1* ride on Feb 4th
Posted on Wednesday 7 February 2007 by Rona Wightman
Expecting another lovely day like Saturday, St Alban’s based leader Rona wrapped up her six year old daughter and hitched up the trailer bike and dusted the cobwebs off her husband’s bike, and headed down to the station. Three local riders there already - I always let the local CTC and the St Albans Cycle Campaign know when I am leading a ride, and I also promote the ride to the Bicycle User Group at work. Plus John from CLCTC who had driven out from North London. Trains running late, of course, but wait not too prolonged.
Set off through St Albans, intending to take advantage of the sunshine and head out north-east into open country. Targets lunch at Codicote and purchase of vegetables at Whitwell. However….
First stop at Sandridgebury to add second pair of trousers and gilet to daughter’s apparel. A good one star stop this, as food was available to purchase from John the Butcher, who trades out of the old farm bothy, selling local produce to locals and passing cyclists. Extra clothing layers did not sufficiently warm my sprog however, and to make matters worse, the fog rolled over and blottted out the sun. I regret to have to report that shivering and sobs were heard from the trailer bike, and the old tourist trick of plastic bags over the feet did not work its magic on this occasion. Some chocolate, a pep-talk, a hug and promise that we would stop at the first available cosy pub got over the sobs, but plaintive cries of ‘I hope we find a cosy pub soon’ did accompany us along the Roman Road through Coleman Green, up the hill past the lovely 1611 Water End mansion and up to St Peter’s Green, which we reached at about 1145h. And we rode slowly around the corner to…
A warm welcome at the Red Lion, an old staging post on the Great North Road. Two blazing fires and an extensive menu. Most restorative. Leader decided to abandon the fog-shrouded open country and return to St Albans by more wooded and urban and hopefully a tad less chilly route. So we turned off the Great North Road onto the Great North Way (NCN 12), a lovely ride through the woods down into Welwyn Garden City. Through the rustic charms of Handside, along the A1000 for a bit, back over the Great North Road at Hatfield, where we left NCN12 and crossed over the East Coast Main Line onto the Alban Way, an old railway line (NCN 57).
We fitted in a play-stop at Ellenbrook, a diversion off the track to admire another Jacobean mansion at Nast Hyde and a coffee stop at Notcutts Garden Centre, Smallford before cruising back to the station.
PS: If anyone knows how to persuade a 6 year old that if they make an effort to pedal they will be warmer, I would be very glad to hear it.