Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Adrian writes: Six club members arrived in two cars at Whitwell car park on the north side of Rutland Water reservoir for our day ride around the reservoir and surrounding area. (Mike, Averil, Jim, Tony, Rupert and yours truly).
Mike was the leader for the day which was bright and sunning with hardly any wind and quite warm.
After first having a coffee at the car park kiosk we headed west towards Oakham on the cycle path round the reservoir, we turned left before Oakham to go around the peninsular of Upper Hambleton village which juts out into the reservoir. The cycle path around the peninsular was very unadulterated but with lovely views.
Still on the cycle path we went through Egleton and Manton. At Manton we left the cycle path and headed south to the village of Wing, from Wing we went to Morcott, crossed the A47 and onto Seaton where you get a lovely view of the Harringworth/Welland Viaduct. It is very unadulterated here with some steep climbs.
From Seaton we carried on to Uppingham for lunch and to meet George Stevenson who was joining us for the afternoon. Four of us had a cooked lunch in a lovely café in the town and the other three had there sandwiches in the churchyard just off the market square and then joined us in the café afterwards.
After lunch we left Uppingham on the same road we came in by, but turned left after about a mile to Bisbrooke and then onto Glaston and back up to Wing again where we stopped to look at the Maze and regrouped.
After Wing we headed east to Pilton where we stopped to read the information board over an old disused railway bridge about the old disused quarrys in the area.
From here we turned north at the next crossroads to North Luffenham and Edith Weston which brought us back to the south side of Rutland Water.
At the car park kiosk we stopped for an afternoon break, here we left George to ride back to Uppingham, where he had left his car and we carried on around the reservoir on the cycle path, past Normanton church museum,
over the dam, back to Whitwell car park were we had left our cars.
We all had had a lovely time in an area we don't visit very often and the only rain we had was on the way home in the cars. Thanks again to Mike for organising and leading. Adrian Lee.