Sunday, 10 June 2012
Nigel writes: I decided to join the afternoon ride today. With a tea stop in Braughing (at 22 miles, one of our most distant tea stops), and with Ian W as our leader, and with the weather dull but warm and dry, I knew we were due for a good ride, and so it turned out.
I turned up at Brookside a few minutes before 2pm and found eight other riders waiting. Ian led us south, along Trumpington Road and Barrow Road to Long Road, where we turned onto a short section of path which leads to the CGB cycleway.
Unusually, instead of turning off the cycleway to Addenbrooke's we continued south to its end at Trumpington Park and Ride.
We then followed the narrow cycleway alongside Hauxton Road to the M11 roundabout and then along the A10 to Harston.
At Harston we rejoined the road and turned onto the B1368. We could have followed this road for 18 miles all the way to Braughing, but that would have been rather boring so instead we followed it as far as Newton - with the whole group riding at a satisfyingly brisk pace - before turning off for a loop round Thriplow. We rejoined the B1368, crossed over the A505 and continued to Barley. Here we turned off towards Shaftenhoe End and the lovely series of pretty lanes that take you to Nuthampstead.
From Nuthampstead we continued along yet more lovely lanes to Anstey.
We continued through Great and Little Hormead before rejoining the B1368 once again for the final three miles to Braughing. As we rode along we passed Averil and a large group of all-day riders who had already had their tea and were returning home.
We arrived at Braughing Village Hall at about 4.15pm. This is always a nice place to have tea: friendly, very good value, and with a few tables of bric-a-brac to rummage through before departing. Also here we found David S and Steve G.
Afterwards we returned back to Cambridge. Since it was still only 4.45pm we were all in the mood for a slightly circuitous way back via Furneaux Pelham, Stocking Pelham, Clavering, Arkesden, Catmere End and the usual way back from there. We all set off together but I found myself riding ahead of the main group in a group of four and by the time we reached Arkesden we seemed to have lost the others. I was home by 6.45pm, having cycled a very enjoyable and satisfying
56 miles: quite long for an afternoon ride.
View this GPS track on a larger map
3 comments from old website
Sunday 10th Jun 2012 at 8.41pm
Sunday 10th Jun 2012 at 9.22pm
Close on 70 miles for me door to door. Nice photos btw.
Mikenny
Sunday 10th Jun 2012 at 9.38pm
We'll have another long afternoon ride on 22 July, when tea is at Southill (west of Biggleswade). That's even further away: 26 miles by the most direct route.