13 Oct 2018: St Albans to Markyate

After a torrential downpour and some debate our morning ride started, we welcomed 3 new riders and took to the streets. The route to coffee was a really familiar one for those of us who do Sunday rides, but for the Saturday morning group it was quite a new route. Most had not been through the Childwickbury estate.

Childwickbury

We made our way over to Cupid Green Lane and then from there to Gaddesden Row. This involved some climbing but also some nice dips just to wiz up the other side. To coffee in Markyate it was a 15 mile ride, which was taken in a steady and pleasant manner.

Dug’s Mugs is a spacious cafe in an old car showroom with 1970’s décor (orange paint) and furniture, catering for petrol-heads as well as cyclists. The calorie-laden, hot cheese & tomato croissants were very tasty.  By the time we left Dug’s Mugs the sun had properly come out to do its duty and the journey back home was via Friendless Lane to Flamstead, then down a supposedly quiet lane to Redbourn. This was unusually busy due to cars avoiding the queues on the Redbourn bypass. Once we were at Redbourn we took the St Albans road down to Redbournbury and had a nice little detour past the mill, up the other side and out over to Ayres End.

River Ver at Redbournbury

We went through Sandridge and back up the back alleys to Fleetville. It was a lovely morning’s ride despite the wet start.

Neil 13/10/2018