Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Nigel writes: Midsummer is only a few days away now, and six riders turned up on a warm, sunny evening for a ride which would be conducted almost entirely in daylight: Gareth, Conrad, Graham, James and Neil. Gareth offered to lead, and suggested we took a loop into the Fens via Wicken and Upware. Although this was slightly longer than usual, with sunset at 9.22pm we had plenty of daylight and if there was ever an evening for a slightly longer evening ride than usual, this was it.
Brookside: a rare opportunity for a posed photo.
Our route took us east out of Cambridge along the river to Fen Ditton and Quy and then via Bottisham to Lode. Just north of Lode we turned onto the traffic-free Lodes Way which we followed all the way to Wicken. As with last week's ride, the pace this evening was brisk, with the whole group riding as fast as the loose gravel surfaces of the Lodes Way allowed us to.
White Fen Drove. High speeds meant that taking photos was difficult. Occasionally I could sprint ahead and take a quick photo like this...
...but usually my view of the others was more like this. White Fen
After Wicken we were exclusively on roads, returning back to Quy via Upware, Swaffham Prior, Swaffham Bulbeck and Lode. The speed along this section was fast and exhilarating, with Gareth, Conrad and me leading several long sections of flat, straight, road at speeds of close to 20mph.
We reached Quy at 8.30pm exactly and decided to stop at the White Swan for a drink rather than carry on to the published pub stop in Fen Ditton. We normally avoid changing the pub stop at the last minute in case someone is planning to meet us there, but I thought we would be served more quickly here than at The Plough. In addition I like the chips they serve here, and Gareth likes the Yorkie bars.
Quy
After half an hour we set off back to Cambridge via Fen Ditton and the river. By now the sun was low in the sky and the temperature was falling rapidly. As we crossed Stourbridge Common the sun eventually set, and at 9.30pm, a few minutes later, I arrived home, having cycled
35 miles.
View larger map. Download GPS track (GPX).
2 comments from old website
Anonymous
Thursday 19th Jun 2014 at 10.04am
Hi Guys,
Thank you for the mention of the White Swan. Glad you like the chips. Look forward to seeing you at The Beer Festival in August
Cheers
Gerry (Landlord)
Thursday 19th Jun 2014 at 10.23am
We always enjoy our visits to the White Swan. We'll be back next month.