Previous Chapter
Wednesday 23rd May 2007
Turnford to Duxford
A beautiful blue sky again this morning with temperatures forecast to be even hotter than yesterday. At least we will be out in the country and not have to suffer the heat of the big city with busses, lorries and cars racing by. Firstly we made our way back onto the Cycle Path of the River Lea and passed the pub 'The Fish and Eels'. The path carried on to the town of Hoddesdon where it became less well maintained, but we managed to follow the river for another mile to the RSPB reserve at Rye Meads just south of Stanstead Abbotts. Here we watched the Kingfishers on the Video Cam and then spent an hour walking round the reserve - although when we got to the hide overlooking their nests they were nowhere to be seen!
No cathedrals to visit today. The rest of the ride was to be through country lanes as we worked our way northwards through the villages of Hunsdon and Widford towards Much Hadham. At Widford a road sign
warned us of a road closure ahead - we didn't take too much notice of it. It is fairly rare for a road to be closed to the extent where pedestrians and bikes cannot get through. However the exception proves the rule! On the outskirts of Much Hadham we were confronted by a man in yellow overalls and just beyond a fence reaching right across the road. Our efforts to persuade him that we might be able to get through were to no avail, and so we had to retrace our path and add about 3 miles onto the route in order to reach the village another way. At least we were able to buy icecreams and our bread and salad for lunch in the village when we eventually got there. Another half hour and we stopped for lunch and sat down in a field just outside Clapgate with a lovely view across the rolling countryside.
After lunch we carried on northwards - but where were the tea stops? Our last cuppa was at the RSPB reserve, and being out of a machine didn't really rate very highly on the quality graph. Perhaps the village pub at Arkesden could supply us - no they had closed for the afternoon. However this is a very attractive village and I expect the property is very expensive hereabouts. So on again. Still no tea until we reach our destination at Duxford where the local pub provides us with an excellent pot of tea. 6 hours without a cup of tea - we will have to do better tomorrow!
Mileage today 38.0 miles Total mileage so far 198.5 miles