04 June 2017: Hatfield to Hatfield Heath

Essex is easy.  Getting there isn’t quite so easy.  With the prospect of homemade cakes on the way back and some easy riding around Essex lanes, we didn’t mind tackling a few hills to get to our first stop in the Lea Valley. 

The route to Newgate Street had been fairly standard, but by way of a change we dived down St James’s Road in Goffs Oak, a lovely descent, passing some very large houses, then across the A10 and over the railway by using the big, blue cyclists' bridge in Cheshunt.  After this we followed one of the prettiest cycle routes in the valley, as we followed the River Lea to Fishers Green and our café at Hayes Hill Farm.

The skies over Essex

We stayed on NCR 1 over Clayton Hill to Lower Nazing, then up to Nazeing and into Harlow.  The difficulty now was to find a way onto the cycle routes in Harlow. Such was the effort of the designers to keep cyclists out of the way of cars, that they did their best to prevent any cyclist transferring from a main road onto the tracks.

Picnic on Hatfield Heath

After some difficulty we found our way onto a cycle track and followed this from Great Parndon to Little Parndon, then followed a road and another cycle path to The River Stort.  Now it was an easy and pleasant ride out of Harlow, through Gilston, High Wych and Sawbridgeworth to Hatfield Heath.

All day the sun had been shining and it was quite warm sitting on the green watching the cricket pitch being prepared for a match.

It was now an easy route through lanes to North Weald and then the main drag through Epping Forest, avoiding Ivy Chimneys and arriving at Upshire quite early.  Despite this the queue for cakes was impressive and so were the cakes.

Back home in the dry – perfect cycle touring.


Jon C 04/06/2017

21 May 2017: St Albans to Wooburn Common

Sunday was a very pleasant sunny day, after some welcome days of rain, for our ride beyond the M40. First stop Maple Cross, so the most direct and certainly the flattest way was through Bricket Wood and then the Ebury Way. This old railway crosses three rivers - the Colne, the Chess and the Gade as well as the Grand Union Canal.

Narrow boat

Emerging in Rickmansworth, our route along the towpath was blocked by the annual Ricky canal boat festival, with an entrance fee of £2. Controlling, with difficulty, a shudder of revulsion at the idea of paying to use a towpath, we took to the main road to our coffee stop.

Climbing to Chalfont St Giles, through Gerrards Cross, we crossed the M40 into Hedgerley.  Not stopping at the favourite White Horse, we continued through the delightful woodland around Burnham. It's not often you see road signs for Egypt.

Nice bike at the pub

The Royal Standard, Wooburn Common is a great, old fashioned, rural pub and not to be confused with The Royal Standard of England, not far away in Forty Green. Returning we headed for the footbridge over the M40 into Beaconsfield and then by way of Seer Green to the pleasant lane past the historic Jordans Meeting House.

A relaxing cup of afternoon tea in the nursery on Flaunden Lane provided a welcome pause, before we arrived back in St Albans after a great ride of 56.5 miles.

13 May 2017: Fun Ride to Stanborough Lakes

We had a good, healthy turn up this Saturday at Morrison’s for a social ride to the lakes; we had newcomers and returnees in equal amounts. Rona also joined us for the ride, a great little social trip with none of the usual hills or having to be somewhere on time, so we could really ease the pace a great deal. On our way there we took in the Alban Way right the way down to Mill Green, then we took a dusty road that meets with Stanborough Lakes. This part of the ride is always the quickest and shortest, we took time for photos at Nast Hyde Halt.

After a quick coffee we headed through WGC and made for the old track that goes through Sherrards Park Woods and it was here that one of our number had to turn back, as their gear mech had sheared off. We went through the Ayots and used the Greenway to get to Wheathampstead; this was a really lovely and relaxed part of the ride.

A long wait for a train

Along here there is a crossroads, which I did a left turn on. Asking if everyone was OK and with us I just kept going, not realising that Rona and 3 riders had gone straight on. There was some frantic searching and some rushed phone calls before Rona and gang came bowling down the road. They had been to the old train station in Wheathampstead.

After re-joining we all headed up to Beech Hyde Lane and took a nice ride along to Coopers Green Lane, where one of our number was having some great tuition from Rona on how to use gears. We made our way to Oaklands College via Sandridge and we were just heading home on the Alban Way when a group of young lads decided to do a ‘wheelie’ in front of one of our riders, knocking her off her bike, no bones broken but very annoying and a strange end to a great and eventful ride.


Neil 13/05/2017