27 June 2021: Wheathampstead to Letchworth

The narrator/ride leader arrived early at the Wheathampstead start point in light rain with very overcast skies.   Hopes that no-one else would show, with the attractive possibility of a short ride home to dry house, coffee and crumpets were dashed by the arrival of Steve B and then four more intrepid riders – the two Marks, Philip and John.    

Several of us reported feelings of mild elation having been mistaken around Sandridge for participants in the Triathalon taking place this morning.   Heaven knows why – we didn’t really look serious enough, and had not a single tri-bar or aero helmet between us!

Given the ominous forecast and leaden sky, your trusty narrator took the liberty of reversing the planned route, to take the anticlockwise short option to Letchworth, on the grounds we’d have more chance of reaching the destination dry and could then tackle the longer route back, weather permitting.     

Just outside Letchworth, Steve B kindly took over when the ride leader confessed to having no idea at all how to get to the Golf Course and café.  With a quick glance at Ride with GPS, Steve rescued us from an unplanned visit to Baldock.  The leader had earlier received a well-deserved dressing down for having no 21st century navigation technology whatever and for having scribbled the key route points on a scrap of paper, now of course in reverse order as well as inaccessible in a saddle bag. 

The coffee, toasties and full breakfasts went down very well at the golf club.   No one seemed to be in any hurry to leave, and only a temporary pause in anecdotes allowed us back on the road.  

With the weather now brighter, there was no excuse not to do the full ride.  After further navigational shortcomings from Wymondley and the leader now pretty well disgraced, it was Steve and John who led along the quiet lanes and glorious countryside to Gosmore and then the challenging but beautiful Pinnacle Hill.

Little Wymondley

 Thank goodness, Mark saved his puncture for the bit just after the pinnacle!  Repairs half way up could have been grim.  There followed a detailed and spirited analysis of all aspects of the problem and the best ways of getting tyres off rims.

Felix on Pinnacle Hill

 Some time later we resumed the ride, through Preston and lesser known lanes to Lilley Bottom, Whitwell and then the private road over to Kimpton.  With all heading back to St Albans, it was agreed to ride back over Beech Hyde Lane and avoid main road traffic and more likely confusion for the tri-marshalls.  

A couple of riders slid off in Sandridge for post-ride ‘pick-me-ups’, in what looked like a fairly well rehearsed routine.  (It’s OK, no names, no secrets).    

Back home the gloomiest of Met Office predictions had proven inaccurate.   All together, a very enjoyable and sociable ride. (At least, the leader thought so.  And he commits to 21st century tech before leading another one.)   Thanks for Carol B for a great route. 

Eamonn

20 June 2021: St Albans to Chesham

The forecast wasn't very good for a late June Sunday and waterproof jackets were in evidence at the start. Mark K (our leader for the day)  took a call from Mark S who was in Hatfield outside Asda wondering where everyone was. We decided to wait for him to sprint back to the correct start point and, after a later departure than planned, we shortened the route slightly by going along the main road to Hemel and using Bunkers Lane to access Nash Mills. We passed the "Elevenses coffee" sign at Beechtree Lane, which appears every weekend now, and wondered where the mysterious coffee supplier actually is. I do wonder why people don't put themselves in the feet of strangers and put something like "20 yards" or "half a mile" to indicate the actual location of their business.

Mark S had a puncture on Bunkers Lane and decided it was the last straw and to head back. The rest of us took a fairly direct route into Chesham cycling through what seemed like low cloud rather than drizzle and had good-quality inexpensive, quick food delivered in Poppin's cafe (where we said hello to some members of South Bucks CTC).

Steve's lost a foot

After a photo opportunity outside the clock tower we took the Chess-valley road towards Chenies where there is a new 40mph speed limit all the way along, but which is widely ignored.

Picturesque Chesham

A gradual climb from the Chess river to near Flaunden was followed by a downhill through Belsize, then a direct route back through Chipperfield and Bedmond. The newly surfaced Bedmond Lane was a joy to use. Mark K and Philip left us at Potters Crouch to call in at a pub, so it was only Eamonn, Steve and I returning to St Albans by about 1:45 after 33 miles.

Carol B