Thursday, 06 December 2018
Edward writes: We assembled in Great Shelford in mild, drab overcast conditions. This was a day which looked as if it would rain even if the forecast suggested this would be limited to the odd afternoon shower. In fact the forecast was mostly correct as we did have a light shower at lunch in Dullingham and it remained dull most of the day.
So ten riders set off from Shelford on the way to coffee in Saffron Walden. As the road to Whittlesford was closed for repairs it meant that we had to head for Newton which would have been our route anyway as Thriplow and Fowlmere were next on our list. Apologies to the city group for not alerting them to the closure. Shelford locals are not very helpful, are they?
Crossing the A505
En route we were joined by Mike B and Greg thus bringing our number up to a dozen, soon to go down to eleven when Sue H left us in Chrishall Grange. The climb up to the Elmdon turning came next which, at the top, presented us with time to regroup. After this high point in North Essex it was downhill all the way to Saffron Walden, passing through Chrishall and along the B1039 to Wendens Ambo and lastly up the hill to Saffron Walden.
Near the Elmdon turning
For the first time on a Thursday we visited the Curious Goat where we arrived just after 11am and, unusually, before the city group who it seems had tried their luck to get through the roadworks on the Whittlesford road and had been turned back. Perhaps a deliberate ploy by those Shelford people! We had booked for twenty and in the event there were one or two more than this but they seemed well organised such that we were able to leave before midday.
As the journey to Dullingham was planned for eighteen miles it was a bit optimistic, to say the least, that we would get there in an hour, so we took a section out. We left on Ashdon Road to Ashdon and Bartlow, over the A1307 and up to West Wratting. By now we had already had two stoppages for chains coming off/jammed (Mike C on hand here) and one puncture being repaired in Saffron Walden and one more puncture on the way to Dullingham. Despite everything the village group managed to arrive at The Boot in Dullingham by 1.20pm. Already enjoying lunch we found Jim and Eva and as we were a smaller group than anticipated we were able to leave shortly after 2pm. It seems in the winter months, at least, many people just require a ride to coffee with relatively few going on to lunch which makes booking numbers a bit of a lottery. Perhaps this is something for the runs committee to consider.
For the ride home the city group headed for Swaffham Bulbeck and the four remaining in the village group went back via West Wratting, Balsham, Hildersham, Little Abington and Sawston. We arrived back in Great Shelford after
50 miles at 3.30pm.
Edward
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GPS track (GPX).