Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Nigel writes: Following the scorching heatwave of Monday and the thunder, lightning and torrential rain of Tuesday, tonight was merely warm and dull. At Brookside for this evening's ride was Tony, Mike K, Neil, Ian W, John and me. I suggested a loop via Six Mile Bottom and Dullingham, and we set off south-east along Hills Road. Just beyond Addenbrooke's we turned left onto Wort's Causeway and climbed the hill over the Gogs before dropping back down again to Fulbourn.
From Fulbourn we took the road to the Wilbrahams. However, just before Great Wilbraham, Ian had a puncture. It was quite a big one, with a sizeable hole in the tyre, and it took quite a while to work out the best way to prevent the repaired inner tube bursting out through the hole. Eventually he managed to cover it with several layers of insulating tape, and we carried on.
Mending the puncture had taken about 15 minutes, and by the time we reached Little Wilbraham it was approaching 7.45pm. If we continued on our original route we wouldn't reach the pub until 9pm, so I suggested we change our plans and take a shorter route instead.
From Little Wilbraham, therefore, instead of turning to Six Mile Bottom we took the road to Bottisham and from there continued on to Swaffham Bulbeck.
At Swaffham Bulbeck we followed the cycle path along the B1102 to Swaffham Prior where we turned off north into the Fens for a loop via White Fen to Lode.
As always, these roads and paths were very quiet.
Eventually we arrived in Lode, where we rejoined the B1102 for the final couple of miles to Quy, where we stopped for a drink at the White Swan. This was my first visit to this small but friendly pub (the moment I walked through the door the landlord asked me what I wanted to drink, probably the first time this has even happened to me), and we chatted sociably for about 45 minutes before returning to Cambridge via Fen Ditton and the Jubilee Cycleway. I was home by 9.55pm, after having cycled
28 miles.
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