08 Apr 2012: Hatfield to Allens Green

The Easter Sunday ride; well it’s a bank holiday, it’s the UK, so of course it’s damp and cold, why would one expect otherwise?  So it was that seven of us set off from Asda Hatfield for Church Farm in Ardley, which is a little hamlet well to the north.  As it’s a reasonable distance we took a fairly direct route via Tewin, Aston, and Walkern getting to the farm at about eleven.  Now this farm is a very trendy place with its organic credentials, same day retail food delivery service and of course an appropriately trendy café. Indeed the whole place has as its signage: “the agrarian revolution”, so there you are.  Furthermore, when it opened a little while ago, I remember hearing part of a radio programme about it on BBC Radio 4 and what can be trendier than that?  In fact its very prices also attest to its upmarket credentials.

So duly fortified, and less two of our party who had to head back, off we went to Allens Green. From Ardley this means heading southeast through a number of very pretty, quite remote hamlets, Wood End, Haultwick, before crossing the ford at Barwick.  The countryside seemed particularly still and quiet, we decided the damp mist was actually muffling what little sound there was.  From there it was through Hadham Cross and another ford and on via Green Tye to the ‘Queens Head’ at Allens Green for lunch.  

How to get a bike stuck in a picket fence

Bike extricated

Jon and Judy, who (delayed by a puncture) had gone there via a stop to ‘research’ the Country Bumpkin café in Tewin, met us.  There had been a beer festival at the pub and the remaining barrels were racked up so one could draw one’s own pint (after a few free tasters).  Whilst we lunched in the newly opened glass-roofed extension, the damp weather gave way to proper rain, which was convenient, as by the time we left it had blown over.

Who's ready to go yet?

Now we were heading to Hertford for tea, on the way passing though Perry Green, the village where the sculptor Henry Moore used to live and where the open-air museum/gallery of his pieces is sited. From there we went to Wareside and then by the back route of Babbs Green to Ware.  On this route we passed a relatively newly planted vineyard, a harbinger of a warmer climate to come?  From Ware it was along the canal side path and into Hertford. There into the inviting (cheap) Rose café for tea and cake.

Then there was just the trip back to the start for some of us.  In all we did about 55 miles, and whilst damp and slightly drizzly we never got very wet and once or twice the sun shone through the clouds. So not a bad Easter Sunday after all.

peteR

01 Apr 2012: Hatfield to Much Hadham

April 1, and there really was a sharp frost as I cycled to the start of our ride at Hatfield. Our numbers were down on previous weeks rides, but more were due to meet up at the morning coffee stop.  We were very pleased to welcome a new rider, Emma, who had driven out from Highgate.  I had planned a slightly longer route to coffee, but in the event it turned out to be a fair bit longer than I had estimated.  Setting off south we were soon skirting the fringes of Potters Bar, and then the lumpy route to Goff’s Oak. Down and up Bread & Cheese Lane, then passing through the very pleasant woods to Hoddesdon.  From here it gets a bit more urban through Rye Park, St Margarets and eventually Ware.  

Starting outside Asda in Hatfield

Truly Scrumptious Cafe in Ware

Our coffee venue (Truly Scrumptious) was a new one for us - and very good it was - to be recommended for a future occasion.  We had turned in 25 miles from the start and were late.  The riders who had gone straight there were peering anxiously out of the cafe window, thinking they were the subjects of an April fool.  Emma, who had come for the first part of the ride, now set off back with Tracey.  For the rest of us, a modified route now seemed called for.  So instead of looping south along the Stort, we went north, returning along the Rib valley, across Barwick ford and on to Much Hadham.  

Colliers End on the old A10

The Old Crown in Much Hadham

Again the lunch stop pub - The Old Crown - was a new venue for me, and very reasonable it turned out to be.  Much used by cyclists, there was quite a crowd there.  The food was good value - another venue to use again.  After refreshments, we headed north again on a nice route in the sunny warm weather, which had by then developed, circling round to Standon and Puckeridge, then across to Dane End and the golf centre cafe at White Hill.  It was hard to drag ourselves away from the relaxing seats overlooking the golf course, but soon we were off heading home via Stony Hills, Bramfield and the fringes of Welwyn.  A great day out in what turned out to be perfect bright weather.

Planning the next leg

Richard 01/04/2012

18 Mar 2012: Hatfield to Wareside

Eight of us met at Hatfield and it was great to welcome Nixon, a new fellow cyclist, to our group ride.  We set off east to Welwyn Garden City where we picked up the Cole Green Way to Letty Green and joined The Old Coach Road to Hertingfordbury.  At the church we turned off and meandered along quiet lanes up to Bayford, then climbed past the golf club to Brickendon Green.  

Meeting in Hatfield

Bayford village sign

Cycling through Danemead Woods, we tried not to scare a lot of horses and their riders also out enjoying this fine spring morning.  We dropped down into Hoddesdon and through to Dobb's Weir. Here we frequented a very busy River’s Edge Cafe, where the garden is now a cosy plastic-sided tent.  Although we had to wait a long time for our cooked breakfast to arrive, it was well worth it, very tasty, substantial and very good value.

Danemead Woods

Three wheels meets four legs

We left the cafe via the towpath and joined the Sustrans route 1, which we were pleased to see was being upgraded and reconstructed, to Lower Nazing.  On route to Nazing the temperature dropped and Neil got a puncture!  This time he had a self-adhesive patch and after successfully repairing his inner tube we set off again to Broadly Common then down to Roydon where two of us carelessly over shot the level crossing! The rest of the group waited patiently for ten minutes for two trains to pass and us to re-cross onto the Stort Navigation path towards Harlow.  Although there are several awkward cycle gates to get through (Judy had to take her recumbent trike another way), this path is quiet and very scenic.  

Another puncture for Neil

Hey, over here!

At Hunsdon Lock we managed to find the way off this path to cross the very busy A414 and continue up a minor road to Hunsdon, Widford then finally Wareside, albeit 1 hour behind schedule!  Fortunately, Jon & Judy had saved us a large table (having fended off several mothers) and despite being Mothering Sunday and not booking we were served a good lunch.  None of us really wanted to leave this friendly, cosy, old fashioned pub, but eventually we did when we realised most of us didn't have lights!

Works on the Roydon river path

River Lea at Ware

Shortly after joining the Ware-Hertford river path, Peter had a brief argument with a tree root and fell off in some mud, but nothing was damaged except his pride and we split up in Hertford to return back home to our own destinations.

Tracey 18/03/2012