Saturday 4 December 2021 - West End Barns

Hertfordshire County Council works on Jersey Lane were over-running, which meant Plan B was being considered, but they obligingly got on with it and re-opened the route on Friday.  Our last ride of the season, and it was bright but correspondingly cold.

We were a group of ten today, we split into two groups -Teresa took three and Angela and Rona led the other four.

The Further Faster foursome set off on a loop around Oaklands and Symondshyde.  The Fabulous six headed for Jersey Lane and enjoyed shiny new tarmac between Sandringham Crescent and House Lane.  There were a couple of highway workers tidying up the verges.  Through Sandridge and onto the multi-user path along the edge of Heartwood and Nomansland.

As we crested the rise and dropped down across the common we spotted the FF riders dashing along Ferrers Lane.  They were a bit far ahead for us to catch them up, so we did not get to tuck in behind them but had to bash into the headwind ourselves.

There is plenty of cycle parking at West End Barns, we didn't quite fill it all.

And there was plenty of seating out the wind in the barn, we didn't quite fill that either, even allowing for only seven of us in the picture.

This was a first visit to this award-winning weekend cafe in a farmyard for most of our group.  If you plan on a return visit, get there next weekend (11/12) as they are closing for the season after that.  Open Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 4pm. More about West End Barns on Facebook.

There was a bit of group-shuffling for the return ride, depending on where people were planning to peel off en route.  We enjoyed a tailwind across Nomansland.

It was so enjoyable that the slower group decided to carry on along Drovers Lane, bit puddly.

We enjoyed the fresh surface on Jersey Lane again, in contrast the track through Oaklands was .... textured.

This was quite a long ride, especially for the slower group, we covered eleven miles to and from Morrisons and the faster group did about fifteen miles.

We now take a break from organised rides, so compliments of the season to all our friends.

We traditionally get going again in early March, celebrating International Women's Day - click here for info, the 2022 theme is 

Equality today for a sustainable tomorrow