Saturday 16 November 2019 - mystery tours to Marshalswick

Bit grey and cold, but twelve well-wrapped women mustered for our closing ride of the season.  Bearing in mind that weather in November can be not nice, we had decided that the St Mary's Marshalswick Christmas Fair was an excellent destination for all eventualities.  We split into two groups, with Teresa leading seven on a further faster route and Rona and Angela taking a group of five on a shorter meander.

The FF ladies shot off eastward, heading along the Alban Way, through Oaklands College, then looping to Sandridge via Nashe's Farm (they all got up the hill without walking) and Woodcock Hill.  They were surprised to meet the fabulous five coming towards them on Sandridgebury Lane.  

The five had meandered along the Green Ring, the Sandpit Lane section through the trees is lovely, all golden leafy today.  But the dismounts and barriers are such an irritation, especially to those with mobility impairment.  Yes, for plenty of people, including several of our group, cycling is easier than walking.  They peeled off the Green Ring at the Ancient Briton, slipping through to Sandridgebury Lane by Ellis Fields.  They were surprised to meet the faster seven coming the other way on Sandridgebury Lane!

The faster group headed on round by way of the King William junction, the fabulous group carried on via Jersey Lane and Hazelmere Road, and were greeted with "Aah! More cyclists!  Welcome!" as they proffered their 50ps at the church hall door.  The faster group had got there first and were just polishing off their coffee and cake, which was convenient as the fabulous could nab their seats.  The fair was going very well, and we can give a highly favourable report of the coffee, the tea, the cakes, the stalls and the knitted village

We all dispersed from Marshalswick, most of us with bulging panniers and baskets full of goodies.  The further faster group had completed 11.5 miles, the fabulous group had covered 6.5 miles.

Wednesday 6 November 2019 - Further Faster Ayot St Lawrence

Teresa reports: Six of us set out on a cold crisp morning to go to Ayot St Lawrence. We went via Sandridge, Ayres End Lane, Pipers Lane, Leasey Bridge Lane, Marshalls Heath Lane, Ballslough Hill and Bibbs Hall Lane. It was a beautiful, still day, with only a few puddles! And the sun shone for most of the morning. We came back along Bride Hall Lane and Codicote Road to Wheathampstead, where we stopped for coffee. We returned to St Albans via Marford Road, Beech Hyde Lane and Coleman Green Lane into Sandridge. Four of us split to go back along Jersey Lane, and two of us returned along  Sandridgebury Lane. We had completed 22 miles, but I enjoyed the ride so much, I forgot to take any photos.

Saturday 12 October 2019 - rainy ride

Seven of us gathered at the start point.  We have moved the meeting place slightly, we now congregate under Morrisons canopy more or less opposite the Woodstock Road junction, which keeps us dry and avoids causing congestion around the cycle stands.  For the ride we split the group into a Further Faster trio and a Fabulous four.

The FF group went sprinting off along the Alban Way, although they had to slow down a bit to scramble over the fallen tree.  They went up through Chiswell Green and Potters Crouch, crossed the Hemel Hempstead Road and along Beechtree Lane towards Gorhambury.  Oops, we had completely forgotten that Gorhambury Walk is closed to the public on Saturdays from 1 September to 1 February.  Fortunately, several Land Rovers drew up at the gate and disgorged people with guns, so our riders then remembered about the shooting season and instead of getting into trouble, headed back to the A4147 and hightailed it to Verulamium Park.  They were well ensconced in the Inn on the Park by the time the Fabulous four arrived.

The Fab four were actually five for much of the morning, as they picked up a late-running rider as they headed east along the Alban Way.  The quintet then wended their way through the orchards of Hill End and Cell Barnes Hospitals, now encompassed by Highfield Park.  There were still quite a few apples on trees and on the ground, but it was rainy and the group opted to keep riding.  They went all the way up London Road as far as the shared footway goes, crossed over at the toucan and headed down to the Watercress Wildlife Association nature reserve at the end of Riverside Road.

We almost don't want to tell you about this hidden gem, it is so secluded and peaceful.  It includes an orchard, and there were apples on sale.

The group parked up at the lovely cycle stands and headed for a wander, taking in the mere, the orchard and the various other habitats.

One rider opted for a shorter morning and headed for home at that point, the remaining four carried on to the Inn on the Park for coffee and chat.

The rain never quite let up but we still had an enjoyable morning.

Saturday 28 September 2019 - further faster to St Paul's Walden

The South Herts CTC Saturday Fun Ride is a good step up for fabulous women who want to stretch their ride effort, but this Saturday's was the very strenuous one to Chipperfield, which the further faster fabulous riders deemed a little too strenuous for the time being.  However, they have been itching to go out a day ride for some time, and on Saturday they quietly and informally ventured out on this ride organised by themselves.
This is absolutely brilliant, one of the aims of Five Miles to Fabulous is to give women the confidence to go cycling independently.
However, we have now created an official Further Faster Fabulous club ride, on Monday 7 October.

Teresa reports:

Seven of us met at Morrisons for our longer ride to St Paul’s Walden. We saw Neil assembling for his ride as well.  We went through Sandridge, Nomansland, Leasey Bridge, and Kimpton, a route which we had ridden previously. Then we took a new route (for us) up Claggy Lane and down into Whitwell where we stopped at Emily’s for a brunch. There was a gymkhana taking place there so lots of horse riders. We also saw a black squirrel in the field  - they are common around Hitchin / Letchworth*. We cycled up to St Paul’s Walden and went into the church where the late Queen Mother had worshipped. The photo is of some of the group on the memorial celebrating her life as Duchess of York, the Queen and Queen Mother.

Two of our group decided to return home, so waited for lifts back.  The rest of us took the route around Bullocks Hill, Crouch Green, Nup End and Rabley Heath, before skirting the edge of Codicote along the delightfully named Cowards Lane, to Codicote Road and Wheathampstead, then Sandridge and home.  The weather was fair, with a few light showers. We rode along some lovely quiet lanes north of Codicote, and felt a great achievement at completing this long ride of 33 miles.

* First black squirrel sighting was Letchworth in 1912, not sure why latest report from BBC says Woburn.  

Saturday 21 September - Open Studios

The Indian Summer continues, another warm and sunny day.  Eight of us went in search of art. 
There was a higher than usual number of idiot males out today.  We won't sully our blog with those idiots and the inadequate, inconsiderate  <rude noun of your choice>s.  Brickbats to them. 
Bouquets to the competent, considerate and charming gentlemen and women we met along the way, be they walking, cycling or driving.
Our route was a loop through Sandridge, out Sandridgebury Lane and back in by Jersey Lane and the bridleway across Oaklands.  Sections of the tarmac on Jersey Lane have been re-laid, across the full width of the highway, which shows just how much available width has been lost to encroaching vegetation.
Having given you lots of floral pictures from our last ride, here is an animal this time, an Oaklands alpaca.

Our Open Studio this year was the Green Kitchen on Hatfield Road.  We heaped up our bikes outside, and went in.  How wonderful, the central table was just the right size for our group, and the food and welcome were lovely.

The featured artist is Claire Miles, a very interesting and varied set of prints on display.  More information here: https://www.hvaf.org.uk/galleries/claire-miles

We returned to Morrisons along the Alban Way, having covered about eight miles.

Saturday 7 September 2019 - autumn festival - way to go

Six of us gathered at Morrisons, we now meet under the canopy just past the trolleys, as it can get a bit congested around the cycle stands.
Our fickle navigator had decided to forego studios in favour of dahlias.  We started off with a loop to Ellenbrook along the Alban Way, and we nearly gathered up a seventh rider.  We had stopped to sort out waterproofs and a lady cycling by stopped and asked for our group info.

A breather at Nast Hyde Halt, shall we cycle to Cornwall?  Not today, we pedalled along Wilkins Green Lane and then cut back through to the Alban Way on the little byway, making the most of the dry summer conditions under our wheels.

Over to Highfield Park, the apples are early this year, already lots of windfalls in the orchard.  Then we made fairly directly for Ayletts and once there made fairly directly for the Dahlia Cafe.  

Our fabulous-ness got us some lovely feedback from a lady whom we had passed on the A414 path.  As you do, we had rung our bells to alert her to our presence and had slowed down to come by.  She came over to tell us that she had appreciated our courtesy.

Once we had had our coffee, we headed over to the Dahlia Marquee.  The spectacular display had transport as its theme "Way to Go" and cycling was well represented.

We carried on to the Dahlia Field, stunning.

And then we popped in to Butterfly Corner.

Back to Fleetville via Highfield and the Camp cycle route. We may have spent more time on coffee and floral sensations than we spent on cycling, and we still didn't take in all the wonders of the autumn festival, which runs until 15th September.  More details on Aylett Nurseries website.

We have another September ride date, so get browsing the Open Studios programme and come up with suggestions for the 21st.

Our recommendation for next weekend, no organised ride, but as part of Heritage Open Days there are displays and activities at Smallford Station on the Alban Way.  Colney Heath WI are providing light refreshments. More about HODS event here and more about the station here.

Saturday 6 July 2019 - Women's Festival of Cycling

We have decided to relocate our meeting point ever so slightly - it can get congested with shoppers at the cycle stands so we are gathering just a bit along, past the trolleys and under the canopy.  To make it really clear, we strung up some of our #Women'sFestivalOfCycling bunting

We split the group into a Further Faster and a merely Fabulous option.  Teresa took three riders on the longer, hillier route through Gorhambury and Potters Crouch, Angela and Rona led the other three riders via NCN6, all converging on Greenwood Park.

The Alban Way was lush and green. blackbirds singing with gusto.  It was cooler than recent days.  We had a stop at London Road station to admire the railway infrastructure.

I think this is a delightful picture: one of our fabulous women, modern active travel sign and vestiges of railway communications (those brackets mounted on the bridge abutment) and a St Albans flag, part of a mural.  Lovely greenery in the background too. Our ride ethos in a nutshell - friendship, environment, culture and enjoyment.

This is the London Road station, still in use, it is now a nursery.

Onward and somewhat upward, we were soon in Chiswell Green, a pleasant downhill brought us to Greenwood Park and our coffee stop.

The Further Faster group took a while to reach the rendezvous, which was fine as we carried on with our sports without them.  Our frisbee proficiency is really remarkable.  Once we had all enjoyed coffee, rolls and cake from the Greenwood Cafe the fabulous awards were given out.

We were joined briefly at this point by one of our regular riders, just back from being away and not in time to get to the start of the ride, but she had ridden up to the park to find us.  We left her enjoying her coffee, and the rest of us rode back in one group, along the old track through Greenwood Park, a nip through at Netherway and down through Verulamium Park.

Saturday 8 June 2019 - Bike Week

The magnificent seven put on their colourful capes and went for a cycle ride, Teresa in the lead.
The Alban Way was lush and green.

Good news - the verges have had a strim, so the chances of nettles stinging your knees or cow parsley catching in your wheels are much reduced.  The roses and elderflowers were lovely, that stretch between Smallford and Nast Hyde Halt is beautiful and clips from handlebar-cam footage don't do them justice.

As the group was all people who have been out before and as it had rained quite a bit, we left out the intended off-road exploration of Ellenbrook Fields and everyone did the further faster loop through the College Lane campus and around Bullen's Green and Colney Heath.

It was beginning to brighten up by the time we reached Bullen's Green, and the headwind soon dried us off.  We appreciated the considerate drivers through Colney Heath, not what you always get. We partook of refreshments at Notcutts and then headed back along the Alban Way.  About eleven miles

Saturday 11 May 2019 - #SustFest19

We had eleven riders enjoying sustainable transport this morning, with our ride being one of the first events in the Sustainable St Albans Festival programme.  We were delighted to have Catherine, one of the #SustFest19 organisers, with us. 
Bit grey and chilly as we set off, but we did get some sunny spells along the way.

We headed along the Alban Way as far as Hill End Lane, then we wended our way through Highfield Park, with a pause for an official #SustFest19 group photo.  

See the official tweet at : https://twitter.com/SustFest19/status/1127183788419768320
Highfield Park is a lovely place to cycle, with lots of trees.  The path is a bit bumpy, so the action shots are a little blurred.

We did the loop down Nightingale Lane, along the A414 cycle track and then up Highfield Lane, through the southern part of Highfield Park, and onward to London Road.  More woodland on the Herons Way bridleway, then it was a quick downhill run  to Ayletts for our coffee stop.
Ayletts are also participating in #SustFest19, here is their display.

We enjoyed coffee and cake in the Dahlia Cafe, then headed back to Morrisons via London Road, Highfield Park and the Camp Cycle Route.  We rode about 8.5miles, here is a screen shot of the route.

South Herts Cyclists will be supporting the St Albans Cycle Campaign at the #SustFest19 #MarketTakeover on Sunday 19 May, so do come along if you want any more information.

Saturday 13 April - through the woods

Sunny, but a cold edge in the breeze.  Eleven riders gathered, we welcomed three who were new to 5MTF. After a spell of mostly dry weather, it was an opportunity to get on the bridleways.
We set off on a northern loop, going up to the King William junction, and through to Sandridgebury Lane.  We took care not to go excessively fast.

The bridleway through Heartwood as delightful as ever, blossom and green leaf buds bursting.  

Too early for bluebells but we did meet some horse riders to give way to.

It was too cold to stop and pose for pictures, you are getting the action shots again.  Here we are coming up to Ayers End Lane.

Back on tarmac we headed west to the Harpenden Road, then south, then we turned off into the Childwickbury estate.  We took the bridleway, great views across the Ver Valley as you emerge from the woodland.

All downhill from here to our refreshment stop at the Inn on the Park.  We were already shedding riders by then, and most then headed for home from the Inn, but those of us who returned to Morrisons along the Alban Way had covered nearly eleven miles.

Saturday 9 March 2019 - International Women's Day

A rather grey morning, nine of us mustered, my selfie skills need a bit of polishing as only eight of us are in the picture.  And the IWD posters are actually last year's, the theme this year is Balance for Better.  It was really good to get most of the gang together again and kick off our 2019 rides programme.
We decided we were going to Sandridge via Verulamium.  Off we went along the Alban Way, and along a relatively peaceful Prospect Road and into Verulamium Park.  We had hoped the park run would have dispersed by then, but it hadn't entirely and we crept along the rather congested path.  And it began to rain.
Once through St Michaels we were able to get going a bit, using the Green Ring to get to NCN6, then we headed along Sandridgebury Lane.  Having made good time, and with the weather improving, we decided on an extra loop.  Off we went along Coleman Green Lane, then Tower Hill Lane, with daffodils to enjoy and floods to ford.

We descended Hammonds Lane and headed into the headwind and back into Sandridge.  The Heartwood Tearooms did not have room for all of us, and it was just a little too blustery to sit outside, and clouds still threatened, so we split the ride.  Four squeezed into the tearoom and five carried on to Marshalswick for hot drinks and buns at Simmons.

All in all, a bit of an epic first outing of the year, looking forward to the next.