June 2015 Ride Reports
7th June 2015 : "Short" Ride to Blackmore Tea Rooms
7members of havering set off from Upminster.alan ray Gordon chan sue peter new member Oscar and for his first ride out with us Jamie making 8 riders in all for a nice countryside ride to blackmore tea rooms. After eventually getting rays tyres on his new cycle to a ridable pressure we set off at an easy pace riding down nags head lane and up wigley tye lane and past south weald .We then took a round route to coxley green and through the beautiful countryside down windy days lane just as the sun was beginning to shine nicely..we then went onwards towards wyatts green cutting off just before we go there up cuttings lane towards blackmoe lane We then stretched our legs down blackmore lane where newby rider Jamie shot off to stretch his legs further meeting up with us at blackmore tea rooms where we all stopped off for a well deserved refreshment break..Then who should turn up but sat nav dave rowlands (he says he overslept but I think he just wanted to give us a head start) !! after refuelling and dave leaving us we then took the quicker route home down hay green lane towards hook end back through doddinghurst , pilgrims hatch and homeward bound to Upminster. A ride of roughly 29 miles on a beautiful sunny sunday in good company. Its days like this riding through the lanes and countryside when you realise what cycling is all about
Alan Pine
14th June 2015 : North Fambridge via Norton Heath with South Herts CTC and Forty Plus
A cloudy start for ten riders bound for Norton Heath via Doddinghurst and Blackmore.
A brief stop at Norton Heath café as we teamed up with a mixed group of 40+ and S Herts CTC riders. We were also joined by ex Havering rider, Peter Hadley.
Onwards into the drizzle to Pigstye Green and Newney Green where we picked up NCN1 through Chelmsford where Peter (a different Peter) left us.
The drizzle eased off on our way to East Hanningfield and Radar Hill then a bit of busy B road to get to North Fambridge.
In "The Ferryboat Inn" we found Sue Dorey had arrived by train and another ex Havering rider, Dan Pinner out for a short spin out of Wickford.
With Sue swelling our numbers we set off on a roller coaster ride to Cold Norton and Bicknacre ending up at "The Waters Edge" by Hanningfield Reservoir for our 3's stop.
After tea and cakes we said our goodbyes to S Herts & 40+ and set about the last leg via Billericay and Dunton. We ignored the "Road Closed" signs in Lower Dunton Road as "cyclists will always get through" but we nearly didn't as the roadworks turned out to be a massive excavation! We literally walked the plank to get across!
Back on the road we headed to Bulphan and Upminster totting up 75 miles in all.
Dave Rowlands
21st June 2015 : Rodney Inn, Little Baddow
slow service at the rodney on sunday !
but good lunch stop non the less !
taking a long route to coffe at blackmore for 11 oclock
then heading for little baddow cycling off road through the centre of chelmsford
a long lunch at the rodney 46 miles before lunch ( so i heard )
after lunch we returned via terling stopping again at blackmore for tea ( we all a bit exhausted !)
about 70 miles for the longest day of the year !
Kelvin Dane
28th June 2015 : Travellers' Friend, Epping Green
4 inrepids set off for a new route to epping green.alan Gordon chan and new ctc rider ian Tarrant..it was a bright humid morning as we set off from Upminster down nags head lane towards brentwood..up wigley bush lane and past old macdonalds farm through noak hill on the way to our first stop at staplefords airfield for coffee tea and general banter. The 2nd part of our journey took is into pastures new and proved to be quite hilly.down epping lane and up toward Theydon mount and fiddlers lane and then onto epping via stoppards hill through some beautiful country lanes. once past epping it pretty much straight road down Lindsay street and again past some wonderfull country side with a beautiful view of the lavender fields in the distance. On reaching up lands and just riding past the lavender fields we had the 1st hint of rain (strange though because the good old reliable weather on bbc1 had predicted no rain for rest of the day so it must have been our imagination)..but alas just as we arrived (15 mins before it opened may i add)at our destination the travellers rest at epping green the heavens decided to open where Gordon took great delight in trying to sell alan his rain jacket because alan had been a gullable numpty ,believed the bbc and not taken a rain jacket (boy scout moment here...always be prepared).
so after coffee tea ploughmas lunch and some general banter it was off on a wet but fast ride home..where alan started to struggle with the extra 10lbs of water he was carrying in his soaked clothes, It appeared to be a much faster ride home mostly down hill and at noaks hill we all split up and went our separate ways..Gordon ian and cham to get something to eat and alan to find a towel.To top it all just as I got home the sun came out and it had stopped raining,,,Hows your luck !!!!!
Alan Pine