It takes a lot to stop us riding on a Thursday; the weather has to be truly awful or, as was the case this year, Christmas should happen to fall on a Thursday; but that is all the more reason to have a ride on New Year’s Day.
So it was that a small group of diehards – Jenni, Jeremy, Simon and Michael – took up Brian’s offer of a restorative ride to Wimpole and back on this, the first day of 2026.
Setting off from Great Shelford our first port of call was Haslingfield, where we pulled up to admire The Portraits House, so called because the walls are covered in pictures of locals. The owner, Robert Petryszak, began this magnum opus during Covid, turning his home into a local attraction and earning his very own landmark on Google Maps. Should you be interested the place has just gone on the market for £450k, including artwork.
From Haslingfield, we laboured up Chapel Hill before coasting down to Barrington and on via Orwell to Wimpole, where we took the off-road loop through the estate before pulling in at the Old Rectory Café for coffee and cake.
Refreshed, we headed back, again via Orwell, to Shepreth, where, finding the road closed, we made a one mile, off-road detour across Shepreth L Moor. Designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest it’s notable for the many anthills created by the yellow meadow ant.
So it was that some 30 miles after setting off, we pulled in The Queen’s Head, Newton only to find several Windmillers who, having earlier tendered excuses for not riding, had nonetheless turned up for lunch and a pint. But it was great to see Martin, Penny, Andrew, Lynsey, Graham and Ric joining us to toast in the new year.
A very happy new year to all.
The Windmill Cycle Club 