Cottonmill Community and Cycling Centre

For years people have been saying 'if only St Albans had a cycle hub'.  And now, the Cottonmill and Sopwell community, with support from Verulam Cycling Club (who organise youth cycling at the Hub site) and other local organisations and St Albans District Council, are making it happen!  Years of campaigning and consulting and the building is now being built.

However, in spite of all the fundraising effort and successful grant applications, because of rising costs there is a budget shortfall.  If you would like to help with closing the funding gap, head over to the Cottonmill and Sopwell Hub website for details of the Crowdfunder and also contact info if you are a business that would like to donate rewards or sponsor the project.

The target for Crowdfunder (ie donations from individual people) is £20,000, and this will pay for:

- a Changing Places toilet

- kitting out the Community Kitchen

- creating the Quiet Room

- building the all-ability Cycling Track

The Hub will be a boon for Five Miles to Fabulous, giving us a starting point further west and also access to a cycle workshop and refreshments.

Saturday 13 November 2021 - Further Faster Lazy Llama

Seven of us set out along the Alban Way to Verulamium Park, where the Park Run had just finished. We all managed to cycle up The Causeway, although we were panting at the top! We went along the King Harry Lane path to the Hemel Hempstead Road, then up Bedmond Lane to Potters Crouch. The ride was a figure-of-eight, as we went past Potters Crouch Farm and down Blunts Lane, over the motorway to Whitehouse Lane and Sergehill, turning right into Bedmond Lane. Then back up to Potters Crouch Farm and this time going past Plaistows Farm and along Noke Lane. We cycled on the path at the Noke and joined the road into Chiswell Green. We cut down to Greenwood Park and stopped at the Lazy Llama café, where the service was very efficient. Aly split off there as she lived close by, and the rest of us cycled through the wood, joined Watford Road, then down Robert Avenue to Vesta Avenue. We then went through by the garages onto Abbots Avenue West, then Berners Drive and back on the Alban Way to Morrisons. We cycled nearly 15 miles. The weather was dry with no wind. Everyone enjoyed the ride and was pleased to be out in the fresh air.

Saturday 6 November 2021 - Hatfield

Our simple booking system did its thing again, coping well with a little flurry of late adjustments.  Planned leader was Rona, but she was on the sick list.  However, with a squad of 'regulars' booked on and a late leader substitution courtesy of Angela, the ride went ahead in a spirit of fabulous capability.

It went quite a way east in fact:

5 of us had a gentle cycle ride to Hatfield
Plenty of time for a nice coffee stop (Erols)
And home easy by lunchtime.

That is the ride report.

No photo attached, but submitted along with the ride report was an instruction to arrange good weather for an season-closing ride in early December.  Check your emails in due course....

If you fancy stopping off at Erol's, here is the gen: Erol's Cafe - Cafe (business.site)