Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Gareth writes: With a cold wind blowing from the east under dark clouds, and scattered showers forecast all evening, it's not a surprise that the turnout for this evening's ride was low. In fact, there was just me and John. We have very different riding speeds, but on the other hand neither of us objects to riding on our own, so I proposed that we split up. John said he was going to do a figure-eight ride through Upware and Wicken and then back along the Lodes Way. I preferred to do it the other way around, so as to do the off-road sections while there was still light. So we bid goodbye.
It was a good evening for bird-watching. There was a sparrowhawk near Quy Mill, and then a kestrel taking advantage of the wind to hover over a field near Lode. Then at the bridge over Burwell Lode I spotted a bird-watcher on the dike scanning the horizon with her binoculars. Following her line of sight I was treated to a short-eared owl hunting over the open farmland. And then at Wicken Fen a barn owl flew out of the trees and along the path in front of me.
On the road north of Upware John and I crossed paths again. We waved at each other and rode off into the twilight.