No takers for Five Miles today so a single group of seven soaked women gathered at Morrisons. The rain was meant to ease as the morning progressed, but not before it got very heavy just as we were all riding to the start.
A route adjustment to suit the conditions was made, a straightforward out and back along the Alban Way to Old Hatfield. The advantage of grim weather is a quieter Alban Way, although there were a few determined people besides ourselves walking or cycling in waterproofs.
Autumnal leaf colour on the trees and on the path
Through the Blackberry Arch, the halfway point between St Albans and Hatfield.
We went all the way along the Alban Way to cross the ECML and emerge on the Great North Road. A short way along the A1000 Hertford Road cycle route, then south on NCN12 onto the Old Hertford Road and along Park Street and through to Old Hatfield, where we turned into Salisbury Square.
This is currently undergoing redevelopment, we had to walk along a hoarded passageway to gain Sustain Coffee. This excellent coffee roastery is open for coffee and other hot and cold drinks from 9am to 1pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Yes, those are sacks of coffee behind us. The actual roaster is just out of sight to the left.
With the usual onward route through the car park unavailable due to being full of diggers we walked around and had to do a little bit of cyclocross - up some steps and along a well-worn verge path. This brought us out by the Great Northern pub and we used the shared footway to get back to the Alban Way. The sun actually started to come out as we came back into St Albans. Ride length about 20km / 13 miles.
