Waltham Windmill 15th June 2025

Notable today for being Father’s Day and also Cycling UK’s National Bike Week’s ‘Big Bike Brunch’ marking the 102nd running of Cycling UK’s cycling celebration. Bike Week started in 1923 as National Bicycle Week and the first event involved an 888-mile relay ride and a visit to Hyde Park and Buckingham Place, bringing the attention back to cycling as a means of transport at a time when the car was moving from being the preserve of the eccentric wealthy to the transportation mode for the masses.   

Today, a 40 mile ride to Waltham Windmill would suffice and meeting up at Louth’s Meridian Leisure Centre were Tim Newbery (who’d been away for a couple of weeks), Ty Harness, Rob Cook, John Rickett, Paul Linder, Chris Owen and a welcome return of Sven Livesey (having conquered the ‘Rebellion Way’ back in April). A cool and cloudy start but temperatures were eventually forecast to rise to a warm 23 Degrees Celsius in a westerly breeze.

 

Departing on schedule the route a familiar one through Brackenborough, the Covenhams, Fulstow and Tetney. So far all was well with Sven enjoying the ride having been off the bike for a couple of months, his new chain and cassette glistening brightly in the sun which was now valiantly breaking through the cloud.

 

Making sure we didn’t turn to the former ‘Four Candles’ in Holton le Clay, we’d head along Sustran’s NCN 110 Station Road to Waltham. 

 

The Waltham Windmill Centre now boasts two choices for referment; the Hvide Sande Danish Restaurant operating from the former railway carriage (a very fine looking menu) and the tried and tested ‘Back to Basics’ café which we plumped for. Great value and great service, our cafetières of coffee, scones and bacon butties all arriving together and in quick time. The proprietors also offered free Father’s Day gifts which on this occasion we politely declined. It was a lovely thought none the less.

With Chris Owen heading back to Cleethorpes, it would now be a push up into the Lincolnshire Wolds having had a flattish ride so far. At East Ravendale, unusually we’d head along the attractive ‘Wanderlust Way’ through West Ravendale and up to Round Hill. The cattle grids needed care to traverse safely. This area near Hatcliffe is very scenic at this time of year, the swathes of cow parsley growing as ‘high as an elephant’s eye’, An' it looks like it's climbing clear up in the sky. Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin', Oh, what a beautiful day (credit Gordon MacRae).

 

The Click’em Inn looked inviting but Tim was swayed to continue onwards along the undulating lanes to Kelstern, before Sven and John got too far out of sight. Poke Holes Lane would lead us to the famed Deserted Medieval Villages of South Cadeby and Calcethorpe, the Bluestone Heath Road then taking us up to today’s highest elevation of 470 ft AMSL. Great views of this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 

 

Fairly quiet on the birdlife count so far but Rob had indicated that we might soon see numbers of swift.

With a backwind and a steady descent to Hallington, we made quick time back to Louth, Sven taking a few photos on the way, arriving at the Leisure Centre about 1.45 pm. Thanks to Rob for the procurement of mugs of coffee. Very welcome.

 

40 miles covered by the Louth contingent. Some would now look forward to Rob’s ride to Southwell on Tuesday.

Tim’s ‘Relive’ video: https://www.relive.com/view/vE6J51wEpxO