Horncastle Hilly
Cycling UK Louth 'Horncastle Hilly'
Sunday 13th September 2020
After a couple of flatter rides, today’s ride would see us climbing around 1800 FT. The forecast would also set mixed fortunes. Dry, fine and eventually warm and sunny but also a strong and gusty south west wind.
Joining Ride Leader Tim Newbery on this occasion would be John Ambler (on a two-battery combination…no stopping him now!), John Rickett, Alan Hockham, Rob Whitworth and Reg Bagshaw. Making sure we didn’t get mixed up with the cycle race taking part at the Leisure Centre, the club headed off towards Hallington and Raithby for our favoured climb up to the Blue Stone Heath Road. The gusty strong headwind certainly made us work hard and it was a relief to approach Cold Harbour Farm. Reg, who had already cycled quite a distance would leave us at this point and follow an alternative route. We wished him well and hope he had an enjoyable day out.
Downhill now via Red Hill and through the pretty Wolds hamlet of Asterby. Listed in the 1086 Doomsday Book as having 18 households, it doesn’t look as if much has changed in the intervening centuries. Peeking through the hedges we could just about make out the graveyards of St Peters Church. Sadly, now redundant, the church itself still makes a fine sight.
Turning west along Green Lane the landscape opened up to reveal the familiar open fields of the Lincolnshire Wolds, now mostly harvested and some even being prepared for winter crops. Shrill cries and fine sightings of several pairs of Buzzard added interest to our endeavours and it wasn’t too long before we were entering the outskirts of Horncastle.
With the Golf Course no longer providing food on a Sunday morning we had hoped to obtain refreshments at the ‘Just One More’ cycle shop or Costa Coffee. Inquiries from Rob ascertained the cycle shop would indeed serve us coffee and bacon baps. It’s great to see such an enterprising new business and the bacon baps were indeed highly rated. John Rickett fancied a drink at Costa Coffee instead, Horncastle provides several rather fine alternatives. Indeed, John needed to return home before 2 pm and with Tim’s ETA of closer to 3 pm for returning to Louth he bid us farewell whilst the rest of us finished our bacon baps and amiable chat. We hope John did indeed get back before his deadline.
The return route would take us through Thimbleby and Minting and at long last the wind (and warm sunshine) were on our backs. At Great Sturton we crossed the ‘Lindsey Trail’, at this point a bridle way which runs along part of the ancient Roman salt Road. No mountain bikers on this occasion but Jason tried out the full route a few months ago.
In anticipation of a final climb up and over the Wolds, we were pleased to stop for tea and coffee at Jenny’s shop in Donnington on Bain. Thanks go to Alan for the jammy ‘Waggon Wheels’ and Rob for the hot drinks. Perfect to just sit and relax a while on this fine early Autumn day.
Batteries re-charged, a climb up and along Manor Hill, our reward the swooping descent along Hallington Road with views to Louth and indeed all the way to the coast. Arriving back on schedule at just before 3 pm (just as well John had set off ahead of the main group!) the by now clear blue skies had encouraged the sunshine to push up the temperature to a very warm 24 degrees Celsius.
41 miles completed with over 1700 FT of climbing. Many thanks to all for the company.
Next week Tim is away, riding for ‘Team St Barnabas’.