18 Aug 2012: Saturday Saunter to Wheathampstead

We met at Morrisons for this morning’s easy ride, and couldn’t have picked a better day for it.  Myself and Nixon greeted a new rider Debbie; an experienced MTB rider who likes to do triathlons, but wants to take it easy sometimes and enjoy the ride (who can blame her it’s lovely out there on a day like this).

This could be embarrassing

Nixon at Morrisons

On leaving Morrisons we made our way to the off-road back alleys that join Marshallswick to Sandridge.  This is a woodland green route, which makes you forget you are actually in a rather built up area.  Once at Sandridge we headed up to Sandridgebury; this is a nice little country road.  It was as we were pootling through this serene countryside that my bike decided to have a puncture, MOST embarrassing.

Demonstration on how to fix a puncture

Relaxing at Jack's Coffee Shop

It was a brand new inner tube put in that morning.  Anyway, deftly I put my skills to use and mended the thing and soon enough we were on our way towards Chidwickbury.  Took a right turn heading in the direction of Ayres End Lane, which was a nice little wizzy bit.  From the lane we took in Pipers Lane and Harpenden Road to drop into Wheathampstead. 

Jack’s Coffee shop (run by a chap who stole my name) is a great destination for a sit down with a superb cup of coffee.  We had arrived a little late and Debbie had to be back rather sharpish, so we decided to go over THE hill into Sandridge, and what a hill - it can kill.

We sped up House Lane and made our way through Oaklands College and thence back to Morrisons. All in all a really great little 15 mile loop which everybody enjoyed.



Neil 18/08/2012