18 Jul: Afternoon ride to Hemingford Abbots

Simon FitzMaurice writes: Perhaps threat of interment was no discouragement, because around a dozen riders were already at Brookside when I arrived this Sunday.

By the time of departure numbers had risen to 15 including, I am pleased to report, a strong contingent of new faces: we set off for Hemingford Abbots with fine weather - sunny and warm, but with rather a stiff breeze from the south-west.

I decided to avoid the usual route through Barton, but rather took the Trumpington Road to Grantchester, past Lord Archer's residence immortalised in their turn by Robert Brooke and John Graham.

From Grantchester it was across the fields to Haslingfield, thence to Harlton and via the Eversdons to Bourn. In the open country the wind was more noticable, but it never seemed to be too much of an obstacle.

The size of the group meant that there was a variety of riding speeds, meaning that frequent stops were necessary to re-group; accordingly at Bourn I abandoned plans to press westward through Great Gransden, but rather headed north along the rather shorter route through Knapwell and Conington.

By the time we reached the outskirts of Fenstanton we were close to our destination, but a more pleasant approach to the Hemingfords is from the south - so we turned towards Hilton, from where we took the bridle path [a second treat for Jacob that afternoon] to the Gore Tree Road bridge across the A14, finally reaching the Axe and Compass at almost exactly 5 o'clock, to join three members from the day ride: with the addition of Damien, who had ridden directly to tea, we were 19 in number.

As previously reported in these pages, the Axe and Compass provides well for the cyclist. Besides providing an excellent tea and copious secure cycle parking, it should be noted that they serve ice cream.

Unlike the occasion of the club's last visit, there was no appetite for the guided bus way and so we returned on a zig-zag route via Fenstanton, Swavesey, Oakington and Girton.

I was back in Cambridge shortly after 7pm, having completed a distance of 45 miles. Simon FitzMaurice.

Photos by Julia Hochbach.