04 Aug 2013: Hatfield to Tawney Common

While half the local cycling nation squeezed themselves into the jam-packed streets of London for RideLondon, the more discerning of us took a happy jaunt out to the delights of the Moletrap public house on Tawney Common.

A leafy White Stubbs Lane

Entering Lea Valley Park

We started at Hatfield and had a great turn out, made better by hanging on for Richard.  It was good to have Tracey and Craig back out again and we also had Rebecca along for the day.

Not forgetting me, that made 9 riders, and we all stayed out all day.  We headed out to Welham Green and took Bulls Lane - a meandering route over to the great North road.  Over that and we joined a very familiar route along Tylers causeway and White Stubbs Lane down into Hoddesdon. This route is just simply a great way to get to Dobbs Weir; you go right through the middle of the Broxbourne nature reserve.  It’s a wonderful forest to cycle through: fume free, with birds singing and puddles happily splashing as you zip through them.  We followed route 1 to get to the café and a sumptuous break awaited us.

Getting to lunch was a fun filled fumble around Harlow.  With Jon’s knowledge of the area we made good progress through the town via cycle paths, none of them unfamiliar to me, but I doubt I could take you through them again.  We emerged at Churchgate Street and, from there, we made our meandering wobbly way south.  It was really nice to see the countryside looking splendid.  We crossed the A414 and made for Toot Hill, from where it was just a small potter over to Tawney Common and the Moletrap (not mole skinner as some thought) pub.  Every time we come here there is always a great showing of classic well-kept British motorcycles and today was no different.

That was a 1 in 7 hill

Give us a wave

After lunch our destination was Upshire, famous for its tea and cakes.  We swooped down to Stapleford Tawney via a lovely little lane that wandered all over the place, but this lane was taking us down and we had to go up.  So, as you can imagine, a hill featured in the next portion of the ride, which was great, but, if we hadn’t had Jon's help, I’d have led us back towards Epping.  Soon enough we were heading in the right direction and the scrumptious cakes of Upshire were calling to us.

Crossing Tawney Common

View over Epping Forest to London

This church really is a great stop, the ladies here put on a fabulous spread that just makes you dribble and the view of the London skyline is fantastic.  We could see as far as Wembley Stadium.

All that was left for the day was to get back home led by Tracey through the Lee Valley Park back to Wormley and White Stubbs Lane then home.

It was great day out with thanks to Jon for all his help and Tracey for leading us back home.

Neil 04/08/2013