Trip to WW1 Memorials ;Belgium 2015

In Flanders Fields

They say “things” go in threes. The Gremlins were certainly counting during the couple of days prior to our cycle trip to Belgium, around the WW1 battle sites.

“Thing”1. Two days before the off, one of our number managed to injure her shoulder by waving to someone across the road! What she was waving is unclear, but the injury was sufficient for her to have reluctantly to pull out of the trip. Fortunately the hotel was understanding and no cancellation fees were incurred.

“Thing”2. One day prior to the off, we discovered the ferry company had mistakenly cancelled one of the three vehicles we had booked for the crossing from Dover to Dunkirk. When this was pointed out to them, they advised that the 12.00 o’clock sailing was now full and this “extra” car would have to be squeezed on the 2.00 o’clock sailing – and oh, there’d be a £5 admin fee!! We graphically indicated what they should attempt to do with this £5, but had to accept their suggestion that we should arrive early in Dover in the hope they could get all three vehicles on the 12 o’clock.

“Thing”3. On the very day of our departure, the 7a.m. BBC News bulletin announced that all Ferry crossings to Calais had been suspended due to the discovery of a WW1 bomb. Traffic was being diverted to Dunkirk!!

However, the sun shines on the righteous, so we had a trouble free drive to Dover where Chris was able to flutter her eyelids at a bored young Ferry Company assistant who let her car onto the 12 o’clock with our other two cars. (At least I think that’s all she did). Derek, who’d travelled down by train, met us on the ferry and being an intrepid touring cyclist, was organised to cycle from Dunkirk to our hotel. So now our party of 10 was complete.

We were cheerily greeted at the Flanders Best Western Hotel in Ieper, and our rooms and bike storage were quickly organised. We all commented on how efficient and friendly our reception had been, not realising at that stage that this was very much the hallmark of the hotel. Really superb in all respects.

That evening we walked into Ieper (Flemish name; French name -Ypres; Wipers to the British Tom), to witness the Mennen Gate ceremony. The monument itself has the names of thousands of fallen soldiers carved on its walls and ceiling, the impact of which is immediate and truly humbling.  The ceremony has been held every evening since 1929, except during WW2 when Belgium was occupied by Germany. On our evening, the ceremony included the laying of wreaths from 10 organisations and families from all over the UK and one from Canada. It was particularly touching to see youngsters laying tributes to their long lost relatives.

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The Smurfs

Essex Farm

Monday, was our first day of cycling and we set off to the north of Ieper in bright sunshine. Our plan for the week was to blend cycling with visits to the various memorials in the area. To this end Barry Newman had thoroughly briefed us on the complex course of the war in the Flanders, and our first visit was to Essex Farm - a battlefield-dressing centre that quickly became a cemetery.It was here that John McCrae wrote his poem “In Flanders Fields”, which led to the poppy being synonymous with WW1. This, together with the sight of so many names on so many immaculately kept headstones was a sobering experience.

Our next stop was a few miles further north at a recently discovered dugout, of a Yorkshire regiment. Although this reconstruction is highly sanitised, it gives a good idea of the extent and conditions in these trenches.

Anne in Yorkshire Trenches

Our itinerary for the day then lead us along deserted lanes and cycle paths to the “Butterland” polders where we discovered to our alarm, that the teacup symbols on our map was absolutely no guarantee to there being an open cafe′ or any other source of nourishment. We were very much in Fenland like country and although sunny, we found ourselves battling a stiff, cool wind. Food and hot drink became an increasingly popular topic of conversation, so it was with some considerable relief when, seemingly out of nowhere, a perfect café  materialised. By coincidence we had a this stage reached a ‘cut off’ point, where we could foreshorten the ride, but buoyed up by an excellent lunch the vote was to press on against the wind with the planned route. This took us over an area that the Allies flooded to prevent the advance of the ‘Hun’, and then on to the “Dodengang” (trench of death) at Diksmuide. This is one of the major WW1 sites – a complex 

The "Dodengang"

and extensive system of trenches, accompanied by detailed exhibition halls.  

                                       

Our last stop for the day was at the ‘Studentenfriedhof’: a German students cemetery. It is here that thousands of German University students are commemorated following their deaths in battles at the beginning of the war. In comparison to the British Commonwealth graves, this German cemetery appeared very stark.

We completed 56 miles on this first day, which meant that with visits, lunch and the wind      (nothing to do with lunch), we arrived back to the hotel at about 7 o’clock, in time for dinner at 8 o’clock

                        

             

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On day 2 of cycling, we completed the ‘Legacy Route’. This is a prescribed route to the East of Ieper, and follows the battle lines around Passchendaele The Passchendaele museum is extensive, and in itself really justifies a full day, but with riding and other visits to make, we had to limit our stay.

Graham and Barry taking advantage of the communial
 latrine in an underground bunker

Baldrick

There are so many cemeteries and memorials around Flanders that we quickly learnt to ignore our itinerary and ride respectfully by. Again the weather was bright and windy but as with yesterday, we found ourselves on dedicated cycle paths or quiet lanes with no potholes. When we did meet cars, drivers were confusingly courteous towards us.

Conscious of our near miss of a lunch stop yesterday, all eyes and tummies were on early alert for a hostelry, but even so, the only ‘pub’ we could find didn’t serve food. In desperation we  made a charge into a nearby Spar shop where rolls were made up for us. We then returned to the pub to eat them.
Interestingly, this pub had a glass partition that isolated a smoking area. The lady proprietor twice retreated behind the glass for a drag, and sat there to all appearances like one of the ladies one can see in shop windows in Amsterdam or Brussels – or so I am told.

Towards the end of this ride we came to 'Tyne Cot' cemetery (named by Northumberland Fusiliers, who saw a similarity between the German Pill boxes of the area, and typical Tyneside workers cottages).

This huge cemetery and memorial to the missing, commands a broad rise in the landscape, and was strategically important to both sides.

We completed 36 miles on this day.

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We set off on Wednesday morning with some trepidation, as our route would lead to the south of Ieper and up to ‘Hill 60’ and the Messiness Ridge. We needn’t have worried however.Although this rise was undoubtedly significant to the military, it was no challenge to us hardened cyclists. This area is famous for the tunnelling exploits of Commonwealth Sappers in 1917.  22 Long tunnels, some over 100ft deep, were dug towards German lines and packed with explosives, which were detonated at 3.00 a.m. on 7th June. The explosion was said to rattle teacups in Whitehall. The attack was a success and has left 19 huge mine craters, such as the one at Hill 60 .Yet again the roads and paths were ideal for cycling and the numbered junctions made navigation easy 

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Lunch, which had become an ‘all consuming’ topic, was taken in the town of Messen  (or Messines in French). The café chosen had an attractive appearance from the outside and, shall we say, a certain Gallic charm on the inside – we were after all just 2 Kilometres from France. After lunch, we made a quick visit to the Messen Museum and headed for the challenge of the day  - the Kemmelberg.

Sue - Before the Kemmelberg

Jerry -"Hill? What hill?"

This hill is a 160 meter steep climb, and came as a bit of a shock to the system after all the flatish riding of the past couple of days. Not surprisingly this hill was the site of an important battle in WW1 and was taken by the Germans in 1918.

Lunch, the wind and the hills had taken their toll on all of us by the time we reached the villiage ofKemmel , and the vote was to cut out a hilly loop which would have taken us past the British underground headquarters. We decided to take a pleasant meander back to Leper and, because we were all tired, Chris decided to have the first of her slow punctures. We pumped her up and completed 41 miles this day.

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On our last day, we decided  to cut short our planned ride so that we could spend the afternoon looking around Ieper itself. We set off early from the hotel and headed west to Poperinger, known as ‘Pop’  by the British Tommy.  On route Chris decided to have her second slow puncture, but with that mended we still arrived in Pop by late morning.

Pop was maybe 6 miles from the battlefront, and was a place of R&R. It was here that Talbot House  (Toc H) was established as an “every man” club by the Reverend “Tubby” Clayton. The idea was to provide a place of quiet respite for all ranks, away from  the Pubs and Streets frequented by rowdy soldiers .

Talbot House

We watch an enactment of entertainment of the time, and enjoyed a cup of ‘free’ coffee/tea -on offer as a reminder of the welcome given to the troops (mind you we had to pay to get in!).

We made a quick return to our Hotel, completing just 27 miles cycling this day, but spent our last afternoon enjoying the sites of Leper.    

Exam time

Throughout our trip Barry (our historian ) had been giving regular briefings on the course of the war , and the significance of the sites we had visited. Our last evening was exam time, to see if we’d been listening. We had been warned – this was the night of THE QUIZ!!! Serious stuff,  requiring a few beers in preparation.

Cheers

Chris -
our Quiz organiser

Guess who won the Quiz  then

first prize

Belgium is certainly a cycle friendly country with a superb network of smooth paths and quiet lanes. What Belgium lacks in potholes however, it make up for in cobblestones in the towns and villages. Like Hieneken beer, cobblestone vibrations reach the parts you didn’t know you had

This was our first attempt at an overseas adventure, and it turned out to be an excellent  trip thanks to everybody’s relaxed and friendly approach. So, well done folks-where shall we go next?

ITMA. It's that man again

Herewith Stan Harris's log of his recent trip to his Cottage in Suffolk with Tim Welch.

Looks though they had a good trip - and they were even talking in a civil manner to each other when they were out with the club during the following week!

Tim & Stan Trip to the Cottage

I left home at 7.15am to ride to Tims house in the Oval, Turnford.

On arrival I was greeted by Mary & Tim and after a short chat we got on our bikes for the first leg of our ride to Takeley by going over Harlow Common, Foster Street, and Hatfield Broad Oak.

After a short comfort break we continued on to Great Dunmow then on towards Finchingfield where we had another short stop.  We had an interesting talk with a local resident who was also a weekend cyclist.

We continued on taking the lanes to Stoke by Clare then on to Clare, we were going to have a cafe stop there, but after a short discussion decided to carry on Via Postingford, Upper Street,,Stansfield,Rede,Hawstead,and Horringer, this route bypassed Haverhill to Bury St Edmonds.

We had a short stop there before taking the last leg of the days ride towards Thetford.Until Bury St Edmonds our ride had been mainly through country lanes, the last 14 miles, however, was all along a main road, the road in places was not in good repair, so full concentration was required to avoid ridges and heavy Lorries etc.

We eventually found our Premier Inn Hotel after a tour around Thetford inner roads, and we booked in at about 3.45pm we covered the 80 miles in very good time and no bike problems. After a bath and a short rest we went to the restaurant for our evening meal.

Our room was very nice it had a double and single bed; I took the single as it was near the window but I could not open it so was quite hot in the night.

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We left the Hotel at 8.15am and rode back into the centre of Thetford, we had to find the road to Brettingham this was the beginning of a long stretch of country roads going through East Harling, Quidenham, Old Buckingham, New Buckingham, Fonces End, Hapton, Oprow, Beckenash and

We went under the A147 until we reached the tee junction of the (Ipswich Norwich road.) We turned left towards Norwich and we soon crossed the Norwich outer ring road and on to the inner ring road. Where we turned right following the Norwich station sign, we rode past the station taking the road parallel to the river then keeping on for about two miles until we came to the A1151.

There is a Launderette on the corner that has been there for many years and is a good land mark for me. We were making good time and I was confident about the route from there on, we stopped for a short time in Wroxham before carrying on the last leg of the ride to Catfield via Ludham.

We Arrived about 2pm so had plenty of time to sort ourselves out before taking a slow ride into Stalham passing the Harnser Pub where we decided to have our evening meal at about 6pm.

 I called in on Carol and Terry and had a short chat before making my way back to the Cottage,

 Tim went direct back to the Cottage and was catching up on the farming news, by reading the Catfield News magazine and he now knows how many tons of sugar we have in storage.

We both had fish and chips and a pint at the Harnser, but decided not to stay for the pub singing entertainer, so left before he started.

We watched television for a while and talked before Tims eyes began to close so, suggested we turned in for the night not sure what time it was but before 10pm I think.

Tims alarm went off about 6.40am even though he was in the main bedroom and the door firmly closed I could hear it, so it was time to get up.

 I had the first bath the water was piping hot the immersion heats the water overnight on the cheaper electricity and it easily enough for two baths so we were both clean and ready for our porridge, before cleaning the rooms, sorting out the linen and preparing to leave by 9am.

We were dead on time and left the Cottage exactly at 9am to ride to Norwich to catch the 11am .We arrived at Norwich Station 10.30am and thought we had done well, and would only have half of an hour wait before boarding the 11am train home.

Unfortunately the train was cancelled and we had to wait a further hour, then we could only book to Liverpool Street and had to book another ticket to Cheshunt. It took me a long time to get over it.

Eventually we arrived home a little tired of trains but think the bike ride home with the rain and wind against us might have been worse.

I think it was a successful trip and we covered 163 miles total at an average speed of 11,8mph.We had no problems with the bikes and no punctures.

As usual I took too much stuff, my fault.

Stan - that man yet again.

Stan the (super) man

 Congratulations to Stan Harris

Despite unfavourable weather and problems with his bottom bracket ( ouch ), Stan met his target of completing the 699 miles miles of his charity ride from Waltham Abbey to John O'Groats, in 10 riding days. What a pity he couldn't find that extra mile to make it a round 700.
He thinks he has been able to raise well over £500 for The Waltham Abbey Salvation Army Corps, and would like to say a big thankyou for all the support he has received from  40 + members .
Clearly the ride couldn't have been that tiring however -- he managed to find the energy to keep a log of each day of his ride , which you can read below.

,Ride From Waltham Abbey to John

Hill--what hill?

O Groats Commencing 20th May 2014

Day 1              Waltham Abbey Salvation Army Hall to Peterborough

I left home at 9.15am and slowly rode along the River Lea to the Hall; I was pleasantly surprised to see Frank, Alan, and Peter of the U.3.A were there to give me a send off.

After a photo shoot with the Boys, Maureen, Katrina, and other Corps members I set on my way accompanied by Peter. We made good time with Peter leading the way to Ware and I stopped at Malcolm’s shop to say hello to Ellen, Kay, and Malcolm.

On the other side of the road waiting for me was John, Ted, and Barry, so I now had four riders to set to lead me on my way.

They all rode with me to Buntingford where we said farewell and I continued on my own towards Peterborough, I have never been there before but managed to find the hotel previously booked with no trouble.

Day2 Peterborough to Brigg           I left Peterborough and rode out of town going round many roundabouts until I reached the A.15. I rode the A15 towards Lincoln went through the town centre and on to Brigg where again I had booked a Hotel called Arties Lodge Mill. I Checked in had a nice bath and went for a meal. A special offer was available for fish and chips at £3,95, so with a pint of Guinness  had a good cheap meal. I went to bed early for I knew I had some hard riding to look forward to over the next few days. Tomorrow I ride towards York.

Day 3 Brigg to Thirsk        It rained very hard in the night and it continued into the morning but after breakfast I decided I might as well go and make my way over Humber Bridge, the Bridge is quite impressive and one wonders how it can span over such a distance.

After crossing the Bridge the rain stopped and it was more comfortable riding and I made my way  towards Beverly but before reaching Beverly took a left fork towards York it was very hilly but I made good time and was there by 2pm I had a quick look around the Town Centre and decided to carry on to Thirsk where I booked into a B&B, by coincidence it was the same B&B Stewart stayed in earlier in the year, the owners name was Barry, he was a bit eccentric but very nice, I went out later to the town centre and again had fish and chips before going back to bed.

Thirsk to Corbridge          Day 4 It’s a dull day with rain in the air, cold and windy, the wind was against me; however, I set forth towards Darlington heading for Corbridge I cut the mileage down owing to the tough hills, the route crosses the Pennines and must confess I had to walk up some of the hills, however, I made it to Corbridge, but was at first unable to get a B&B,after several tries and lots of no vacancies signs I rode out of the Town Centre and called in a pub with a B&B sign up, and the manager had just had a cancellation. The manager was very helpful and after checking on his internet said I could have the room. The room was very nice with a huge double bed and an upmarket television he asked £55 for the room but took £5 off for the Salvation Army.

Day 5 Corbridge to Jedburgh            I left Corbridge at 9am and proceeded towards the A68 leading to Jedburgh, the going was very tough with lots of hills and my legs are getting tired, so walked some of the hills to help my legs recover, I had leg cramps in the night, but drank about two litres of juice, and in the morning was recovered. The temperature had dropped, and the wind was increasing, there were lots of motorbikes on the road with tents on the back, I think there must have been a rally somewhere one bike however didn’t make it caught fire and was burning well when I reached it. The riders were safe and just stood there in despair, I could only sympathise I did however, take a picture and carried on. I crossed the English/Scottish boarder at about 3pm and took a few pictures it was only another 9 miles to Jedburgh and mostly downhill so I made good time, I am still averaging over 10 mile per hour, again B&Bs were not easy to find, the Tourist Information were not helpful but I eventually I found a very nice one, I had a room with 3 matching beds, but of Course I only used one.

Day6 Jedburgh toEdinburgh          I left the B&B at 9am and headed North to go over the Firth of Forth Bridge using mainly cycle paths the weather was getting bad, with thunder, lightning and heavy rain so I just had to stop about 6 miles from the Forth Bridge and Find a B&B I was completely drenched, but apart from the weather felt good, but just had to stop because you do not know when you might see the next B&B. At about 6pm the rain had stopped and I ventured out to get some food walked across the park opposite and took a few footpaths to a pub that did food I had sausages and mash nothing exotic but it most welcome.  

Day 7 Edinburgh to Pitlochry          I left the B&B at 9am and headed north over the Forth Bridge using mainly cycle paths after crossing the Bridge I headed towards Kelty,Kinross and then on to Perth I went through the town centre and picked up the A9 Going towards Pitlochry It was there that my Bottom Brackett was getting too much play, and headed for a bike shop, The mechanic changed the bracket for me straight away so I did not have to stop for any length of time.

I found a Guest House in the high street showered and again went looking for food. Tomorrow I will be heading for Inverness.

Day8 Pitlochry to Inverness          I left Pitlochry at 9pm and carried on along the A9 all the way to Inverness it was not ideal but I managed it alright, some sections had a cycle paths, and I sometimes used those, but I mostly kept to the road. I managed to take a few pictures on route of the scenery but it’s impossible to do it justice Scotland is so scenic you just cannot do it Justice.

On arrival at Inverness I could not remember where I had stayed before but eventually remembered and managed to get a very nice B&B with an elderly lady, but very much with it, again it was a terrace house but it was a palace inside, after a bath again went to a pub for fish and chips came back and went to bed.

Day9 Inverness to Crask Inn       I left Inverness and cycled over the Morey Firth Bridge to a signpost pointing to Bonar Bridge it’s a very scenic route I have done it before and there many viewing places to take pictures. I Stopped at Boner Bridge for about 45m to buy some food and drink in the local store then carried on to Lairg then on to the Crask Inn where I wanted to stop, the Inn was fully booked but the owner was very kind and said 3 fishermen had booked on old crofters house it was not in good condition, and he would ask them to let me stay the night, it was only 50 yards away from the Inn. It just meant that I would have to sleep under the stairs on a make shift bed. That was no problem for me I quite liked the idea. The three fishermen were real Northerners and we got on very well especially as the evening wore on and the whisky flowed, the men’s names were John, Angus and Mick I really enjoyed there company it took me back to when I was bricklayer working at the Tottenham Gas Works. They did stay up late though, and were still drinking at 2am, I must say I did join in a little but I really wanted to get to sleep.

There are three other cyclists staying at the Inn and we had very good evening meal together and compared notes about our ride they had come from Lands End and were also were going to finish their ride tomorrow.

10th Day Crask Inn to John O Groats

Left the Crask Inn after breakfast with Angus,John and Emma it was obvious they were too fast for me, So I let them go, and continued on to Altnaharra on my own, I then I took the right fork along the Straithnaver To Bettyhill then continued on to Thurso, I rode some of the last few miles with John and Angus( who I caught up with at Thurso,) to  John O Groats There I went straight away and booked a Trip over to the Orkneys for tomorrow. I then went to the sign post and John took some pictures of me standing by the John O Groats sign.

I booked in at the Sea View Hotel for the night and had a meal in the bar before turning in for the night.

11th Day John O Groats to Orkneys and Wick

Have my conducted tour of the Orkneys today, you take the Ferry over to the island, and the coach is waiting for you on the other side to take you to the interesting sites, the trip takes 10 hours so you get your money’s worth. The ferry gets back at 7.45pm and I had to ride hard to get back to Wick as I was staying with Alex Sian Fiance and a Salvation Army Officer that night. I made it just before dark it is 17 miles and quite hilly. I intend to leave my bike at the bike shop in Wick they do a service of posting it back to your home Alex is helping me with that.

Alex and I had a long chat on arrival and I then had a nice bath and went to bed.

!2th Day Train Home, via Wick Inverness Edinburgh,Stevenage, and Potters Bar then car home.  

Alex made me some bacon sandwiches and took me to the train station. The train was due to leave at 6.20am unfortunately I left the bacon sandwiches on the table so Alex made a second trip to the Station with the sandwiches and made it just in time before the train was due to leave. Can’t thank him enough for his hospitality and the bacon sandwiches. I eventually got home at 9.30pm approximately. Mission Accomplished.

I covered 699 miles in 10 riding days at an average speed of 10.3 miles per hour, my  total time moving on bike was69 hours27minutes 02seconds I did a further 17 miles to Wick after my Orkneys trip.

Stan Harris   

Cambridge ride Tuesday 6th May 2014

Cambridge ride Tues 6^th May 2014   

Bare legs were very much in evidence outside Weatherspoons, as 11 of us “Cambridge punters” set off at 8.50 a.m., under dark threatening clouds, for the University City. In fact some had already got a soaking on their way to Hertford and the rash choice of shorts had only been made following an encouraging forecast. By the time we’d got to Wadesmill however, the optimism had been justified and surplus layers were being stripped off, and the weather remained ideal for the rest of the day.

Barry had “volunteered” to lead this ride as he was born and bred in Cambridge, and knows the City and it's surroundings very well. The countryside and villages clearly look their best at this time of year, and we couldn't fail to appreciate what we have so close to home. On going through Anstey , Stan suggested however that we look out not only at lush green fields, but also for the famous Rhea – an Ostrich like bird that had escaped from nearby about a month ago, and which has been featured several times on the news. Despite careful searching  the only “rheas” I saw were dressed in Lycra ,and pulsated rhythmically with the turn of pedals.

Apart from the hilly bits, the route was flat, and even the hilly bits had downhill sections so we made very good time to Little Shelford, just out side Cambridge. We were in fact early, so Barry made a diversion to Kings Mill where ,as a young architect , he started out on his career. Although there is no blue plaque on the mill to confirm it, he told us he worked there for two years.

These two were smiling before the
camera came out

From here we poodled on to Grantchester tea rooms where lunch  had been booked. : a really pleasant and interesting setting, offering good quality and value meals.

After a leisurely lunch, Jerry and Tim set off for the station in order to train home, whilst the rest of us cycled along Grantchester Meadows into Cambridge.( Actually we left Tim and Jerry mending a puncture, so I hope they got home…….!)

It was here that Barry began his Tour de Cambridge, featuring first of all, the modern architecture of the University buildings, then the ancient.

What I quickly learnt is how much I don’t know about the subject, and it was interesting to see how both Barry and Raul (also an architect) readily became animated in their enthusiasm with the design features and bricking of the buildings. Even Stan, an ex brick layer, could be seen at various stages passionately discussing with Raul, the headers and stretchers that had been used. Barry led us past many of the famous colleges and into the city centre via Jesus Green.  At every stage, our tour guide was able to elaborate on all the tourist sites, the final one being the memorial to Hobson.

Did you know ---Hobson built a watercourse into Cambridge and has a memorial dedicated to him. He was also a livery stable owner, and to rotate the use of his horses, he offered customers the choice of either taking the horse in the stall nearest the door, or none at all --- hence "Hobson’s choice"; I’m sure you wanted to know that.

 At 2.30p.m. we set off for home, but Jenny aided by Ann, caused an unscheduled stop by insisting on her afternoon tea and cake .It was here that Ron surprised me. He bought an enormous and  suggestive Belgium bun , complete with a bright red cherry. As only to be expected from a man of his vintage,  he couldn’t “handle” it by himself and had to seek help.

Although we used the same route back , for some reason the flat sections that we’d enjoyed on the way out seemed to have disappeared, so our return was a much more leisurely amble along the lanes . At one point however this peaceful ride was interrupted  by Raul ,as he celebrated a new PB  for a distance ride. Well Done Raul.

Many thanks Barry for a great day out, and for sharing your knowledge and passion for architecture.

I registered 75miles for the return journey , but I know Tony and some others who live outside Hertford, recorded well over  90 miles. So well done everyone.

Ok – where next?

Ray