Local boy may let you fondle his alpacas
Posted on Monday 19 January 2009 by Bob Davis
Well, no alpaca fondling as we took a different route. The weather had been really cold until the day before and I had had a cold for a couple of weeks, only just about up for the ride. So not going to plan, no question of meeting at Tally Ho for a ride out, and I set off from Kings X, to be met by Rory Rhodes (back from an unfit few weeks off in USA), Roger Fretwell and Kay Bettis. Nick Bloom got on at Ally Pally. Gerrard Veglio met us at Hertford North having ridden out from NE London.
And what a great day it was! We started early and didn’t do usual food stop, but what really made it good was the clear sky, warmer weather than wee had had , and dustings of snow/frost on the shelter of woods and clumps of ploghed earth in fields, plus not much motor traffic. We did the usual route to Westmill – to find the tea room closed. A quick look round to see if there were any likely replacements nearby, but no. So your leader decided to head out on the normal return route for an 80 km ride and stop at the first pub open.
Except there weren’t any until Great hormead, by which time Kay was threatening to expire, and the rest of us were pretty hungry. But it was worth it – a great pub, good food, fire etc. After lunch Kay and Roger went their own way: then the rest of us went back through Puckeridge , explaining to a group of local BMX boys that you COULD ride 50 miles on a bike like ours , although I don’t think they believed us. Back through Dane End, Gerrard left us at Hertford North and the remaining three took the train back.
A great day for a recovery from winter blues