riders.
Our first port of call was possibly a first visit to the beautifully restored Bragg’s Mill, overlooking Ashdon.
Bragg’s Mill is a post mill with a single storey roundhouse. It has four patent sails carried on a wooden windshaft with a cast iron poll end. Two sails are double shuttered and two are single shuttered. Two pairs of millstones are driven, arranged Head and Tail. The mill is winded by tailpole. The mill is 10.36 m high to the roof.
Bragg’s Mill was built in 1757 and was renovated in the late 1950s. In July 2004, a grant of £46,900 was received from the Heritage Lottery Fund and new sails were fitted on 5 July 2006. “Viewing by donation”, apparently, so a possible for future windmill rides.
After the photo shoot and once again in two groups, we headed for coffee and cake at a very efficient Tarka’s cafe. Continued sunshine allowed coffee to be taken at the outside tables without any danger of a soaking, being blown away or hypothermia (or upsetting the rest of the more conventionally attired clientele).
Back on the bikes and back to the Red Lion via another possible Windmill first: the delightfully narrow and twisty eggshell lane.
No incidents ensured a prompt lunch. Two riders, Victor and Alan, were replaced at the table by two guest diners, Julia and Maurice. The pub’s excellent Italian themed cuisine once again came up to the high standard we’ve come to expect of this venue.
The lucky dry and slightly sun kissed riders were: Alan, Victor, Brian, Jeremy, Martin B, Paul, Simon, Graham, Roger, Ken, Gareth, Rodd, Andrew and Keith.
This week’s ride took us anticlockwise from Castle Hedingham to Castle Clare and back. Castle Hedingham is Norman, built c1140, apparently ‘the best preserved Norman Keep in England’
What strikes me most about it, considering it’s age, is that it is still upright. This isn’t true of some castle keeps in England. A striking example is Bridgnorth built c1160 which leans at four times the angle of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and demonstrates how dodgy builders can be found at any time and in any place.
One day it will fall down you know. Unexpectedly. Would video be better for that?
Cromwell dug under it during a siege in 1645. That didn’t help.
We went anti-clockwise this time on what was a perfect day for cycling. I selected the 1st group since this was going to be my first time out after a ‘challenging’ summer. If I was a bit slow I could get scooped up by the 2nd group.
Martin(2), Howard, Brian, Victor and Nigel provided a gentle reintroduction to 30 miles routes. I always find the miles go by more easily when you can chat along the way. The other thing that makes the second half easier is a BIG CAKE. The scones at the old railway station at Clare fitted the bill perfectly. Some members of our group even considered missing lunch. But later changed their minds.
The station at Clare was part of the Great Eastern Railway (GWR) whose terminus is still Liverpool Street. Many of you will have seen the impressive monument there, to employees of the GER who were killed during the First World War.
Memorial at Liverpool Street station to GER staff who died during the First World War.
It was unveiled in 1922 by Sir Henry Wilson MP, who was then assassinated by two IRA gunmen on his way home from the unveiling ceremony. Next time you go, look for a smaller memorial to Wilson which was later placed adjacent to main one. He was the ‘father’ of the Ulster Defence Force. The next MP to be assassinated would be many years later, Airey Neave in 1979.
Next to Clare station is the priory, whose grounds we wheeled our bikes through. Founded in 1248, it is the ‘mother house’ of the Augustinian order in England. These are Catholic monks who get involved in local communities and also ‘contemplative’ nuns. One of their commandments is reading during meals, which might be Ok, but another is ‘fasting and abstinence proportionate to the strength of the individual’, which certainly isn’t. So I’m only up the briefest of visits, having finished my chocolate brownie. Lovely gardens though.
With a beautiful route and weather. The return leg was uneventful. Graham had joined the 2nd group of Keith, Deborah, Chris and Rod. We sat and once again failed to abstain in a quite a disproportionate way. Drinking beer, eating quite good lunches and enjoying the sunshine in a most un-monastic display.
Thank you to all the club members who supported me during my troubles. I’m fixed, now our attention turns to Iain, who has had some bad luck during his Brittany tour with Alan and Martin. We all hope that turns out OK and that he is back with us soon.
A really enjoyable ride this Thursday. Great route and a good pub so thanks go to Brian. Let’s hope we have a good autumn. We’ve got some catching up to do.
Deborah suggested a trip to see the church in Castle Hedingham might be of interest to those Windmillers who hadn’t paid a visit the last time and so this ride was planned with that in mind. Unfortunately, Deborah was unable to make it as she was busy cycling a mega route from Morecambe Bay to Bridlington but she had already seen it.
Setting off for the first time from The Three Horseshoes in Helions Bumpstead, on the recommendation of a local lady who we had bumped into on a previous ride, the 14 taking part were Maurice, Andrew, Iain, Geoff, Howard, Martin B, Victor, Alan, Rod, Ric, Brian, Roger, Tom and Martin W.
Ready for the off
The weather forecast was a fine morning and a wet afternoon but in practice it was the reverse, which meant the not-so-hardy types donning wet weather gear soon after setting off. But it turned out to be only a few spots and by coffee time in Castle Hedingham the sun was shining brightly and we had all dried off.
On the way we passed Jamie Oliver’s fine residence in Finchingfield and then traversed a series of very narrow twisty lanes with gravel and grass to contend with in places, but blissfully quiet. The only other road user spotted by the first group of riders was a fat badger which waddled up the lane before taking cover near its large set – so large that a mound of sand and gravel spewed out into the lane.
The Old Moot House in Castle Hedingham did us proud again with good coffee and cakes, even though coffee was spilled liberally by both the staff and a Windmiller but which was soon mopped up.
Coffee, cakes and bikes galore
Leaving the bikes jammed in the back yard of The Old Moot House, a group of Windmillers then nipped across the road to take a peek at St Nicholas Church and were not disappointed. It is one of only four churches in the UK, including Peterborough Cathedral, with a Wheel window, as depicted above. Built by the wealthy Norman Robert de Vere family in 1180, the church is listed Grade 1 – Nikolas Pevsner, the esteemed architectural historian, called it ‘the finest church in Essex’. Robert de Vere was the 3rd Earl of Oxford and one of the barons who acted as a guarantor in the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215. The US Constitution is still based largely on the wording of the Magna Carta – say no more.
The Wheel window of St Nicholas ChurchThe embroidery group of St Nicholas Church produced this panel of Castle Hedingham in 2015 as part of the celebrations to mark the 800th anniversary of the Magna CartaBut of course there’s always the sinner in our midst who took the chance of asking for a quick repentance
After extracting our bikes from the the back yard of The Old Moot House, the two groups set off on the return leg taking in some familiar lanes before ending up with a splendid lunch outside at The Three Horseshoes, definitely a place to revisit:
Lunch at The Three Horshoes. ‘Why only three’, asks Rod, ‘why not four’? ‘Because it means there’s a farrier nearby’, says Howard. ‘No’, says Google, ‘it’s because the Worshipful Company of Farriers in the City of London has three horseshoes in its coat of arms.’ ‘No, says Iain, ‘it’s because my horse has lost a shoe, let’s go to the pub’. Iain gets the prize for the most likely explanation.
So this is where we went:
Thanks to everyone who attended and Brian for some of the photos.
“Salad days” is a Shakespearean idiom referring to a period of carefree innocence, idealism, and pleasure associated with youth. It might also apply to middle aged and elderly members of The Windmill Club but after this ride it took on an additional meaning when salads and bread rolls were traded quite liberally around the table whilst sitting outside having lunch at The Crown in Hartest. More anon.
What a glorious day Maurice had managed to arrange for this cruise around Suffolk lanes. Thirteen Windmillers managed to find their way via various routes to what must be one of the prettiest villages in Suffolk, the houses facing the green sporting colours representing the dyes used in days gone by in the local production of textiles.
Smart houses in Hartest and smart cars to dye for
So Maurice led two groups comprising Rod, Brian, Andrew, Graham, Alan, Paul, Howard, Roger, Iain, Deborah, Keith and Martin W on an anti- clockwise circuit which avoided, in theory, having to climb Hartest hill but that wouldn’t have been possible in any event as the road was closed, necessitating a detour on the return leg.
This is where we planned to go. In the event a diversion was made via Audley End, (yes, a different Audley End) which added around 4 miles:
Coffee was taken at the splendid isolated Maglia Rosso café cum bike shop.
Wot, no brakes? An intrepid early racing cyclist sets off on his lightweight steed. Pic courtesy of the gents loo at Maglia RossoMaglia Rosso is a veritable museum of cycling gear but sells the very latest bikes
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The return leg took us once again past this lovely cottage whose garden is always a harmonious picture of mixed flowers and vegetables:
Graham couldn’t resist taking this pic of schisters Martin, Andrew, Keith, Paul, Brian, Iain and Roger in front of a stinking pile of the stuff
Back at The Crown, lunch was served outside in the garden but a mix up by the pub over the orders for whitebait resulted in a combination of salads of various types, courgettes, peas and bread rolls being thrown around with gay abandon, causing much mirth of a Shakespearean quality.
The sad remains of a salad.
Thanks, as always, go to Maurice for planning the route and to Andrew for organising us.
Flint was formed in soft, limy mud on the floor of the chalk sea some 80 million years ago. It is made of quartz, which came from the skeletons of tiny sponges dissolved in the seawater. The bizarre shapes of flint nodules is due to flint replacing the chalk in the burrows of marine animals such as arthropods. Over millions of years the process continued and the white chalk mud, containing trillions of flint nodules, was slowly compacted to form a layer over 200 metres thick across the region. Early humans soon discovered that broken flints could be formed into extremely sharp cutting tools ………
In keeping with the rest of July, Thursday’s forecast was “mixed”. This prompted one or two ‘no shows’, including our ride organiser, Rod (some muttering about a BT man, but it sounds a bit like, “the dog ate my homework”). Nevertheless, 11 riders (assuming I’ve counted correctly) gathered at the Fox and Duck, Therfield under gloomy skies. Two groups set off southwards into the blustery breeze heading for coffee in Buntingford.
Buntingford
Would it rain or not ? the heavy clouds constantly threatened, but thankfully in the end only light showers materialised. Constant stops ensued to put on rain coats (too warm) or take them off again (another light shower).
Fascinated bystanders. And some Windmillers.Cromer Windmill
Back to the pub via the oft photographed Cromer Windmill for the usual great food and beer after an enjoyable and mostly dry and mostly incident free ride.
……The fascinating geology of flint and utility to our ancestors was lost somewhat on Alan and Graham. Alan sustained not one but two flint induced punctures requiring road side fixing and Graham one slow puncture to be fixed at home. Geology, eh ?
GeologyMore Geology
With apologies if I lost track of starters, I think these are the final group of riders: Jeremy, Victor, Tom, Paul, Nigel, Maurice, Martin B, Graham, Charles, Alan and Andrew.
With a record turnout for The Chestnut Tree in West Wratting for both the ride (18 Windmillers) and lunch (19) it was just as well that the bar bill was to be shared between Deborah and Geoff who had both been celebrating their birthdays recently. Deborah claimed to be 59 (going on 39 really) but Geoff wasn’t heard to admit how many years he had clocked up; certainly a lot less than some Windmillers!
It was 3 groups led by Maurice who set out on a tour of the South Cambs, Essex and Suffolk lanes via Bartlow, the Bumpsteads, Baythorne End for coffee, Kedington and Withersfield.
A brief pause was made outside this gate when group 3 comprising mainly the e-brigade caught up group 2 who had caught up group 1 and so there wasn’t much to do except admire the gate and wonder what kind of palatial residence was up the driveway.
A brief stop was made by group 2 in Helions Bumpstead to ask a local lady what she thought of the local pub, The Three Horseshoes, which Ken McDonald of the 100 Parishes Society had recommended during his talk to the Windmill Club recently. She said that it was wonderful, owned by the village community and the chef was formerly at The Fox and Hounds in Steeple Bumpstead, so well worth a visit sometime. Rod commented that Andrew would have made a much better job of attempting to recruit said lady into the Windmill Club.
Baythorne End was the coffee / cake stop which was as good as usual:
Serious consumption of cakes at Baythorne End
….but Martin B wins the prize for the cake of the day
…whilst Deborah shows off her happy doggie birthday card
The way back via Kedington and Withersfield took us through more delightful lanes with big views over rolling countryside.
Group 2 stopped to admire the field of blue borage in the distance
Back at The Chestnut Tree, the 18 Windmillers comprising Maurice, Jeremy, Victor, Rod, Deborah, Martin B, Paul, Ken, Brian, Geoff, Gareth, Roger, Nigel, Iain, Alan, Ric, Howard and Martin W were joined by Tom who had come cross- country on his mountain bike. All enjoyed an excellent lunch and sang a hearty Happy Birthday to Deborah and Geoff who between them bought a huge round of drinks. Thanks Deb and Geoff! Thanks also to Maurice for planning and leading the ride and well done to all those including Ric, Brian and Jeremy who clocked up additional miles by riding to and from The Chestnut Tree.
Finally, on a sad note, The Chestnut Tree is up for sale but we hope the new owners continue the same high standard of food and drinks that we have had the pleasure of enjoying in recent years, ever since Graham first recommended it.
That was different for a Windmill Club ride ! 92 km (58 miles) from King’s Lynn to Cambridge, one way with no pub finale. The weather was set fair, dry and hot with a favourable wind. The course was almost perfectly flat – the main difficulties to progress being uneven or unpaved cycle tracks, steep bridges (especially for those on e bikes) and Cambridge traffic lights. Oh, and one busy road crossing, more of which later.
Safely gathered at King’s Lynn station
The first hurdle was to get the 9 starters to King’s Lynn station all at the same time from a mixture of starting points (variously Royston, Cambridge, Trumpington Park and Ride, and a hotel in Kings Lynn). Happily, thanks to the wonders of modern communications and a punctual train, all arrived safely for the grand depart.
King’s Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop’s Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in Norfolk. Lynn originated in the early 10th century on a constricted site south of where the River Great Ouse now discharges into the Wash (until the early 13th century, the Great Ouse emptied via the Wellstream at Wisbech). During the 14th century, Lynn ranked as England’s most important port when sea trade with Europe was dominated by the Hanseatic League of ports. Lynn retains the only surviving two former Hanseatic League warehouses: Hanse House and Marriott’s Warehouse, in use between the 15th and 17th centuries.
These days, the town is an interesting mix of old and new, with an extensive pedestrianised centre, a plethora of one way streets and some oddly positioned cycle ways. This made navigating the first part of our route particularly tricky – trying to avoid falling foul of traffic restrictions, busy main roads and industrial units.
Somehow, we negotiated the route through to the picturesque Tuesday Market square, Down Kings Street to Lynn Minster, then the the South Quay before finally picking up the excellent National route 1 cycle path south of the town. From here it was time for cameras away and to start covering some distance.
Away from the metropolitan bustle, the peloton maintained a healthy pace, initially on cycle paths and then on a series of quiet lanes heading for our first stop at Denver Sluice, where we were to meet Simon and “The Boss”, Maurice, who had been conducting “Business” in Downham Market that morning. So it was that 11 of us seeked out a shady table at Violet’s Tea room by the old windmill for an efficiently served refresher.
The Boss
Despite being 25km up river from Lynn, such is the flatness of this part of Norfolk that Denver Sluice controls the water levels between the tidal and non-tidal stretches of the Great Ouse, The tidal mudbanks on one side of the sluice being clearly visible from the road. The original sluice was built in 1651 by the Dutch architect Cornelius Vermuyden as part of the ongoing project to drain the fens (at least Wiki says “built” – I doubt that he personally built it).
The temperature continued to climb as we rolled along the relentless and traffic free Ten Mile Bank, mostly below river level and thankfully still with the wind. It seemed like an age before we rounded Littleport and headed down to Queen Adelaide, Ely and traffic. The trip plan continued to hold together well and we were able to get into Peacocks cafe without having been able to pre book. The relaxed service allowed us to appreciate some of the features of this little gem of a venue – even to the point of garden tours for some ! It was at Ely that Simon and “the Boss” left the ride.
Peacocks, Ely
Possibly due to the elevated temperatures, post lunch lassitude or just not having to negotiate traffic most of the day it came as a wake up call when an oncoming car asserted their right of way by not letting a Windmiller cross the road in front of them – fortunately the only damage being dented ear drums from their car horn. Luckily for us, the ride then continued on a quiet cycle path for a few kilometres, progress being slightly impeded by the rippled and distorted surface.
Wicken Fen
Despite pleas to the contrary, the ride continued past the cafe at Wickham Fen across the unpaved Lode way heading for Anglessy Abbey where we finally stopped for the last refreshment break. From here we were once more engaging with the busyness and traffic lights that is Cambridge City. Eventually we made it to the station where the party started to fragment, with Rod heading home via train, others via cars parked at the park and ride, or directly home by bike for Ric, Brian, Jeremy, Alan and Graham.
Anglessey Abbey
An excellent, long and slightly unusual adventure for the Windmill club. Special thanks to Brian and Jeremy for instigating. Fears for ebike battery life turning out to be unfounded !
The route, with the
Deborah, Roger, Rod, Brian, Jeremy, Charles, Graham, Ric and Alan with guest appearances from Simon and Maurice.
Graham stepped forward to organise this lovely ride despite his diary for the past week being jammed with blog writing, climbing in Cornwall, serious bike riding in the Peak District on 31 May (a day trip) and then setting off early for this ride from Ickleton to the Cock Inn at Henham. You know what they say: ‘If you want a job done ask a busy person to do it.’ Nothing could be more true when it comes to Graham – even 2nd June was going to be busy with washing and changing the sheets……….. What a man!
From the left at The Cock Inn, Henham: Maurice, Howard, Victor, Alan, Simon, Ric, Andrew, Rod, Roger, Jeremy, Brian, Martin B, Iain, Paul, Deborah and Graham
So 17 Windmillers set off from The Cock Inn after coffee and ordering lunch in three groups on a delightful circuit devised by Graham of quiet Essex lanes, some unfamiliar and some familiar, passing endless cottages and grand houses looking good in their Spring finery, or is it Summer? It’s both – 1 June is the meteorological start of summer whilst, this year, the astronomical start of summer is 21 June. So now you know if you didn’t know already.
One of the first stops had to be P&A Wood in Great Easton to glance enviously through the showroom windows to admire the array of fine Rolls Royces and Bentleys on display. We were all wondering if Howard and Maurice might be interested in adding to their already fine collections but no salesman came rushing out to secure an order.
Windmillers admiring an ex-footballer’s (?) Bentley (or are they just preening themselves in the polished windows?)
Onwards we went through Lindsell and close to that wonderful Priors Hall Farm which make tasty Dunmow sausages and bacon products, passing yet more wonderful properties and enjoying glorious views. Stebbing, in particular, was very pretty with a nice looking pub which needs checking out some time.
The Grade 1 listed St Mary the Virgin Church in Stebbing which has one of only three stone rood screens in Europe, one of the others being close by in Great Bardfield and the other being in Norway.
Stebbing has strong Scottish connections and so who knows, our kilt wearing lads Andrew and Iain may well be able to trace their ancestors to here. For more info about Stebbing see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stebbing
And where was this church? Can’t remember!
Just outside Stebbing Andrew had to stop, of course, at his very own airstrip, Andrewsfield, to watch what was going on. An ex RAF / USAF station it ‘s still in active use as a flying school and gliding centre as well as an emergency relief strip for Stansted.
Who’s a wild beastie then?
Then came The Blue Egg at Great Bardfield, a popular coffee stop as always, but Paul and Simon arrived somewhat after the others having missed a turning. (Simon miss a turning? No way!)
Coffee at The Blue Egg, Great BardfieldAnd a close up of THAT cake! Maurice carrying on the Windmillers’ great cake devouring tradition
Heading back along familiar lanes to Little Sampford it wasn’t long before we cruised into Thaxted and stopped to admire the Grade 1 listed houses situated behind the Guildhall, recommended recently by Ken McDonald of the 100 Parishes Society which organises walks around our same area and who will be giving a talk to The Windmill Club soon. One of the houses has a Dick Turpin connection, allegedly, but this is what a local society has to say about it:
The birthplace of Dick Turpin is actually this lovely chocolate box of a house in Hempstead, Essex. However, this Grade I Listed, 15th century cottage which also bears his name is in Thaxted, Essex. It sits at the bottom of Stoney Lane, an ancient and steep cobbled street that rises up to the churchyard.
If you’re unfamiliar with Dick Turpin, he was a horse thief, highwayman and member of the infamous “Essex Gang” during the 1700s. While Turpin was a real person and many facts about his life, misdeeds and eventual death in York are known, his story has become somewhat of a legend.
Many romanticized and not necessarily true stories about Turpin are still being told today. He is featured in numerous songs, plays and historical fiction novels. His name also adorns many pubs and a few homes, like this one!
Grade 1 listed rogues outside, supposedly, Dick Turpin’s cottage in ThaxtedLooking up Stoney Lane Thaxted towards the churchAlmshouses in the church grounds
Hunger was making itself known and so it was full pelt back to Henham for lunch and drinks in The Cock Inn after a very enjoyable ride in good weather.
Lunch at The Cock Inn, Henham
It was also Graham’s birthday who generously bought a large round of drinks and received a hearty rendering of Happy Birthday in return. Thanks Graham, and also for a great ride.
Birthday boy Graham . Glass half empty or half full?
Finally, mention must be made of all those who regularly cycle many additional miles to the start of a ride and back – Graham, of course, but also Ric who regularly clocks up big distances from Harston, Brian and Jeremy. Well done all.
And this is where we went:
Thanks also to Brian, Simon and Graham for some of the photos.
Octogenarians are like buses: none for ages then two in the space of a month ! Ken will celebrate his milestone birthday on Saturday, but in the meantime he’d organised this Thursday’s hilly ride and birthday beers from the Crown, Little Walden.
The last ride we took from the Crown, ice was thick on the roads and the mercury hovered near zero. This time, the riders were greeted by considerably warmer and brighter conditions so it wasn’t surprising to see 15 riders on parade. Since journalistic fact checking appears to be optional these days, I can claim (without checking) that its the first time this year that the entire peloton were wearing shorts.
Food orders placed, Ken, on his trusty non-e-bike, led the first of two groups away – only to return a minute later to lock his car then charge off again after his group.
It being the nature of the Crown’s location, the hill up to Hadstock common invariably features in any ride starting from there. As a wide open elevated plateau, its not surprising that Hadstock common was the home of RAF Little Walden / USAAF Station 165 during WW2.
After tackling a few of quiet lanes East of Saffron Walden we congregated at the Bonnefirebox cafe, Wimbish for coffee and cake. This is a new venue for the club and a welcome addition. From here, the route turned to the West of Saffron Walden – after negotiating a particularly congested Newport high street.
Passing the Axe and Compasses in Arkesden, it was good to see much progress being made to the fire damaged building and thatched roof. Unfortunately, it won’t be open in time for the Women’s pro peloton to drop in for a pint tomorrow on their ‘Ride London Classique’ UCI world tour event. In fact, Ken’s route traced a good section of their route – albeit in reverse.
We finally crested the aptly named ‘Windmill Hill’ before the run back into Saffron Walden. Here, mapping software was blamed for the variety of routes taken through the town until all eventually made it onto the Little Walden road and hence the pub.
Once at the pub, it was excellent beer directly from the cask and fine food plus the obligatory rendering “Happy Birthday to yoooooo”. Many thanks to Ken for an incident free, albeit hilly, ride.
Ken, Howard, Ric, Geoff, Martin B, Andrew, Rod, Alan. Brian, Iain, Jeremy, Paul, Maurice, Martin W, Graham.
I did not expect to be riding this week having planned to be in Italy but, having been refused permission to board a flight to Italy at great expense, here I was outside The Red Lion’s Italian restaurant. In Great Sampford. In England.
The expiry date on a UK passport is not the expiry date which is recognised by EU countries. Oh no, that would be too simple. For EU countries the expiry date is ten years from the issue date. You see a ten-year passport must last ten years, ten years exactly. To have an easy time interacting with the EU just try to think like a German. Anything other than ten years would be deviant Anglo-Saxon toying with government rules on and an official document. This might be interesting, even amusing in the arts as witnessed by exports like Mr Bean, Monty Python or the LiveStream of proceedings in the UK parliament. But a passport is not a place for amusing flexibility with rules.
I should add the rest of the world uses the expiry date as printed on the passport. All non-EU countries take the view that the UK government knows best when a UK passport expires, and that it helpfully prints this next to the words ‘expiry date’.
Deborah was disappointed not to be able to cycle on the pedestrian path by the river at Clare. Graham explained that it is ‘verboten’. We compromised in true British fashion by only cycling on it one way.
The route was clockwise via Clare Castle, and we split into two groups for the ride.
Excellent café with quick service, scenic setting and plenty of space. (also cake)
Odd how flags are often flown from old building but rarely from new ones.
I’ve always been unable to convince my wife that I disappear each Thursday to go cycling. She remains convinced that I only eat cake, dine then return home smelling of beer. Similarly suspicious females ruined my trip into the wilderness around the castle to answer the call of nature and I was forced return to the busy facilities at the café.
Old problem or an ongoing one?
Tomato plants on the line growing from human sewage. Makes a change from delays caused by leaves I suppose.
The toilets contained an amusing sign. Amusing that is as long as the UK government continues to grant rail companies exception to the rules concerning the disposal of human waste.
As the head of the rail union recently said “You quickly learn to turn your back and close your mouth when you’re trackside and a train is passing. As I know first-hand.” He went on to suggest that if the government were treated the same way at work then they might apply the rules with more earnestness, saying, “it is our members, not government ministers, who are regularly sprayed with human sewage while working”. In the UK, trackside workers currently need to be inoculated against hepatitis which might be obtained by contact with raw sewage. The practice was to end in 2017, then in 2020, but it has proved to be more convenient for the government to extend impunity from health and safety regulations for a while longer. Naturally I wonder if the EU would find it so amusing or be so flexible with the rules. It is said that taking trains out of service to modify the toilets would inconvenience people travelling to large cities, like London.
I should add that not all of UK industry is as customer focussed as one might expect. Indeed, upon reading about the problem I find that it is mostly the public’s fault. As proof I offer a quote from Richard Parsons, operations director of the train cleaning system specialists Airquick, who confirms that a retrofitting programme “usually takes longer to achieve than planned” (?). “We have installed toilet retention tank emptying systems for retrofitted stock, only for them not to be used for up to 12 months following commissioning”.
OK I think, park one outside the café at Clare Castle and I will happily oblige.
Apparently, it is hard to fit a large enough tank for a gravity fed, water flush toilet anywhere on a train, so our sympathy and indulgence is requested. I note that the airlines use vacuum flushing for that reason. Still, that is an entirely different industry isn’t it, covered by international, not UK only rules.
One of our oft-photographed windmills showing club members old and new; Maurice, Ken and Howard, then Paul an Ian.
Overall a brilliant ride through a very picturesque and quiet route as planned by Maurice, who also organised our meals at the restaurant. After pleasant exercise and a beer in the warm spring sunshine with the club I felt much happier.
I returned home to my wife who said “I suppose you are going to tell me again that you have been cycling?”
This was a day many had been looking forward to – Andrew was celebrating his big 70th birthday which meant that he would be buying a large round of drinks.
Jeremy organised the ride which met at the popular Café 19 in Duxford at 9.00 for coffee and placing lunch orders before setting off at 9.30. Those accompanying him and Andrew were Roger, Deborah, Simon, Graham, Geoff, Howard, Alan, Iain, Paul, Martin B and Martin W, which meant a big bill was in store for Andrew!
Ready for the off
Setting off in two groups, this was the route taken:
Riding clockwise from Duxford the route was pretty well flat as a pancake but Jeremy had craftily incorporated a spike of a climb and descent between Bassingbourn and Haslingfield as can be seen from the elevation chart above. En route the first group came across a lady cyclist in distress with a puncture and nobly gave assistance, Howard being chief mechanic. Martin W’s feeble attempt to photograph the scene only resulted in a stressed looking selfie and a race to catch up with his group, but that’s what e-bikes are for.
Local lad Ric leads a panting group up the hill from Bassingbourn, before the fast descent of Chapel Hill to Haslingfield
Whizzing through to Harston, Ric’s home turf, Simon and Martin W stuck on the tail of Geoff as he cycled at speed on the bike path alongside the busy A10 thinking he knew where he was going. But, alas, a turning to Shelford was missed and it wasn’t long before the M11 junction hoved into view. Meanwhile, Ric, Graham and Iain took the right route and so a U-turn by the three lost sheep resulted in them getting to the coffee stop at Stapleford Granary last of all. The first group, who were behind having helped the lady in distress, also took the right turning.
Coffee and cakes at the Stapleford Granary were great – it’s a lovely place – but 13 Windmillers descending all at once plus regular customers makes for a test of any coffee machine.
Coffee and culture – what could be better?Artistic discussions going on
The next part of the route took us alongside the fast flowing River Granta towards Babraham along a delightful off road route. Andrew is seen leading his group in the featured photo above.
Paul, Simon, Andrew, Jeremy, Deborah and Geoff pausing on a bridge over the River Granta, or are they about to play Pooh Sticks?Babraham Hall, the focal point of what is now a huge science park at the Babraham Institute
It was at Babraham that Martin W decided to take a different route from the others in his group, to avoid lugging his heavy e-bike over the bridge spanning the A11. The diversion via the A 1307 was longer but the time was the same.
Cycling through Little and Great Abington, past Suzanne’s house (Where are you Suzanne? We miss you), the route took us into the large site of the former Land Settlement Association, one of many scattered around the country which were formed in the late 1930s to provide work for unemployed people in industrial areas. Each five acre plot came with a cottage and soon a thriving market garden industry was established which helped considerably to provide fresh food during wartime. In 1983 the LSA in Great Abington was disbanded and the cottages came up for sale. There are some left but most have been extended into large properties, many of which have equestrian facilities, but there still lots of greenhouses and vegetable growing enterprises.
This is an example of an extended cottage which is now a major asparagus business. Note the wartime Nissan Hut. For more information on the Land Settlement Association, click here: https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5680697
Next stop was Sawston and then the bike path from the Spicers site through to Whittlesford and finally a network of alleys and twittens in Duxford before arriving back, a bit on the late side, for lunch at Café 19.
But before lunch could start for Deputy Dawg Andrew, he was treated to a Dawgfight between a Spitfire and a Spanish built Messerschmitt which was seen spewing white smoke from its tail to indicate it had been shot down.
The victorious Spitfire
Eventually, lunch got underway and it was good to have Maurice join us. A hearty rendering of Happy Birthday to Andrew was had, who we thanked heartily for buying the drinks.
Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Dawggie, Happy birthday to you.
Thanks go also to Jeremy for planning and organising the ride, and for some of the photographs. Additional photographs kindly taken by others including Graham and Andrew.
This Thursday’s ride saw a recent record 18 Windmillers on parade. A warm welcome to Paul, on his first outing with the group and welcome back Howard. The high turn out was no doubt influenced by the extensive Thai menu at the Navigators, Little Shelford; the dry and warm(ish) forecast; the long sections of dedicated cycle paths and the nearly pan flat course profile. In fact so flat was the profile, Charles was tempted into eschewing his ebike for his old faithful, normally aspirated Giant bike (but more on that later).
Brian had devised a devious 53km route up through the East side of Cambridge and back through the West side, maximising the use of cycle paths and cycle routes and minimising the use of of the city roads. A pleasure to ride but a real challenge to follow the twists and turns thereof ! Thankfully most Windmillers come equipped with electronic navigation these days and any wrong turning were quickly corrected. The stiff breeze on the day was from the East and didn’t hamper our progress on the largely North-South route.
Although mostly on paths, it was still deemed prudent to split into three equal groups. In time honoured fashion, the first ‘equal’ group set off with 7 riders, the second with 6 and the third with 5. Hmmmm.
Cambridge’s guided busway is (or was) the longest guided busway in the world and has two main branches. The Northern busway uses the course of the former Cambridge and Huntingdon railway and the Southern section uses part of the former Oxford Varsity Line. Although the utility and cost of the busway divided local opinion at the time, a total of 2,500,000 trips were made in the first year of operation which was 40% higher than the predicted figure. What is not in dispute is the utility of the busway to cyclists and pedestrians alike, who can enjoy munching kilometre after kilometre on a great surface almost risk free (not withstanding there has been the very occasional fatality involving cyclists and buses). Brian’s route made extensive use of both branches of the busway to ensure that brisk progress was made on the first leg of our route and we were soon clear of the city and heading for fen country.
A brief detour via Rampton and we were on course for the Auction House cafe in Willingham. Willingham Auctions was established in 1959, and ran as a popular Auctioneers and Estate Agents for 25 years. It was reopened in 1994. The café is now a justifiably popular part of the site. Somewhat delayed for coffee, however, was the second group on the road due to an unfortunate puncture to Charles’ bike. Not having his usual e-bike meant that his full bag of bike spare paraphernalia and electronic gadgetry wasn’t there when it was needed and the puncture took a long time to fix ! By the time we were finally all assembled for coffee, the sun was out and we could all relax in the courtyard enjoying the warmth – just as well as the sudden influx of 19 riders had put the café into temporary overload and drinks and cakes were a while in arriving !
The enforced extended break allowed us to review our clothing choice in the sunshine and multiple windproof hi-vis layers and thermal baselayers were duly stowed away.
The return leg took us in the vicinity of the popular Byron’s pool near Grantchester. Lord Byron himself (‘Don Juan’ dude and father of Ada Lovelace) is reputed to have used the pool for swimming. These days it is a popular nature reserve. The Rivers Bourne, Rhee, Cam and Granta all converge just upstream of the pool.
The Navigator has long had a reputation for fine Thai food and good beer but it hasn’t been a Windmill regular haunt (maybe until now) – it didn’t disappoint. Despite the large number of us, food and drink was efficiently delivered and efficiently consumed. Another great ride.
And the blog title ? Thai for: “turned out nice again”. The ‘crew’: Alan, Andrew, Brian, Charles, Chris, Deborah, Geoff, Graham, Howard, Ken, Martin B, Martin W, Maurice, Paul, Ric, Rod, Roger, Simon.
The Red Lion in Great Sampford is one of The Windmill Club’s favourite pubs, and it’s not hard to understand why – perfect Italian food in a cosy English pub. And this ride around quiet Essex lanes is also a favourite.
Nine gastronomic Windmillers were due to assemble around 9.15am but Graham suffered a puncture en route from Ickleton and Martin W, the silly Rev, got as far as Radwinter before realising he had left behind a key component of the fabulous e-bike on loan to him through the generosity of club member Iain – the all important control screen without which the bike goes nowhere, unless one chooses to pedal upwards of 30kg manually. So a quick call to his missus resulted in a meeting half way to collect the missing item (plus a water bottle also forgotten) and he eventually departed at 10.00am in turbo mode.
It wasn’t until Castle Hedingham that Graham and Martin caught up with the others who comprised Maurice, Andrew, Ken, Roger, Deborah, Simon and Martin B. Coffee at The Old Moat House was excellent and Martin B very kindly picked up the tab. Thanks Martin!
The Essex lanes and cottages were looking splendid in the Spring sunshine, although dodging potholes results in less opportunity to admire the surroundings.
This is St John the Baptist church in Little Yeldham, dating back to the 12th century and built largely with flint and pebbles. Several other churches were seen to be built with red bricks. OK, some of us like old cars or tractors but this farmer clearly has a passion for old buses. The red London Transport single decker in the middle is a classic design.
Graham mentioned towards the end of the ride that he had already clocked up 1,000 metres of vertical climbing since leaving Ickleton and was looking forward to his lunch. What a feat – well done Graham. Just a bit of practice before a tour of the Dolomites apparently………
Back at The Red Lion the gastronomes tucked into some excellent Italian fare, washed down with fine English ales. This is what they had:
Windmill Club Lunch Red Lion Great Sampford Thursday 27th April 23 13.00 Lunch
Andrew Soup and Chips Simon Pork chop and chips Roger Spaghetti alla Bolognese Martin B Soup & Chips Graham Risotto with prawns, mushroom, curry Ken Seafood spiedino Maurice Avocado,Salmon & Crayfish salad Martin W Spaghetti with mixed seafood Deborah Risotto curry with mushrooms & prawns
And this is the happy band:
Thanks go to Maurice for planning the route and to Andrew for organising the lunch.
It’s not often an 80th birthday is celebrated but to do so for an active Windmill Club member made this a very special day. It was difficult to believe that our very own Rod, also known as Hot Rod on account of his powerful e-bike, had reached this grand old age and who has every intention of continuing to ride for another 10 years at least. Well done Rod, you’re an inspiration to us all!
And so it was that 10 Windmillers comprising Rod, Maurice, Andrew, Ken, Jeremy, Ric, Simon, Deborah, Charles and Martin gathered at The Pig & Abbott at Abington Pigotts to have coffee and place lunch orders for Pat’s pies and other delicious dishes before setting off on a figure of 8 route devised by Rod which took us to Biggleswade and back.
Le Grand Depart with birthday boy Rod in the middle
Andrew had bad memories of one of his first ever Windmill Club rides from The Pig & Abbott when he suffered a major puncture, only to discover that within 100 metres of the start the same thing happened again. Off came his rear wheel in remarkable speed, aiming to beat the 4 minute puncture repair target, but the valve appeared to be loose so it was tightened up and the wheel went back on in probably less than 4 minutes and the tyre pumped up. All seemed well until an inspection of the tyre revealed a mini flint which when removed resulted in a loud hiss of air. Off came the wheel again, 8 minutes having come and gone by then, and a new tube inserted which resulted in a total of around 12 minutes before the second group could really get going.
Andrew attacking his puncture just 100 metres from the start
Ken was also seen heading back to the Pig and Abbott as he had forgotten something saying he would catch us up in Ashwell by taking a short cut. We were also worried about Simon possibly taking the northbound slip road to the A1 at Edworth, a road he has been known to cycle along previously, but we all arrived eventually at Jordan’s Mill near Biggleswade for coffee, with warnings to padlock bikes securely as this was a favourite place for thieves to nick bikes whilst their owners were having coffee.
Coffee in the sunshine at Jordan’s Mill, whilst keeping an eye on the bikes
Bedfordshire is a funny place. Parts of it are very beautiful but other parts are a bit drab, particularly the busy bits near the A1 such as Biggleswade. But after turning off the busy B1040 towards Potton we were soon cruising through some lovely villages en route to Guilden Morden and Steeple Morden and then to Litlington and Abington Pigotts.
Above: Simon, Martin and Ric caught on camera by Charles. Martin is on a fancy e-bike loaned by Iain who is busy touring Scotland at present. Below: Deborah about to set off after coffee
Back at The Pig & Abbott it was good to sit in ‘our’ dining room and be served wonderful food by Pat and her staff, washed down with fine ales and assorted drinks. A hearty rendering of ‘Happy Birthday’ was sung for Rod who was also served with a large chocolate cake sporting a large firework.
Happy 80th Rod, and thanks for buying the drinks
Apologies for not being able to include as many photographs as hoped for, or the map of the route; WordPress seems to be playing up or is it me?
Martin
PS. Now upgraded to Premium so with luck more photos / maps can be uploaded. Here goes:
Monday’s ride involved Sandra, myself and Nick, Charles and Rod. That the last three have electric bikes becomes more relevant than usual as this story evolves.
After a pretty wet March the start of April at last saw some clear skies and we set off from The Red Cow in Chrishall in good spirits led by Charles who had stepped into the breach and sent out a route via Furneux Pelham.
In an eventful ride, Nick had already fallen off and hurt his wrist and knee while travelling these muddy and pot-holed roads. But then we came to a road closure between Little Hormead and Pelham. We usually ignore these signs of course, considering them more relevant to cars, that’s if they mean anything at all and haven’t just been left out from weeks ago.
This one though was different. Some clues were present which I should have noticed. There were workmen, yes real people actually doing things, with white vans, road signs and stuff. There was a red car ‘not waving but drowning’ as Stevie Smith would have it. And really I should have stopped. I should have thought about club members with big electric batteries on their bikes. I should have turned back when the water got deeper and deeper.
But I didn’t.
There comes a point where you can’t turn round. Where the water is over the front mud-guard and approaching the cross-bar. Having wet legs is one thing, but this was starting to threaten more intimate parts. It was cold, very cold ‘land-water’ and approaching the depth where most wading men hesitate. Still eventually the danger passed and I was out the other side.
Alone.
To quote Stevie Smith ‘Life is a series of opportunities to be misunderstood’. And I had misunderstood my fellow cyclists willingness to tackle such a challenge. They were sensible, but were now faced with a considerable detour. Shouted instructions from Charles resulted in our reunion in Pelham. I was soaked from mid-thigh down. By the time we got back to the pub my feet were uncomfortably cold.
Still life soon improved with Charles furnishing beer and nuts for the group back at the Cow. So, Simon, ‘look before you leap’ or is it ‘nothing ventured nothing gained’. All I gained this time was a good soaking and a cold ride home. Still Charles came into his own and provided a video of the whole ‘happening’ for your amusement.
It takes a long time after heavy rainfall for the water to run off the land. Blue sky and pleasant weather is no guarantee of shallow pools on the road. Still it’s good to get out and experience your surrounding for real. No virtual cycling for us.
Cold muddy, water though, not a very pleasant experience.
Braughing is internationally famous in Hertfordshire and Essex for its Sausages. In 1954 Douglas White and his wife Anna made their first Braughing Sausages which proved to be instantly popular. The claim is that the recipe has remained the same since then and that the sausages are still made using traditional methods – albeit not now in Braughing, but Newmarket two counties away. On average 30,000 Braughing branded sausages are sold each week.
Its not sausages all the way down, though. Braughing’s history dates back to the Iron age – it was the site of the largest ‘Celtic’ mint discovered in Europe. There were also significant Roman and Anglo Saxon settlements here.
There used to be a station on the Great Eastern Railway Buntingford branch, which closed in 1964. In 1953, the station featured in the comedy film ‘Happy Ever After’ with the late David Niven and George Cole. The site of the station was just visible from our ride and appears now to be part of a full size hobby train set. Also sadly lost to the village, only a couple of years ago, is the delightful H & N Jones Grocers and Post Office.
Happily the village still supports the grade 1 listed church of St Mary and no fewer than three pubs. One of these pubs is a popular club haunt, The Golden Fleece, and it was from here that 11 riders gathered for today’s ride. Maurice’s route was an old favourite taking in quiet Hertfordshire lanes (filthy and muddy after heavy overnight rain) and the multi use tow path alongside the River Lea Navigation canal between Hertford and Ware. Or at least that was the plan. Maurice’s group decided to miss a section of the path to avoid the puddles, which left Deborah (dallying to watch the abundant bird life at Amwell Nature reserve) temporarily stranded without a group. No crisis in the end, though, and all were reunited at Ware Cafe for mid ride refreshments, taken in a brief bout of warm sunshine.
We have another puncture prize contender ! Actually, given the state of the roads, only one puncture was not bad going but that was no consolation to Rach, who’s puncture it was. Why is it that apparently premium inner tubes aren’t supplied with the valve cores firmly locked in place ? Even if they deign to stay in place when the bike pump is disconnected (they often don’t), they can work slightly loose on the road causing a slow loss of pressure. Such was Rach’s experience for most of the ride. Luckily Tom managed to flag down someone with some pliers to enable a working fix to be made which lasted nearly, but not quite, back to the pub. TOP TIP: If you have spare inner tubes featuring removable valve cores, tighten the cores up with some long nosed pliers before you need to use them.
All back at the pub having miraculously dodged the heavy showers, it was sausage baguettes (Braughing sausages, naturally) for many of the riders.
And, for the record, the riders were: Deborah, Rach, Jennie, Maurice, Simon, Roger, Geoff, Graham, Martin II, Tom and Nigel.
The last Monday ride of the winter and for once a dry and slightly milder day saw the four e-bikers Maurice, Charles, Iain and Rod joined by man powered Simon, our migratory cyclist who had over-wintered in Central America, but was now safely back in his home territory. Wisely he hadn’t told his hosts of his chemistry skills or he’d probably have been kidnapped and set to work in some narco lab.
This was the last of our winter rides as with the clocks springing forward next weekend so will the Monday riders, going back to the 16:00 start time and probably goodbye to The Pheasant for now as our regular pub. As Alan excused himself with a dental appointment, not as I thought meeting his bank manager to pay in his Cheltenham winnings, I was leading. I must remember though that those following don’t always pedal as fast as I do! With 4 e-bikes, Simon had his work cut-out to keep up.
After last Thursday’s wet roads it was good to see roads drying out, although still much debris and potholes to avoid. Will we ever see pothole free roads or are the quite lanes we use doomed to slowly degrade, until they become byways unsuitable for most traffic, after a long a frosty winter there is much work to do. With the daffodills blooming, the crops growing well and water back in the streams, Spring has sprung, at least for now.
Those hardy/stupid/brave (delete as appropriate) riders who have been out on Monday’s have enjoyed many good winter rides and some new roads, thanks to Alan, although we have had our share of frost, wind and rain. We can now look forward to warmer rides and all of us back to shorts, not just Victor who joined us a The Pheasant for lunch.
Let’s look forward to better cycling conditions and new pubs to visit over the summer, happy cycling to all. I’m now off to Madeira for a short break so see you all in early April. Rod
The Windmill Cycle Club 