Sunday, 23 August 2015
John writes: From Brookside four riders set off at 1.30pm. for the eagerly anticipated tea stop at St Mary's in Braughing (one of our best Church Hall tea stops). I had missed the previous ride there owing to a DIY accident. Could anything go wrong this time? Yes - the rain which had started at Whittlesford became torrential as we climbed Coploe Hill. From the top, looking to the South we saw dense black rain stretching to the horizon.
Reluctantly we decided to shorten the ride and made an anti-clockwise loop through Littlebury and Great Chesterford to the Ickleton Riverside Café. The CTC don't often use this route because of traffic but on a wet Sunday afternoon that was not a concern.
There one of only two the other customers (both cyclists) was persuaded to come out into the rain to take our group photo.
By the lake at Riverside Barns, Ickleton
This is also an excellent tea-stop and we look forward to another visit (we'll be back for tea in Ickleton on
Sunday 27th September). The rain showed no sign of abating so after tea, coffee and scrumptious cake we sped directly homewards by the most direct route. I'm not sure of the distance because my ancient GPS, which dosn't like rain, had switched itself off, but it was probably about 20 miles.
Inside the cafe at Riverside Barns
For future reference my previous Sunday afternoon ride on 26th July (
here's my report) also took place in torrential rain.
John Ferguson
2 comments from old website
Monday 24th Aug 2015 at 3.26pm
Bad luck with the weather! On the day ride we also got a soaking, but we were deep into Hertfordshire so there was nothing we could do except keep riding!
As for the Littlebury loop, I use the B1383 fairly often and it has never been bad—I think traffic for Saffron Walden takes the A1301, and long-distance traffic takes the M11, leaving the B1383 for local traffic.
Monday 24th Aug 2015 at 4.21pm
Given that we did 18 miles from Brookside to Ickleton I suspect the grand total was nearer 30 than 20...still a memorable ride out & thanks for leading us
Greg