Wednesday, 05 April 2017
Nigel writes: Tonight's evening ride had just three takers: Alex, Dimitris and me. Alex was our leader tonight, and he took the opportunity to take us on a quite different route to the one we usually take when we have a pub stop in Shepreth. We set off and followed our usual route south, along the busway and DNA path to Great Shelford and then on through Little Shelford and Whittlesford and Duxford. There, instead of continuing south to Ickleton and climbing Coploe Hill, we turned west and followed Grange Road west towards Chrishall Grange.
Grange Road Duxford
We've had some very mild weather recently, and tonight was a fine, sunny evening. However it felt quite cold, with a chilly breeze in our faces, and since I was dressed for spring rather than winter I felt a little under-dressed.
Grange Road approaching Chrishall Grange
Chrishall Grange
At Chrishall Grange we turned left for the long but gentle climb to the little plateau just south of Chrishall where four roads meet. Of the three roads on offer, Alex ignored the temptations of Elmdon and Chrishall and chose the road that leads through Heydon to Great Chishill. This is Cambridgeshire's highest village and this was probably the first time we had ever visited it on an evening ride.
By now it was about 7.30pm and it was time to turn north in the direction of our pub stop in Shepreth. This allowed us to enjoy an almost continuous descent down to Flint Cross almost 4km away: as we descended I wondered whether this was the longest continuous descent in the area.
From Flint Cross a short run along the A1368 took us to Fowlmere from where it was a short distance to our pub stop at The Plough in Shepreth.
After a drink and a light meal in the pub we set off back to Cambridge. With Alex still our leader he eschewed the traditional route home via Barrington and Chapel Hill in favour of a shorter and flatter run along the A10 cycleway back to Trumpington and the busway. I arrived home just before 10.15pm, having cycled 57km (
35 miles).
Nigel Deakin
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GPS track (GPX).