Cole Green Way

Have been staying intermittently with my sister in Welwyn Garden City recently. Am happy to report that I can get there from my Herts base almost entirely off-road via the Sustrans route to Ware and Hertford (towpath), then the Cole Green Way (disused railway) to the outskirts of WGC, and cycle paths to the town centre. Gently uphill all the way, but v pleasant.

Silver Ball shuts at 2pm on Sundays

The East Herts countryside looks so good at the moment - green and lush. Did the time-honoured ride over Perriwinkle Hill - with views of the Cambridgeshire plains - to the Silver Ball at Reed. Hello Ace was there as usual with his motorcycling pals and glass of milk. He is just back from the Isle of Man and the 100th TT, full of stories.

Fishy

10th June, a lovely day. Action Man and I re-did the Bury to Clare ride. Excellent lunch again at the Globe in Clare - £9 for 3 courses. Not so much wildlife noticeable this time, although we did see what appeared to be a single dace near a load of trout in the Stour at Cavendish.

the bike show saved my life

Jack Thurston is back with the fantastic Resonance FM Bike Show podcast. Praise be. When getting-out-the-door difficulties become the norm, this show restores the will to cycle.

Road testing the tow path runner

The plan is to ride the 12 miles to one of my places of work - I go there twice a week on average. Most of the journey is do-able on the Lee towpath, and I need to be able to leave the bike lashed up whilst I'm at work without worrying too much about it getting nicked.

Introducing the new towpath runner....a 1937 BSA Gold Vase single speed. It is a birthday gift from Action Man, who was willed it by a friend who died last year. The friend had the bike from new, and did many many miles on it in the forties and fifties. Mick at Omega Cycles in Hoddesdon did a lovely job of restoring it to good working order and re-painting the frame.


Road testing on Saturday went well - a part towpath, part road, part cross country ride to a party at my parents' house in Watton-at-Stone, Herts. The last bit went through Bramfield Forest, which was full of bluebells and quite magnificent.

Easter mini tour of NW Suffolk

Action Man arrived on Easter Sunday with his rucksack and ill-formed plans for a two-day ride to Somewhere. We took all morning to find a suitable destination that had accomodation available, and set off in a Diss direction, following the delightful Low Road along the Waveney valley through tiny villages and then gorse-covered heathland up towards the Norfolk border, with the sound of a chime whistle from the Bressingham steam museum floating across on a lovely tail wind.

The wind made it an easy ride to our digs: the Cornwallis Hotel in Brome, near Eye. This beautiful Tudor hotel was perhaps a bit posher than we deserved after such modest efforts to get there, but never mind; we made up for it on the return leg with 50 miles against the wind.

Action Man is a big fan of Sandringham Class locomotives and he had spotted Quidenham on the map, whose Hall has a loco named after it. So from the hotel we looped north into Norfolk via Burston (see magnificent mill, pictured) and Shelfanger - this time hearing the sounds of a race meeting at Snetterton on the wind - to find Quidenham (pictured), now a Carmelite monestry.

West towards Newmarket

April Fool's Day. We headed West from Bury, blown along by a strong Easterly wind, and through the lovely rolling countryside of Little Saxham, Ousden, Upend (pictured - this spot hasn't changed; see here) into the horsey villages on the outskirts of Newmarket. The verges here are wide and beautifully kept; the roads deserted.

We were aimng for the King's Head at Dullingham, but found it closed for refurbishment and ended up at the Black Bull in Balsham for a very tasty roast dinner, served by friendly staff. A chap at the bar was complaining about something he'd read in his paper concerning a new version of darts, played with a square board. He was most unhappy. An April Fool.