Ludford 16th November 2025

Cycling UK Louth Sunday Ride to Ludford 16th November 2025

Ride Report: Joh Rickett.

A dry and still relatively mild start to the day saw a good showing of members for an undulating ride to The Viking Way Garden Café at Ludford.

Gathering at 10.00 outside the Meridian Centre were Paul Linder, Alan Hockham, Steve Croton, Ty Harness, Derek (a guest of Ty) and John Rickett. Tim had advised that Sven Livesey would meet up with us at Ludford.

The ride took us out of Louth via Hallington and up to the Bluestone Heath road using the middle of the ways to get there. This would lead us to enjoy a speedy descent, fallen leaves permitting, down Manor Hill. Alan was on his electric converted road bike and made the quickest ascent, the motor couldn’t be heard so he must have achieved it by pedal-power alone. Derek was on an electric off-road bike, saying that he has two road bikes but with being a bit unfit, felt it would be appropriate to use that as a first ride with the group - Ty must not have emphasised that we are a geriatric group who ride slow enough to get squashed flies on the back of our helmets.

Full of enthusiasm, or empty of pocket, no-one wanted to stop at Jenny’s in Donnington so it was straight on to the climb out of Donnington to Caistor High Street and down into South Willingham. From there the road undulates a bit to Hainton and then a steady climb up to Sixhills.

Somewhere before reaching Hainton Chris Owen hove into view (perhaps we were cruising after all). From Sixhills we rode an undulating 2 miles to the coffee stop at Ludford.

Tim and Sven were already seated and enjoying their coffee by the time the rest of us got there, but the young girls serving didn’t disappoint and soon had us presented with our selected fayre.

Half an hour later, or was it three quarters, time passes quickly when off the saddle and in the warm, it was time to leave. Sven and Chris peeled off just out of Ludford for Binbrook, the rest of us carried on to Great Tows and the, yet again, undulating road to Kelstern Memorial. At some point along the way, Ty announced he had got a puncture in his back wheel so it was all-hands to get it fixed.

Seemingly to demonstrate super-human strength, Ty removed the tyre without any levers, in a few seconds – astonishing! The cause of the of the puncture was quickly found, a hawthorn, no doubt the dreaded result of flailing hedges. With new tube and tyre replaced, again without levers, it was an opportunity for Steve to try out his new rechargeable pump.

60 psi seemed a reasonable target pressure which the little machine managed easily. So off we set once again, parting company with Paul at the Memorial as he still had to get home and preferred a more direct route.

We reached Utterby without incident until Ty suddenly became aware that his just-refitted tyre was rubbing badly against the brake. On inspection the tyre was nearly off the rim. Why would a Schwalbe Marathon tyre do that … well it was a bargain for a new tyre at £12. Could it be that a cheeky far eastern company had been able to manufacture a tyre, put a good representation of the Schwalbe trademark on it and hoodwink gullible customers into parting with £12. Reducing the tyre to about 30 psi allowed it to stay on the rim and the rest of the trip was completed uneventfully … just another action-packed day for Cycling UK (Louth) contingent.