EDMONTON CYCLE CLUB WEEKEND BREAKs - 2007.

The first weekend away this year saw us heading off to the Chiltern Hills and the grand Ivinghoe Youth Hostel on the 12-13 May, with the steeply graded chalk hills of the area giving us some fine scenery along the way. This Hostel, unfortunately, is about to close. (words by Andy)

Ivinghoe Youth Hostel Weekendend 

Saturday 12 May

Our latest Club Weekend excursion started off at 9am outside Enfield Civic Centre, where all 23 of us accumulated, coming from across the borough.

We adopted the ‘rolling marshal’ and ‘back stop’ method for the weekend, where a few of the group would stay behind the leader and individually stay at a junction or turning, pointing out the way until the entire group had passed. Then cycle up through the group again. The ‘back stop’ would stay at the back.

In the usual ECC manner, we set off eventually after some delay (!), heading in a north westerly direction along Sustrans route 12  past Trent Park and Hadley Woods towards South Mimms Services where we stopped for a short break. A nice country path along the Sustrans Route led us into a back entrance.

The first of numerous punctures for the weekend was fixed here by Hyacinth.

Northwards from here alongside the A1M  turning off through the picturesque Colney Heath and soon picking up the old railway line into St Albans where we had to stop for Peter to try to support his rear rack, which had totally snapped it’s mountings, with bungees and anything else he could lay his hands on. Dave P stopped to help and accidentally snapped a gear cable when his bike fell over.

Lunch stop was at the Six Bells in St Albans just around the corner from Verulum Park, where some people chose to sit among the Roman ruins.

The route from now on becomes more rural and hilly, passing through the northern part of Hemel Hempstead and right past the devastation that is all that is left of the Buncefield Oil Depot fire in December 2005.

Dave M had the first of his long saga of mishaps here starting with a puncture, then shortly after, another! We cycled on, by this time the rain had started, as we went through Gaddesden Row and Little Gaddesden. Here Dave M had two more punctures and finally the tyre came off ruining the rear wheel. Also Jane P and Kieron had punctures and Andy, stopping to help, broke his pump!  We then took over the Old Chequers pub in Gaddesden Row and had an impromptu bicycle maintenance workshop mending punctures and drying out.

This habit of taking over a pub would become a theme for the weekend, as all 20+ people would spread ourselves out, gloves and maps out to dry, punctures being fixed etc, trying the patience of some landlords. Of course we collected our things together when we were asked as we might have gone back to there on a later occasion!    

Dave M had a final puncture after we were about to set off. He finally gave up here and called a cab to the train station and headed home.

At last, we headed out for the final leg, in steady rain through the wonderful scenery of the Chiltern Hills to Invinghoe hostel, a grand Georgian house, arriving at around 8pm. We settled into the ‘Rose and Crown’ pub across the road for a nice long rest with dinner and drinks. It was very good of the staff there to cater for so many of us so late. Excellent service and food.

Some of us observed at this point that one of the tables, with virtually all the female members of our group on it was easily the loudest, the rest of us having to raise our voices to hear each other… something maybe to do with what looked like the aftermath of a Bacchanalian jollie on their table?

Sunday 13 May

After a hearty breakfast, Dave Murphy paid a surprise return by car to take Denise home and lent us a track pump. Pete Murphy was kindly pumping up everyone’s tyres, getting ready for a long journey home.

So, picture this – skylarks, thrushes, red campions, cow parsley and other birds and wayside wild flowers of the English spring countryside – and you would be thinking of the verdant rolling fields and blue skies

….think again! Take away the blue skies and add grey leaden ones, low cloud, constant rain. There, you have the picture! That’s what we had all the way home…

The plan was to head south east for a few miles on the Grand Union Canal towpath but it was so wet and muddy in places that some took a road next to it for a short way, where Jane P and Kieron had more punctures. Along the towpath we could not find a place for a coffee break, Richard found his forgotten big bar of chocolate which was shared out and we were grateful for it as we were dying for a rest and a cuppa.

We stopped off at the café in Waitrose in Hemel Hempstead next to the canal, for our first coffee stop around 1pm, but some were so hungry they made it lunch! The food was welcome and excellent.

We of course had to keep to our reputation and spread ourselves out taking up tables with panniers and paraphernalia!

You could tell the riders who didn’t have mudguards on their bikes, they were all muddied up their backs. I think the manager there was probably glad when we left, all those dirty people mucking up his nice clean shop…they probably had to steam clean the chairs!

After that, only one person took the train home, the rest of us bravely cycled back in the heavy rain on the towpath where Sangeeta fell off a few times. No damage done luckily.

We got off the towpath at Kings Langley and took the road home.

Our group had to cross a busy dual-carriageway road with a central reservation….and fast traffic. We dismounted from our steeds and made our way to the reservation in small groups for safety. Unfortunately, the first part of the road to cross, due to hours and hours of rain and the usual Council lethargy in clearing blocked drains, was flooded half way across, every vehicle that went through it shooting out a small wall of water. The people getting to the reservation having to get across the second carriageway swiftly to avoid a soaking. A group of us had just made it across when along hurtles a large Sainsbury’s lorry. The driver saw the group and for some reason known only to himself, manoeuvred-nee swerved-to plough straight through the flood on purpose! You could hear the screams from under the resulting shower and the mocking laughs from the group on the other side!! Emerging from under the wall of water, there were several sodden cyclists but several clean bikes. So not all bad then!

*A comical quip came to mind here – ‘There’s only one good thing about Sainsbury’s, they keep the riff-raff out of Waitrose’…

At Shenley, Hyacinth lead a small group of us straight home and the rest of us took another break in ‘The Old Guinea’ pub in Ridge where the landlord turned up the fire for Rosa to dry her socks and shoes and the owner’s dog started licking her toes. (…anyone seen the vet?)

I don’t know if it was connected, but about then I thought I detected the smell of cheese on toast wafting through the bar..!

Again we took over the pub to dry our clothes. Outside, clothes were also hanging on the fence in a lull in the rain and discarded inner tubes filled the bin. Kieron mended Maggie’s puncture with Maggie helping out.

Thinking we would head home then, Jane P discovered another puncture and we jokingly agreed that we would ban Jane from rides if she turned up with those rotten tyres again. Gallant Dr Pete to the rescue to fix it.

We headed back home via the same outward journey, the Sustrans route via

Hadley Wood and Ferny Hill. At the Ridgeway outside Chase Farm Hospital we said our good byes and the group took their own weary, damp routes home.

It will be interesting to compare tyres used by those who had punctures with those who didn’t.

We all thanked Richard for organising the trip and we will adopt the ‘rolling marshal and the back stop’ system for future rides, as it worked very well with no one getting lost for the first time ever!!! (and we kept behind the leader for a change!!!)

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The second weekend was at Blaxhall Youth Hostel, in Suffolk on the 18-19 August. 

This hostel is located on the Suffolk Coastal Route and very near to National Cycle Route 1 and provided good opportunities for peaceful cycling through Suffolk's rural landscape. (words by Paul)

Blaxhall Youth Hostel Weekend

Saturday 18 August

We caught the 9.30 train from Liverpool Street to Ipswich in overcast skies. Andy and Alan got a local train from there to Woodbridge as Andy had a dodgy ankle from his recent spill from his bike....i don't know what Alan's excuse was! The rest of the group cycled from Ipswich. Woodbridge station had a decent cafe where we all met up after a while. Maggie and Kieron met us here having driven up from London, with bikes in the back of the car of course.

After lunch we rode north east to Blaxhall Youth Hostel. We had time to look around the annual village fete and indulge in tea and cake (....well, at a village fete you have to do these things), before riding down through Tunstall Forest to view Orford Castle, unfortunately just as it closed.

Then back to the hostel to check in, shower and change before dinner at the Ship Inn across the road. Very good apple and greengage pie!

Sunday 19 August

Cloud and drizzle outside as we had breakfast and worked out our plans for the day.

We headed off for Rendlesham Forest via Butley then through the forest with the heather, gorse and trees making a peaceful setting. Despite this area having a record of UFO sightings, all was quiet that day...although one or two of our group were acting slightly strangely (!) we put it down to what was consumed in the pub the previous evening - not alien activity.

Stopped for lunch in Hollesley at the Shepherd and Dog pub. As we set off afterwards, Alan's rear rack broke which was fixed with cable ties. Then in rain past Sutton Hoo back to Woodbridge as the rain stops at last. We had a look around the small harbour here and the historic town with its steep roads and some more refreshments in the station cafe. After, some ride back to Ipswich station while others get the train there for the return to London.

Thanks to Andy with help from Rosa for organising the trip, and to Richard for the loan of the maps.

Andy, Ian, Kieron, Maggie, Rupert, Peter M, Jane Pk, Alan T, Trevor, Michele, Daniel, Rosa, Chris A, Paul, Christina

Approx 60 miles for the weekend.