Day of the Tea Rooms
Posted on Monday 17 August 2009 by Thomas James
Some have said that CTC stands for “Café To Café”, others that it stands for “Coffee, Tea and Cakes”. Nick Bloom led the the three star riders on 16 August on an attempt to find out.
Cyclists with jazz band
First cup – Fourteen met at the Big Chef, East Finchley for the first cup of the day.
Second cup – Off at 0900 for a steady ride along the A1000, then on smaller roads into Hertfordshire. Before long it was time for elevenses at Notcutts Garden Centre, well stocked with plants, small animals, tea and cakes.
Third cup – Back into the saddle on more Herts lanes with a detour to the edge of Luton Airport before our next stop, Emily’s Tea Shop at Whitwell. It’s a favourite with local cyclists, with stables alongside the dining.
Fourth cup – Turning back south and more of the countryside, now in the sunshine, before reaching our fourth tea venue, Panshanger Airfield. The tea accompaniment of jazz, dancing (we watched but didn’t take part), veteran cars and aircraft acrobatics was particularly impressive. Apparently they don’t do this every day.
Tea-filled cyclists at rest
Fifth cup – Between stops the group, high on caffeine, tannin and hot water, kept up a brisk pace and were back at East Finchley before 1630. Big Chef closes at teatime strangely, but the nearby Chorak patisserie provided a last stop for some of us before the ride home.
The group had successfully completed its mission to combine a 100km three star ride with the full refreshment agenda.
Map of the route here.