Market Rasen 12-04-2026

Cycling UK Louth's Ride to Market Rasen

Sunday 12th April 2026

Ride Leader and Ride Report: John Rickett...

With Tim doing his Cycling UK Lincolnshire AGM duties I was deemed suitable, just, to lead the ride to Market Rasen.

Meeting up at the leisure centre at 0930 were Alan Hockham, Ty Harness, Harvey Wright and John Rickett. Sven Livesey had earlier advised he would be waiting for us somewhere before Binbrook.

The day was dry and sunny, if a bit cool for the time of year but blowing a fairly stiff WSW wind. The forecast was for showers to develop from 14.00. The ride through Brackenborough as far as the Utterby turn-off was too easy with the tail wind - we would soon be paying for that. Once onto Ings lane the strength of the wind became apparent with care having to be taken where there was a break in the hedgerows. From Utterby the route took us up North Ormsby hill (another push) where we found Sven waiting for us at the top.

Onward to Binbrook where Alan decided his cold was getting the better of him and he thought it wise to return to Louth. Back down to four and still feeling the wind we negotiated the ups and downs of Kirmond-le-Mire and Tealby, before arriving at the scheduled stop of Wolds Edge café just outside Market Rasen. It's a popular place so we were not expecting there to be available tables inside. We must have arrived just at the right time as there were quite a few tables vacant, but not for long. 

Coffees and scones (no they are not scons!) were ordered and delivered fairly quickly. The scones have to be up there with the very best - excellent. 

During the break Sven showed us the 360 degree video camera he was carrying, just right for capturing all our mistakes! After forty minutes or so we were on our way again through Market Rasen, passed the race course and onto Sixhills. Fortunately we now had advantage of the wind and the short, sharp ascent to Sixhills really didn't present difficulty. Continuing to Ludford Magna, the consensus was to not stop at the Viking Way Garden Café but continue back to Louth.

By now the skies were getting overcast with rain-clouds brewing in the distance. Onward then to Great Tows where Sven forked left for Binbrook, the remaining three carrying on to Kelstern and North Elkington, which is where we saw that a shower had recently been through - would we get back in the dry?

A satisfying fast descent to Fotherby and then to Little Grimsby where the first drops of rain were felt. We weren't to be lucky as a sudden downpour just prior to reaching the leisure centre at 14.15 meant a bit of drying out would be required later. 45 miles covered, around 2200ft of climbing, most of it in the dry ... a good day.

Sven's video is available to view on Cycling UK Louth's 'WhatsApp'

(AGM report to follow soon).