The Windmill Cycle Club

Normal for Norfolk seems to include wonderful hospitality, endless sunshine (judging by Roger’s suntan), and eating delicious croissants and pastries for breakfast. Such was our introduction to what proved to be a bootiful day in Norfolk courtesy of Roger and Geraldine who greeted us at their smart new abode in Shereford just outside Fakenham followed by a magnificent route around Norfolk lanes created by Keith and Roger, before lunch at the nearby Sculthorpe Mill Hotel and Restaurant.

Besides Roger and Keith, the other Windmillers taking part were Maurice, David, Andrew, Howard, Graham, Brian, Simon, Deborah and yours truly, making 11 in all. We had a guest for the day too, Michael, a cycling mate of Roger who lives in North Walsham. Setting off in two groups in an anti-clockwise direction, it wasn’t long before we came across the village of Fulmodeston. Easy to pronounce, eh? Not for us Southerners I’m afraid. Howard had warned me about this place in advance and even stopped to ask an elderly couple how they pronounced it – Normal for Norfolk is FULLmuhst’n, it seems, although the couple said the Parish Council were still arguing as to whether the spelling should be Fulmodestone. We’re all aware of Narch for Norwich but for a full list of place names and how to pronounce them see here: https://www.visitnorfolk.co.uk/post/norfolk-dialect-or-how-to-pronounce-wymondham-and-happisburgh

And if you really want to talk proper Norfolk, such as ‘Oid loike a bear’ – translated as ‘I say good man, I wonder if you could pour me a pint of ale’, or ‘Orm guhha roide moi boike dana Carra Ruhd’ – ‘I am going to ride my bicycle to Norwich City’s football stadium’, then look no further than here: https://www.visitnorfolk.co.uk/post/how-to-speak-norfolk-larn-yew-norfolk

Howard also said there were over 1,000 medieval churches in Norfolk, the most in any county in England. We saw a good few on the way:

Not long afterwards my very own church, St Martin’s, came into view in the pretty village of Hindringham:

A whiff of the sea meant we were nearing the scandal ridden Binham Priory which was an impressive sight to behold after coming round a bend:

Coffee was had at an excellent café in the grounds of the Priory after which those interested in taking a look at the remains and going inside the church spent an interesting 15 minutes soaking up as much information as possible in the time.

Binham Priory was founded in 1091 and was home to a Benedictine community of monks for over 400 years. Its history is one of almost continuous scandal. Many of its priors proved to be unscrupulous and irresponsible, and by the time of the priory’s suppression in 1539 the community had been reduced to just six monks. The nave of the priory church, with its striking 13th-century west front, remains in use as the local parish church. And who should be buried in the graveyard but none other than Roger Law, one of the creators of Spitting Image:

It wasn’t long before we reached Wells-next-the-Sea which brought back fond memories of previous Windmill rides and in particular a two day trip from Thetford to Kings Lynn which involved those taking part staying the night on the good ship Albatros, owned by an eccentic Dutch sea captain who served good beer and pancakes but awful below deck accommodation. Sandra who was with us wisely chose a comfortable nearby b&b.

Once again, it was high tide and it was great to see fishing boats moored at the quayside offering fresh lobsters and mackerel for sale. Andrew bought some whelks (sea bogies as he calls them) for immediate consumption, Keith bought a crab to take home and Simon bought a stick of Wells rock.

The route then took us from Wells directly into the grounds of Holkham Hall and then out through the back gate, a distance of around 3 miles in total:

Cycling through the peaceful grounds of Holkham Hall

A Roman road led us almost directly to the lunch stop at Sculthorpe Mill where it was good to be joined by Geraldine, who had whizzed down the lane on her e-bike, and Lisa who was picking up Howard after their stay in Norfolk. The restaurant is in a very scenic spot and a good lunch was had by all.

Lunch at Sculthorpe Mill

Special mention must be made of a phenomenal two day journey by Graham to attend this ride, staying in Fakenham overnight and clocking up over 200 miles in the process. Well done!

Graham about to depart back to Ickleton , and a summary of part of his 200 mile trip

Huge thanks go to Roger, Geraldine and Keith for planning and organising such a good Windmill day, and to the photographers. A day to remember.

This is where we went:

Martin

Three firsts in a week (possibly) !

• All riders were on normally aspirated road bike.
• All th riders rode to the start of the ride for maximum green credentials.
• A first visit for many to the now community owned Lion at Ickleton.

A few Windmill stalwarts were away this week including a party busy fostering Anglo French relations in Normandie and there was a hole in Thursday fixture list. Step forward Ken, who proposed a slightly shorter ride (ostensibly to encourage people away from their e bikes), starting at Graham’s for morning coffee and finishing at the Lion at Ickleton for lunch – no coffee stop planned.

Six riders rolled up to Graham’s for a leisurely 11.00 start – all commendably arriving under their own steam on their normal bikes (OK I didn’t have to roll very far). Although a little breezy, it was bright and not too hot which was just as well because, although short, this was not a flat ride !

First hill right from the start, up the very worn looking Coploe Road, with magnificent views opening up once the top is crested. From there past the notorious Strethall crossroads (with, it should be noted, bright new “Give Way” markings in place after a number of nasty accidents).

Up and down past Littlebury Green, Duddenhoe End and Arkesden. From there, over to Clavering and then the familiar but ever popular stretch through Langley Lower Green (where Ken left for a more direct route to the Lion but picking up Gareth for a short period on the way), to Little Chishill and Shaftenhoe End. Here Gareth also departed, leaving the rest of us to wind our way up to Great Chishill, then Elmdon and home.

The Lion has only just re opened after an extensive effort by Ickleton village to buy and save the pub. Three ales were on offer, plus simple but inexpensive lunchtime sandwich options. Hazel dropped in to say “hi !”.

The ride length was 39km but clocked up 444m of ascent in the process.

Ken, Graham, Ric, Rach, Simon, Howard (Gareth for a short part of the ride, Hazel joined us at lunch)

A first for the club – a 100 mile ride to test Windmiller’s mettle. The route, meticulously planned by Graham, started and finished at his home in Ickleton. It provided 3 new coffee stops together with intermediate-length rides that gave easy access to trains to return home. The route also cunningly got the hills out of the way before the first coffee stop, whilst our legs were fresh.

On top of that, to spur everyone on their way, Graham provided what, for some, was a second breakfast – tea, coffee, sausage or bacon and egg rolls; and Ken came to wave us off and provide moral support.  

At 08.40 eight now-satiated riders started: Graham, Ric, Jeremy, Alan and Victor who planned ‘to go all the way’; Martin W, Keith and Paul who planned to do the first section of the route, to La Hogue farm shop.

The day was fine, the sun was hot and, mindful of the distance, the initial pace was gentle. There were also stops to remove layers and Keith had a couple of nasty chain-offs. At the second of these Graham, Ric, Jeremy, Alan and Victor had to press on, leaving Martin and Paul to help Keith restore his mechanicals. They caught up at La Hogue, where Charles, bless him, had brought his car to give lifts home. What a star!

After that, for the remainers, it was pancake flat all the way to Welney Wetlands centre. A SW breeze helped us cruise easily through Chippenham, Isleham and Prickwillow before riding along Bank beside the River Ouse on Branch Bank to Littleport and then on 10 Mile Bank towards Welney. People say they love the “big horizons” of the Fens. And indeed it is lovely on a sunny day. But there’s little tree or hedge cover and it must be bleak in winter!

Welney Wetlands covers 1,000 acres of the northernmost part of the Ouse Washes. It is Britain’s largest area of seasonally-flooded land. In winter, thousands of wild ducks, swans and geese gather here. It is one of several wetlands being developed in the Fens, including Wicken, Lakenheath, Chippenham Fens and will be soon joined by ‘The Great Fen’. A visitor centre at Welney was opened in 2006 and, importantly, includes a café where we could take our lunch.

Coming back, that pesky SW breeze opposed us, but taking the front in rotation gave surprisingly effective shelter most of the time. The Hundred Foot Bank beside New Bedford River took us to Pymoor. Then, with the wind turning to W, a bit of jiggling about on winding fen roads took us to Coveney, Wentworth and final coffee stop at Twenty Pence Garden Centre, Wilburton. If anything, our pace increased as we headed for home via Cottenham, Oakington, Madingley, Comberton and Harston. Back at 18.15 with no more mechanicals, no dramas, having just had a great ride.

Post-ride, Maurice and David joined Graham, Julia, Victor and Alan for a celebratory dinner at The Red Lion, Hinxton.

With thanks to Victor for this blog and added kudos for having ridden to and from the start / end. Thanks to Maurice for his generous donation to the club’s charity collection.

Sing a Song of Sixpence, a short story by Agatha Christie or a number of other books. Take your pick. We were only interested in three blackbirds, though; The Three Blackbirds inn at Woodditton to be precise where 12 riders gathered on a very fine morning for coffee (for which Rod somehow managed to foot the whole bill).

Simon’s route soon took us on a dead end road towards Dullingham Ley where we encountered the most traffic of the day (one delivery truck, two cars) before heading over a stretch of byway to Burrough Green (would have been fun if wet !).

Great lanes and onto one of our regular stops at Cafe 33. A short detour was required from the main route to get there, safely negotiated by the second group on the road but somehow missed by group 1 (the one with the route planner in it). Such was the temperature, teas and coffees were substituted for cold cans from the fridge.

Some more fantastic roads took us to the steady hill between Dalham and Gazely which always feels tougher than its modest elevation would suggest. Also included on the route was the much photographed Moulton pack horse bridge.

From there, back to the Three Blackbirds where Geoff was kindly buying birthday beers (which I had to miss – ouch)

Rod, Martin, Simon, Keith, Maurice, Graham, Victor, Alan, Geoff, Howard, Jeremy, Paul (Ken for half the ride and lunch)

It started at the Red Cow in Chrishall with a simple request for a fish finger sandwich.

Red Cow staff “We only do things that are on the menu”.

Martin2 “OK give me a pen and I’ll write it on the menu”.

The riff came to my mind, “You can’t always get want”, from the Rolling Stones. Something in Mick Jagger’s demeanor however suggests to me that he lacks something more significant to him than a fish finger sandwich. Perhaps its a prescient commentary on pre-Thatcherite Britain. Or maybe Mr Jagger was referring to the human condition and some deeper desire for “Satisfaction” with life in general.

At the Red Cow it transpires that there is a menu, also a specials menu and then rising into the stratosphere of attempts at “customer satisfaction”, a special by pre-order only menu, whereupon one can obtain fish finger sandwiches. So, there you go, next time we can take full advantage of the service available and obtain true ‘Satisfaction’ at The Red Cow.

It was a very nice morning. The pub looked splendid in the summer sunshine.

We split into two groups of 6. Myself, Rod, Andrew, Gareth, Martin and Martin2. Group 2 Graham, Geoff, Nigel, Rick, Alan, Maurice. We were slightly delayed by bumping into two old friends of the club, Simon and Oli, former owners of the Windmill Pub in Great Chishill, the club’s spiritual home.  

The route was approximately as shown.

The ride proceeded uneventfully enough. Only Andrew being a little delayed by catching a shoelace in his chain and Martin having some problem with ‘the master controller’ on his bike. Apparently, the more important the gadget, the smaller the electrical contacts.

We approached the coffee shop half way round with some trepidation.

In the past Poppy’s Barn had solved the conundrum of providing “customer satisfaction” by the simple expedient of stopping customers coming in. This applied especially to cyclists. Most especially to cyclists who complain, so we have avoided the place for around a year. Rod had decided to let “bygones be bygones” and give it another go. An appointment was duly made. The staff raised the Union Jack and put away the Swastika and the Jolly Roger, which they carefully folded-up and put in a drawer. The Bolshe proprietor had returned from his ‘customer satisfaction’ course transformed into a modern version of Uriah Heep.

“Oh, would you like coffee Sir. Myself and Mrs. Heep have looked forward to this, Sir, a long while. We had fears that our ‘umbleness stood in the way. ‘Umble we are, ‘umble we have been, ‘umble we shall ever be.”

“Oh, and cake Sir! You do us a great honour. I shall ask Mrs Heep to transport some of her very finest morsels from our ‘umble kitchen to here, for you, for your immediate delectation.”

My cake and coffee was well over £8. But of course I didn’t complain. Martin says his scrambled egg(?) was excellent and that its good to know that the free range, organic roosters will sup champagne and dine in style this summer eve, having provided such excellent service.

I should warn the rock fans among you that not all music has aged as well as the lyrics of Jagger and Richards. Old fans of Uriah Heep please take note.

The highlight of the 2^nd leg was cycling past the Wenden’s Ambo nuclear missile silo.

The first I heard of it was Andrew saying, “in that window there it says, this house contains nuts”. Indeed, the village has gone nuts, though I am told that their negotiations will Moscow, concerning arms reduction, is going well. Early attempts at warhead generation has led to some radioactive contamination in the area and one of the resulting, huge, yellow snails was spotted at the level crossing.  

Perhaps, like in the Cuban missiles, this missile too will soon be decommissioned, and I hope that I will be able to report progress in future blogs.

More immediately we noted the availability of a station mistress.

It’s good to know that even British Rail are getting more focused on ‘customer satisfaction’. I wondered if she will accept my pensioner’s rail card.

The final piece of ‘off road’ was a cool, green tunnel against the rising heat of midday and seemed designed to remind us how lucky we are to have all this excellent cycling so close by.

Thanks go to Rod for organising and re-trying some of our old haunts. Also, to Graham who celebrated his birthday and bought the beer. It was good to see Ken upon our return though this week he couldn’t quite make the cycling. Half marks, should try harder.

It was a chilly start to this late May ride – a reminder that summer is not quite here yet despite very warm weather in recent weeks. What a contrast with Windmillers Andrew, Howard and Simon enjoying wonderful weather in Scotland and likewise Graham and Julia as they traverse Europe.

The wandering Windmillers meant fewer than usual for Maurice’s ride from The Black Bull in Balsham, but it was good news for Alan who was buying the birthday beers. Besides those two, the others who warmed up before the ride were Brian, Rod, Victor, Ric, Charles, Jeremy, Neil and both Martins. Ken joined us for lunch.

Maurice shot off at high speed with four in his wake on a circuit via Bartlow, the Bumpsteads, Baythorne End, Kedington, Great Wratting, Withersfield and West Wickham. The second group of six caught up the first in Bartlow where it was tempting to divert down a footpath to see the Three Hills (Roman burial mounds) but it was decided to do this another day. There used to be five burial mounds but in their wisdom the company that built the railway line from Four Went Ways to Haverhill decided to destroy two as they were in the way. HS2 has had a somewhat tougher process to endure, thankfully.

Coffee was had at Tarka’s at Baythorne End where the only ‘event’ of the day was a fall by Maurice whilst dismounting, luckily with only a bruise or two to show for it, thanks to an impressive parachute roll according to those who witnessed it. Subsequent discussion about the advantages of step through e-bikes did not result in Maurice rushing off to buy one.

Coffee at Tarka’s. Charles piles on the calories in an attempt to warm up. Just look at those marshmallows in his coffee!

By the time coffee was over we had warmed up a bit and so the odd layer was shed before the return leg back to Balsham, into quite a strong head wind.

Several could not make lunch and so it was quite a small select group including Ken who were able to thank Alan for buying the beers and who wished him happy birthday in the usual rousing manner.

Thanks to Maurice for planning the route and we trust his bruises soon mend. Thanks also to photographers Charles and Brian.

This is where we went:

Martin W

Yes, it was the 80th Anniversary of VE Day and we were privileged to see what appeared to be a real-life dog fight between Spitfires and a Messerschmitt over Elsworth. The noise was wonderful, perhaps because the Messerschmitt was rumoured to also have a Merlin engine, so not entirely original. It was a great display which nearly had us falling off our bikes at times.

The ride was organised by Brian who sadly could not take part on account of a bad back. But given the lumps and bumps on the several off road sections perhaps this was just as well. So 19 Windmillers set off in three groups from The Hare & Hounds in Harlton on a glorious 28 mile circuit, those being Rod, Graham, Howard, Martin B, Tom (birthday boy), Maurice, Geoff, Paul, Ric, Keith, Neil, Charles, Alan, Victor, Simon, Gareth, Jeremy, Nigel and Martin W. Sadly none of our lady members were present or Andrew who was celebrating his birthday in Holland, otherwise this could easily have been a record turnout. Ken joined us at lunchtime and of course Brian who waved us off and greeted our arrival, some nursing a few bruised bums and beaten up bladders.

Heading AC, the route took us through Haslingfield and Bourn on fairly quiet roads and then over the M11 towards Grantchester on the first of Brian’s off road sections, thankfully dry throughout. Then Coton came up, via an easy concrete track, before crossing to Madingley and then a long off road route along bridleways.

En route to Elsworth for coffee via Coton, Madingley, Lolworth and Boxworth with hardly a sight or sound of the mighty A14 nearby.

Coffee was taken at Frank’s Farm in Elsworth which was excellent. Good choice, Brian.

The dog fight commenced soon after coffee and continued for quite a while, focused perhaps on the American Cemetery at Madingley. The bravery of all those who fought in WW2 is something our generation has so much to be thankful for. If only that was the real end of wars and bloodshed………

The route back was more kind on the buttocks and took us via Great and Little Eversden before rolling up back at The Hare & Hounds where the extremely good news was that birthday boy Tom would be buying the drinks, having been queuing patiently the last few weeks whilst other birthdays have been celebrated, with more to come! Hint hint.

The pub was quite busy with other diners and so a hearty rendering of Happy Birthday was not delivered to Tom, 21 Windmillers being loud enough to blow the roof off. So to make up for this Tom, here’s a slightly different take: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ0sjjx5zN4

Thanks go to Brian for organising a splendid ride but we are very sorry he couldn’t join us. Get well soon. Thanks also to photographers Charles and Graham.

This where we went:

Martin

It’s a good few years since I last ventured out to the Swan at Henny Street (not to be confused with the Hen at Swanny Street), but everything looked friendly and familiar as I joined eight other riders on the banks of the River Stour, just South of Sudbury, for our Mayday outing.

A bit of a rarity for a Windmill ride these days was the opportunity to ride as a single group of 9. Initially northwards on the delightful (and very popular) Valley Walk on the disused Sudbury-Cambridge railway line.

Back on the road, the repeating theme seemed to be flowering wisteria and beautiful old flint churches.

After a few photo calls, we pitched up at the White Hart Inn, Boxted (inevitably run by another of Maurice’s old mates), for coffee and cake (or possibly a sneaky pint).

For those that wanted it, there was a stop off to view vintage cars.

For others, the Swan beckoned and it was back on bikes for more churches, wisteria and some surprising little hills.

The pub was doing a roaring trade when we arrived back, with customers enjoying the warm sunshine and the river. We had a perfect outside table spot reserved from which to watch the world go by and to enjoy great beer and food.

Thanks for Maurice for organising and to everyone that supplied photos, allowing me the luxury of having to write very little !

Graham, Rod, Chris, Andrew, Maurice, Alan, Keith, Martin B, Simon

This Thursday, 16 riders took to the start line at the Pig and Abbot for a foray into Bedfordshire, destined for Jordans Mill for coffee and cake. The promise of birthday beers usually gets a good turn out ! Three people owned up to birthdays this week: Gareth, Rod and Howard (on ‘significant seventy’). Happy birthday, all. Everyone got mentioned in the usual off key rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’, but only Rod was buying the beer on this ride and he got the Pig and Abbot birthday cake to cut – Howard and Gareth’s beers to be looked forward to on other weeks !

A largely incident free ride (apart from one slow puncture for Ric, some rubbing brakes for Gareth) in a slightly chilly breeze bought us past the closed road in Langford (pavement bypass available) to the aforementioned Jordans Mill for coffee, cake and bike repairs.

Jordans Mill at Holme on the river Ivel has been in the Jordans family for over 150 years and was the last working flour mill in Bedfordshire. Originally milling flour, Jordans is probably better known to most for their range of cereals and mueslis (although these are no longer produced at this site). The site at Holme was substantially renovated in 2013 with a new visitor centre and café. On this trip, the Windmillers only visited the café but the original water mill in the adjacent building can still be seen in its working state.

The return leg took us through the busy town of Biggleswade (one of the few places with an A1 ‘Great North Road’ underpass).

James Charles Bigglesworth, nicknamed “Biggles”, is the title character of a series of adventure books by W. E. Johns (1893–1968). It would be reasonable to expect that the town of Biggleswade was named as the place where Biggles crossed the River Ivel. In fact, Biggleswade is a market town 18 km south-east of Bedford with a population of 22,541 and is likely to pre date Biggles. Evidence of settlement in the area goes back to Neolithic times but it is likely that the town as such was founded by Anglo-Saxons. A gold Anglo-Saxon coin was found beside the River Ivel in 2001, which the British Museum bought in 2006. At the time, it was the most expensive British coin ever purchased. The town’s market charter was granted by King John in the 13th-century.

More busy roads through Poton and we were soon back on familiar quiet lanes from Croydon down the resurfaced Croydon hill and back to Abbington Piggots where our beer and pies awaited. Thanks Rod for organising. Pat for hosting. Charles, Simon and Graham for the pics.

Rod, Howard, Gareth, Paul, Deborah, Ken, Martin W, Andrew, Maurice, Ric, Victor, Charles, Graham, Simon, Geoff, Jeremy

Wow! Doesn’t time just fly by? It’s 14 years since Maurice came up with the idea of The Windmill Club and it’s gone by in a flash. But nothing much has changed – an eccentric bunch of lads and lassies who still meet twice a week if they choose to do so and raise money for worthy causes whilst keeping fit in the process. Well done, Maurice.

The Pheasant in Great Chishill was the first meeting place for the club and continues to be so today, especially on Mondays when we are always welcomed by Mike and his staff, who carry on in the tradition of the former owners Simon and Ollie who now live in Elmdon – good food, good beer and good company.

This ride was around familiar lanes starting at The Pheasant and taking in Heydon, Chrishall, Ickleton, Catmere End, Littlebury Green, Arkesden, Clavering, Brent Pelham, Anstey, Nuthampstead and Shaftenhoe End. This is a classic Maurice route – quiet lanes and villages which enable peaceful rides and much chatting en route. Brian organised and was planning to lead the ride but unfortunately had to pull out on account of a bad back and so Maurice led the way, departing at speed 10 minutes early as everyone had turned up. He’s never one to hang about. Fortunately, Brian was able to attend the lunch and show off his photographic prowess.

The others in the ride were Victor, Geoff, Keith, Howard, Charles, Rod, Simon, Paul, Andrew, Ric, Rach (who joined en route), Jeremy, Deborah and Martin W.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and so with a substantial number of 14th Anniversary photographs to choose from (thanks also to Charles, Brian, Rod and Andrew) why not include the lot? If true, this blog contains the equivalent of 22,000 words, surely a record to date? Nearly half a book.

The highlight was the glorious spring day with bluebells and cowslips everywhere and, of course, an excellent lunch in the garden of The Pheasant, duly recorded from a precarious lofty perch on a wobbly table by ace photographer and organiser Brian – not to be generally recommended for those with bad backs.

Thanks again to Maurice for starting the Windmill Club turning and keeping it spinning.

This is where we went:

Martin

A fine gathering of 15 Windmillers assembled at The Swan in Clare for what turned out to be a treat of a ride through exquisite Suffolk lanes. Planned originally by Keith, Simon wisely chose to do a repeat of the ride as it had been so popular previously. The weather was once again fabulous and the gentler pace of life in Suffolk was noticeable.

Those setting off in 3 groups at 09.30 were Simon, Martin B (welcomed back from Durban and celebrating a recent big birthday), Graham, Andrew, Howard, Rod, Keith, Victor, Brian, Geoff, Tom, Maurice, Alan, Nigel et moi. Ken joined us for lunch after starting the ride a bit later.

Heading out of the beautiful village of Clare we were soon in whisper quiet lanes with hardly a car or white van in sight. One of the first of many villages we passed through was Ovington which caught the eye of yours truly as the Sussex village where I lived in my youth was Ovingdean. There seems to be an Anglo-Saxon connection of both to Ufa’s people, or more likely Offa, the powerful King of Mercia who ruled from 757 to 796.

Catching up Group 2 quite early on gave Group 3 the opportunity of having a breather in the village of Belchamp St Paul where Simon insisted on climbing the village sign:

And then another ‘beautiful field’ came into view, this time Belchamp Walter which was indeed very picturesque:

The next stop was Borley where yet another fine church was seen through an amazing topiary pathway:

Cycling up the side of the River Stour it wasn’t long before the A1092 came into view which meant a quick dash to the Willow Tree Farm Shop where we enjoyed good coffee, a best ever cheese scone and excellent service, made better still by being able to sit outside in glorious sunshine:

If the hills on the first leg were a bit tough at times, the second leg put them into the shade – a long stream of ups and downs through wonderful countryside with far reaching views at times. A total climb for the ride of 500m. Who said Suffolk was flat?

Back at The Swan, after quenching thirsts in the garden, an excellent lunch was served when we celebrated the big birthday of Martin B who kindly bought a large round of drinks – thanks Martin, and good to have you back.

Thanks to Simon for organising a splendid ride and to photographers including Graham and Brian. And well done to Graham and Victor who rode to and from Clare, in preparation for Graham’s forthcoming 100 miler in June.

This is where we went:

Martin W

The warm weather of late has produced a record showing of knobbly Windmiller knees very early in the year. The photo above of Tom (hiding his from view), Simon, Alan, Andrew, Paul, Nigel and yours truly was just for starters at The Fox & Duck in Therfield as others joined the ride at various points on the route, also displaying an assortment of knobblies some of which might be better hidden from view.

Rod planned the ride to acknowledge that Ivan Titmuss, the landlord of The Fox & Duck, was moving on and this would represent a farewell from The Windmill Club. Ivan and his staff have looked after us very well over many years and we hope that the future management will be equally good.

Setting off in sunny but initially chilly weather, with non-knobbly Deborah, Maurice and Graham also in the group, the route took us via Reed and Barkway before picking up Gareth in Shaftenhoe End, the first of several of those who joined en route. Howard was next in Great Chishill and then several were met at the half way stage at Compass Courtyard – Ken, Brian and Victor.

The Mixing Shed Café at Compass Courtyard is fast becoming a very popular half way stop for coffee – excellent coffee, cakes and good service. What more could hungry and thirsty Windmillers desire? It’s also home to a fantastic bakery making an assortment of sour dough loaves. And if you haven’t tried their hot cross buns go there and fill your panniers; they are simply the best ever. (In case you’re wondering yours truly is not an influencer in receipt of free buns in return for plugging them.)

The return leg took us throughArkesden, Clavering, Meesden, Ansty and Barkway before crossing the A10 once again and heading back to Therfield.

Ivan was not behind the bar of The Fox & Duck but we asked the staff to wish him well. As usual an excellent and filling lunch was enjoyed by all.

Thanks to Rod for planning and organising the route. This is where we went:

Martin

Cock-a-doodle-do!

I sprang out of bed cock-a-hoop at the thought of such fine weather for a Thursday ride this early in March. Cock-a-doodle-do went next door’s rooster. I thought, this word is a fine example of onomatopoeia. My bacon sizzled, my cereal went snap, crackle, pop and I looked forward to clunk, click (every trip). The latter being a lovely example of onomatopoeia combined with assonance. Anybody would think these advertising executives have done English degrees and, unlike most of the students, were actually listening.

This early in the morning my darling wife looked fetching, using a pillow for a hat, with her palms firmly pressed over her ears. I thought this was probably because of the rooster’s antics. Or maybe she is anticipating this morning’s first lecture “A comparative study of onomatopoeic usage in English and Spanish (part 1)”

All this was soon forgotten as we assembled at the Cock at Hen(ham) with the prospect of a fine day for cycling. In the garden the weathercock was set to fair. We all had coffee, except Deborah who cocked-a-snook at this tradition and chose tea instead. Andrew studied the menu hoping for cockles as a starter, but they were unavailable. Unfortunately, the soup was tomato and basil and not his preferred cock-a-leekie.

After coffee and before riding, gentlemen of a certain age all visit the bathroom. However, all reference to cock has been deleted from this section of the blog by the Windmill Club Censors.

By 9.30 Group-1 (Maurice, Rod, Ken, Andrew, Victor, Rick, Brian and myself) was cocked and ready to go. I kept an ear cocked so as to be ready for when my group set off. I asked Brian if I should join group 1, he cocked his head in affirmation.

This was the route

We went anti-cock-wise.

As I cycled, I mulled over the symbolism of the thrice crowing cock. It is associated with events of great import and of the need for repentance. This relates to the biblical story of Peter’s denial of Jesus (Matthew 26:34, Mark 14:30, Luke 22:34, John 13:38).

Our neighbour’s cock often crows three times. The pause is then tense. When it resumes and issues some more, any thought of my need for redemption fades from my mind. It crows like its life depends on it. That would be especially true if it were my cockerel. My actions would then require quite some redemption.  

Andrew’s chain came off during the ride. The chain was a bit long and on the smallest cog looked a bit cockeyed. He thinks it is necessary to remove two links. Both he and Maurice were nearly caught out by a particularly bad pothole right in the middle of the carriageway during this outing. These need pointing out when on a club ride. Though there are so many at the side of the road it has become near impossible to call them all out.

The second group was comprised of Graham, Geoffrey, Alan, Charles, Deborah, Howard, Neil, Gareth and Keith. The two groups met for coffee at the Blue Egg and we all sat together in the sunshine.

Group 2 stopped at the Rectory Ponds at Little Easton where Howard tried recording and identifying bird song using his phone.

They spotted a duck with a fishing lure attached near to its eye and Kieth reported it. The reply from the angling club was a bit unhelpful. One might expect a fishing bailiff to have excellent eyesight, and so it proves. Apparently, the lure has ‘Made in Poland’ printed on it, though my eyesight is too poor to make this out.

It’s an upsetting image so I am using Graham’s of another duck to adorn our blog.

I note male birds of any kind are called cocks, the females’ hens. This nomenclature is a little cumbersome when referring the male woodcock, as a cock woodcock. With a little more global warming a think peacocks and cockatoos will be a common sight around inland ponds.

The route was far from a cockamamy idea and proved ideal for the day. There were no cockups in the arrangements, as might be expected for a Graham ride. Both groups arrived back in time for their pub lunch. All that remained to do was to enjoy some beer in the spring sunshine, while listening to the usual poppycock and cock-and-bull stories.

At this point you can vote. Was this a good blog or a load of cock?

I remind you that it can be both.

You know the weather has taken a turn for the worse when Simon’ aka ‘The Professor’, abandons his trusty khaki shorts in favour of long trousers. However, despite the drop in temperature and the possibility of some hail, snow and rain, the promise of birthday beers courtesy of Maurice plus Pat’s famous homemade pies ensured a good turnout of 12 riders (it would have been two more except for Ken’s puncture and Geoff getting a back twinge, neither of which prevented either of them from attending lunch).

We followed a familiar and favourite route from Abbington Piggots to Waresly, but this time the pre-coffee leg of the ride was into an unfamiliar cold Northerly breeze. Because of this and to ensure a timely return to the Pig and Abbot, Maurice cut the route slightly short by eliminating the loop north of Gamblingay Cinques. There were no dissenters.

And so it was that, after placing food orders and topping up on coffee and croissants, two groups eventually set off from Abbington Piggots.

There was some discussion as to the etymology of the name of the village of Guilden Morden through which we passed. A quick scan of Wikipedia unearthed the following tit bits:

The name is derived from the Old English “Gylden More Dun”, meaning “Golden” (rich or productive) “Moor Hill”.

The parish of Guilden Morden is in the very south-western corner of Cambridgeshire, separated from Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire by one of the Cam’s many tributaries. The area has been occupied for at least 2000 years with the Saxon village probably built slightly after its neighbour; Steeple Morden, from which it has been separate since the Norman Conquest. The Guilden Morden boar is an Anglo-Saxon copper alloy figure of a boar, found in a grave in the village around 1864. Not to be confused by the ever so slightly younger bores found in the village last Thursday.

For group 1, it was a fairly uneventful ride from here around the outskirts of Potton and onto the Garden centre café at Waresly. Group 2 did not fare quite so well, with Deborah (or at least her bike) sustaining a nasty puncture, possibly due to some broken glass on the road. Despite the best efforts of the ‘Slime’ self sealing innertubes, the ‘fix’ only lasted as far as coffee. Some tyre cuts are just too severe for self-sealing technology, it seems.

A welcome tail wind brought us to Hatley St George in the picturesque 730 Ha (1800 acre) Hatley Estate. The Hatley Park estate has been owned by the Astor family snce 1946. (Second geography lesson courtesy of Andrew, AKA “Dawg”).

No time to dally, however. Angry clouds full of rain and hail were looming behind. By the time group 1 reached the newly re-surfaced Croydon Hill, the hail had hit and it was full speed ahead back to the Pig and Abbot. Group 2, having a puncture to contend with, didn’t escape quite so much of the downpour.

Back at the pub, there was time to steam in front of the fire before the aforementioned pies, a rendering of “Happy Birthday” to Maurice and Roger and a fond adieu to Roger, who is on the move to Fakenham. Hopefully his companionship won’t be entirely lost to the Windmill Club.

Martin, Graham, Rod, Simon, Deborah, Victor, Howard, Maurice, Andrew, Roger, Paul, Neil,

All week, the talk has all been doom and gloom in the world: The increasingly nationalistic stance of countries; the upsurge in misinformation through social media; the apparent alignment of Trump and Putin against the (mineral rich) Ukraine on the edge of Europe; little sign of reconciliation in Gazza. The world lurching towards apparent crisis …..

Thursday, at least, provided a welcome respite from the doom and gloom for the Windmill club. Their own little bubble that day contained only sunshine, good company, good food, snowdrops and daffodils, talk of puppies and welcome back professor. Crisis? What Crisis?

16 riders congregated at what has become a firm Windmill favourite: The Red Lion at Great Sampford offering Italian style pasta cookery and fine beer. With many white knees on display, two groups of 5 and one group of 6 headed off in a South Easterly direction in the direction of Great Barfield.

Here group three encountered an unexpected traffic jam near the narrow bridge. The combination of numerous of parked cars, a HGV heading one way and a tractor with an enormous trailer in the other plus a few increasingly frustrated car drivers provided a brief source of entertainment. No particular rush for us, enjoying the sunshine.

On our way again and even the oft wet and dilapidated Waltham Cross road was kind to us.

A surprisingly up and down stretch up to Great Yeldham followed. Some slight discord (but only slight) was sensed once it became apparent that it was still a little way to coffee! The coffee and cake stop was well over half way round the route at the newly extended Tarka’s café at Baythorne End. The new extension meant the café was even busier than usual and so we settled ourselves in for a leisurely break.

A relatively short (but hilly) return leg passed without incident and the time lost at the cafe was soon made up for a timely beer (outside in the sunshine) and lunch stop.

There aren’t many venues where the majority of riders opt for a main menu choice rather than a sandwich option but the pasta and risotto dishes here proved irresistible ride recovery fuel to many.

Thanks to Maurice for organising this ride and laying on the perfect riding weather.

Martin, Geoff, Brian, Graham, Rod, Charles,Tom, Simon, Deborah, Victor, Howard, Maurice, Nigel, Andrew, Alan, Roger

Crisis? What Crisis? is the fourth album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in 1975. Personally, I don’t think its anywhere near their strongest work.

Plan A was for a nice easy flat route around Essex lanes with a Huffer for lunch at The Compasses in Littley Green. But with many on holiday or otherwise engaged Plan B emerged at short notice which also enabled numbers to increase from 7 to 11. The result was a mountainous route devised by The Right Revd Holy Moley which produced outbreaks of Climb Every Mountain from The Sound of Music at times during the ride, but the nuns were more in tune:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKuqySkqhHw

Setting off from The Pheasant in Great Chishill at 09.30 without the promised coffee beforehand but on a reasonably mild day compared to recent rides, two groups headed initially for Elmdon for the first climb of the day up Hollow Road towards Freewood Farm where the Jersey bull and heifers have been replaced by another breed – Devons or Red Polls or something in between? Not sure.

Stopping firstly to see the sad remains of a recently burnt out house in Elmdon due to an electrical fault, which caused a fatality, Group 1 then paused again on Freewood Lane to inspect the site of a former windmill where only a mound now exists. It probably blew over given the strength of the winds on the ridge at this point.

Descending from Elmdon at speed, the next mountain to climb was up to Littlebury Green where Group 1 again stopped to catch breath and admire the nature reserve created by Windmiller Simon T and chums from an old chalk quarry – heaving with fauna and flora and well worth a visit the next time you’re passing by. The little corrugated iron church is interesting too – an original Ikea style flat pack similar to those sent overseas to preach the gospel to the heathens.

Hill Bastardo was the next in line but this time a descent to the B1039 before the climb up to Saffron Walden and another climb towards Debden when a large herd of deer were spotted by eagle eyed Maurice. A further climb towards Carver Barracks ended with a much needed rest for coffee at Elder Street Café and Deli who gave us a warm welcome and served great coffee and cakes.

The route back continued the theme of the outward leg – hills, hills and more hills until the final mountainous climb up to The Pheasant from Shaftenhoe End. This involved once again squeezing past a road closed section at Langley Lower Green but it was good to see some of the lane being patched up, particularly the steep descent to Little Chishill.

Lunch at The Pheasant is always pleasant and this was no exception. It was good to be joined by Ken who had done his own bit of climbing from Ickleton.

This is where we went up and down:

Thanks to Charles for most of the photos and a special mention of Ric who probably clocks up more miles than the average Windmiller by always riding to the start of a ride from Harston, and on a bike without much of a climbing gear. Well done Ric.

Rev Holy Moley