Saturday 25 June 2022 - West End Barns

A pair of Further Faster riders set off prompt for a quick whip over to Wheathampstead for a coffee at The Brewhouse and an early return to St Albans to be back in time for Alban celebrations at the Abbey.

The Fabulous group was a bit delayed in setting off from Fleetville - rampant inflation is a bad thing unless you've got a soft tyre.  We were toiling until Angela produced this magnificent Zefal travelling footpump, and in no time at all we were ready to roll.  

[Update: we've checked - sadly, this particular model is no longer in the Zefal range.  See what your local bike shop can offer you instead.  Rona says the Topeak Morph pumps are good.  She has a Mini-Morph which works well on her 28mm tyres but struggles a bit with fatter tyres.  There is a Mountain Morph model more suited to fatter tyres.  They have a small fold-out foot.  Other makes are available!  Check your valve type - any bike shop should have some on the counter to let you point at they type you have.]

By popular request we made a return visit to West End Barns on Nomansland.  We had a straightforward ride over via Jersey Lane and the track alongside the B-road, then along Ferrers Lane to West End Barns.  A large Breeze group from Hemel had arrived just before us, so we had to lean our bikes up against whatever seemed sensible as the cycle parking was already overflowing.  There were six of us and 18 with Breeze.

West End Barns is a lovely place to visit, and the provender is great.  We were having a very good chat, but we did have to stir our stumps eventually and head back.

Dramatic skies as we rolled along Ferrers Lane!  We were just going to return the same route, although one of us had already peeled off to complete a loop via Ayres End. 

Verdant verges along the multi-user path parallel to the B651.  And then we were four as another headed home from Sandridge.  From Marshalwick we were three, all the way back to Fleetville together. 

This ride was out and back the same route and was just over ten miles.