Sunday, 07 December 2014
Nigel writes: My companions for today's ride were Rupert, Ian, Eva and our leader Conrad, who started the ride with a non-nonsense statement that we were going to ride to Saffron Walden by "the usual route".
We all knew what he meant: south from Brookside to join the busway at Long Road and then across towards Addembrooke's to join the DNA path to Great Shelford.
Crossing the railway towards Addenbrooke's
We continued from Great Shelford to Little Shelford and then south through Whittlesford and Duxford to Ickleton. As usual, this was a gentle, relaxing ride. Although the weather was dull and damp, it wasn't particularly cold and sunshine was promised for later.
Crossing the railway towards Addenbrooke's
We climbed Coploe Hill to Catmere End and then dropped down along Chestnut Avenue to Audley End House and the final short climb into Saffron Walden. Unfortunately the promised sunshine appeared only fleetingly and the weather deteriorated. By the time we arrived at The Temeraire for coffee it was drizzling steadily.
Already at the pub were Adrian, Mick, Edward and Joseph, and as we arrived we were joined by Tony.
After a pleasant twenty minutes or so in the pub we decided that instead of continuing on to lunch in Thaxted we would return home to Cambridge via a rather indirect route though Ashdon and West Wratting. As we rode along the weather improved somewhat so when we reached Cemetery Crossroads we carried on to Dullingham before turning west towards Swaffham Bulbeck.
Between Bartlow and West Wratting
There had be a persistent westerly breeze all day but we were now riding directly into the wind, so we were grateful we didn't have far to go. After riding through Bottisham and Quy we returned to Cambridge via Fen Ditton and the path across the meadows. I arrived home at 2.15pm, having cycled
48 miles.
Download
GPS track (GPX).