Thursday, 13 December 2018
Rupert writes: Coffee at Cottenham! A phrase that may have struck fear into the heart of some city ride leaders making them reluctant to pick up the lead. With good reason: it is a tricky route to plan - how do you plan for a respectable distance when the coffee stop is only seven miles away (as the commuting cyclist rides). It is made harder by the messy A14 roadworks that give preference to an eastern loop.
In the event, the weather helped to provide a clear answer. There were a total of nine at Brookside and a cold but sunny start for the city ride meant it was an easy choice to climb Limepit Hill to get the views. Our exit along the city roads was the usual maelstrom of impatient motor vehicles as we squeezed along the unimproved sections of Hills Road before getting to the railway bridge and onto the new cycle lanes out to Addies roundabout. I really like these kerbed cycle lanes: I think they work really well - much better than a painted white line.
Then at last we were able to turn along Worts Causeway to enjoy the climb over to Fulbourn. Away from the maelstrom at last and a good chance to warm up properly. And the views did not disappoint with the clear air giving great
views with the added magic of the low sun reflecting off big buildings in the distance. At Fulbourn I had to be careful to avoid "autopilot" error because instead of turning right to the Wilbrahams we were turning left to head towards Airport Way and back to Fen Ditton. As we crossed the A14 to Waterbeach we swept past Peter W with the pace picking up a bit as coffee approached. This faux-pas did not go unnoticed and was duly commented (with a wry smile by Peter) over a nice cup of coffee.
After coffee it was a more straightforward choice of route to lunch heading via the northern villages of Rampton-Willingam-Over to join the busway at Swavesey then along the Thicket path to Houghton. After a rather less pleasant foray along the Huntingdon ring road we arrived at Alex's cafe - our first visit to this new stop in Huntingdon. And it is a good find - our lunch was enjoyed by all with most of us opting for the jacket potatoes - served very stylishly. And with the extra delight of a crispy bacon topping for some - perhaps in compensation for the lack of bacon butties at the coffee stop.
Alex's Cafe, Huntingdon
Away in good time, it was an equally well worn return route via Godmanchester and the cycle path to the Hemingfords then back along NCN24. By this time, the city group had largely evaporated as the northern folk opted to go straight home rather than return to Brookside. In the end I rolled back into Cambridge with no riders left where I was nonetheless pleased to find that the airfield road from Longstanton to Oakington is still open for bikes but very definitely closed to cars. I was even more pleased to be home by 3.30pm as the day cooled down.
Time for a leisurely pot of tea before the first stress of the day listening to the next installment of "Theresa's misadventures in Blunderland" on the BBC radio. Is is just me, or are the jokes a lot less funny now?
Rupert