May Day special
Posted on Tuesday 8 May 2007 by John Snuggs
A May Day special. Not on May Day, because we now have a politically inexact May Bank Holiday.
Here’s the route (including the two small navigational malfunctions).
We set off from Stortford (after a tour of the back end of the shopping centre) towards Manuden, but were befuddled by lack of signage, so ended up in Stansted Mountfichet.
From there it was plain (but damp) sailing via Manuden to Clavering, on fast, undulating roads with a tailwind and hardly any traffic, thence via Arkesden to Elmdon. Just after Arkesden I was foolish enough to take off my jacket - this resulted in the rain turning from drizzle to torential at Elmdon, where we took advantage of a particularly well-built and spacious Audax Hotel and engaged in quiet and civilised social intercourse (or chatting, as it’s otherwise known) until the rain returned to drizzle status.
As soon as we headed down from the hills onto the flat bit around Fowlmere, the rain stopped and the sun tried to come out. When we got into the pub, the sun got going seriously so that the roads were dry by the time we left. But by then, of course, it had started raining again. When we got to the pub, we’d averaged about 24kph.
I’d been promised soup and a Fête du fromage for dinner, so I had the excellent super-smoky ham and a pint of Adnams Mayday (”Available for a limited period i.e May”, said the sign behind the bar). Paul had smoked salmon and horseradish, while Camille had a cheesefest.
We decided we were wet enough for now, so we headed off to Cambridge via the Shelfords and a new cycle track (painted in stripes to represent the human genome) along the railway that was wide enough, smooth enough, flat enough and direct enough to ride at a sensible speed. (Wonders will never cease, although it was disfigured by particularly worthy items of statuary representing the double helix). At one point we nearly overtook the Kings Cross-Cambridge flyer. We ended up at Addenbrooke’s, avoiding White Hill.
Then a straight run to the station (overtaking large numbers of typical Cambridge “cyclists” including an archetypal Nursey in uniform on a bike. It’s the black tights, you know) to find a vast range of trains available. We plumped for the non-stop to Kings Cross … where we pumped up theWastemistress’ front tyre to about 140 squinches in the hope she could make it back to the mystic orient without having to stop and pump it up again.
That girl needs new tyres.
It may have been wet, but it was a good day out with minimal faffing, little traffic and a good lunch.