Saturday 31 May 2025 - hilly lanes and flat tyres

Sunny and warm, eleven riders out today.  Let's begin with the account of the Further Faster group of seven:

We did a big loop over to Ayot St Lawrence. From Sandridge we took the bridleway across Nomansland, then cycled on the lanes through Amwell. We were on the busy Wheathampstead Road for a short while then went down Leasey Bridge Road, being careful of the gravel. 

Crossing Lower Luton Road to Marshall's Heath, we experienced more traffic than usual, all the way to Gustard Wood, where we discovered that the road into Wheathampstead was closed! These drivers were short-cutting the official diversion route.  You can check for roadworks at One.Network, but we tend to forget to do this when route-planning, oops.

After this it was much quieter, along the lanes to Ayot St Lawrence, past Shaw’s Corner and down Bride Hall Lane,  more gravelly bits to look out for.

Not far now, along Codicote Road and down to get coffee from a very busy Loafing in Wheathampstead. We had our coffee in the gardens by the Crinkle Crankle wall.

We were eventually joined by the other group for a chat and a full group photo.

Then we returned via Beech Hyde Lane and Coleman Green Lane. Our group split up from Sandridge, with some going up Sandridgebury Lane, and others going via House Lane and Jersey Lane or Oaklands. Our ride was 19.5 miles.

The slow and Fabulous group of four headed off up Woodstock Road and then down to Jersey Lane, which was delightfully shady and cool.  Through Sandridge and onto the path over to Nomansland, enjoying fabulous daisies, the picture does not do them justice.

We continued across Ferrers Lane on the path, then took Dyke Lane then Caesars Road and Conqueror's Hill into Wheathampstead.  Oh no! a flat tyre.  Two went ahead to bag seats in Loafing's shady riverside terrace, the other two walked along.  Much fettling and faffing, the patched tube was not holding air and the pumps - yes, three of us got our different pumps out - were being recalcitrant.  Eventually coffee and buns were consumed, a spare tube was found and order was restored. And swans and cygnets were admired.

Shout out to The Electric Bike Vault who kindly loaned us the shop track pump to get full pressure.  We joined the faster group in the garden for a chinwag and group selfie, before returning via our outward route.  Just as we approached Sandridge, oh no! another puncture, rear tyre this time.

Swiftly patched, unfortunately not entirely effectively, we crept back to St Albans with intermittent stops for reinflation.  Twelve miles covered.

Saturday 28 April - cold day, hot coffee

Somewhat 'atmospheric' weather today, grey and cool with wraiths of low cloud.  Numbers down on previous packed rides, there were nine of us in total. Our destination was Sustain coffee roastery in Old Hatfield, making use of the Alban Way.

The slower group set off first, three of them from the start and a latecomer in hot pursuit - 'slow' is relative, they were well into Hatfield before the chaser caught them.  It was quiet, not many runners and walkers.

In the green space just west of Homestead Road / Ground Lane they admired the drifts of miniature tulips and grape hyacinths in full bloom.

They continued onward through Old Hatfield to Sustain in Salisbury Square where they settled in to await the others.

The faster five followed on, enjoying the burgeoning greenery along the Alban Way.

At Ellenbrook they turned off to ride through the de Havilland estate and past the expensive car showrooms before joining the cycle track alongside Comet Way at Birchwood and following that along to Stanborough Lakes.  It was nice to get into the park and away from the traffic, riding gently along past the anglers.  A couple of bold ducks were helping themselves from the bait bucket of one unsuspecting fisherman.  Under the railway, through the fields and then west on NCN61 and onto NCN12 through Old Hatfield..  They thought the slower group might already have been and gone, but there were their bikes, so more bikes were added to the pile and we were all together inside.  Oh gosh it's good coffee!

Refreshed, sustained even, we reformed our groups, three set off swiftly for an early return, one set off south on a longer ride and the residual five ambled along the Alban Way.....

..... with a diversion along Wilkins Green Lane to admire architecture at Torilla and Nast Hyde House and to glimpse alpacas.

The shorter ride was 12 miles and the longer was 14 miles.

Saturday 5 April 2025 - glorious sunshine

We had another well-attended ride, split into two groups both heading for West End Barns.  For a change we had Teresa in charge of the 'relaxed' group and Rona leading the 'athletic' group. 

Teresa led the group of five along the Alban Way then on the bridleway through the Oaklands College grounds, saying hello to the alpacas.

From House Lane it was through the houses up to Jersey Lane and on to Sandridge.  Proceeding along the multiuser path across Nomansland the group were soon ensconced at West End Barns, almost six miles covered, 120 feet of climbing.

Rona led the group of eight up Woodstock Road and Homewood Road and then down Marshals Drive to Jersey Lane.  From Sandridge they headed up and over Woodstock Hill.

A quick blast along Coopers Green Lane - thank you considerate van driver - and we were wending through Symondshyde Woods, a delightful ascent to Coleman Green.

We enjoyed the downhill then spun across Nomansland and into the farmyard to join the others, 8.5 miles covered, 344 feet of climbing.

We enjoyed our coffee stop together, this is such a lovely place with great coffee, food and ice cream.

For the return leg groups remixed, choice depending on preferred return route, and one headed off direct for home. The rest headed back along the multi-user path to Sandridge.

From there, six returned via Jersey Lane, six returned via Sandridgebury Lane, riders peeling off for home as we went.

Traffic seemed quieter today on the whole, perhaps because it is the school holidays and the usual clubs were not happening.  There was plenty of running though, we saw Jersey Farm Park Run and orienteering on Nomansland.  Sandridge was as usual a bit fraught, this really needs to be 20mph.

Saturday 8 March 2025 - International Women's Day sunny and warm

 After a rather long, grey, wet winter, it was lovely to meet up again to start our 2025 ride programme on a sunny and warm morning.  There were rather a lot of us, 14 in fact.

We split into two groups, with Teresa and Lorna taking 8 with them on a circuit of Bricket Wood and Rona going off with 3 on a shorter loop via Potters Crouch, with both groups aiming for the Lazy Llama kiosk in Greenwood Park.

The faster group set off first along the Alban Way and duly ripped up the lanes: we went up to Chiswell Green via Robert Ave and Ragged Hall Lane, then along Stanley Avenue to then head up Chiswell Green Lane. Down Noke Lane, which was not as muddy or gravelly as expected! It took a long time to get across the A405 as there was so much fast traffic.  Lye Lane was quiet and Drop Lane was very peaceful. We came back up Smug Oak Lane, down through Park St and How Wood, over the A405 by footbridge and into Greenwood Park where we met the other group at the cafe. 

The slower group also set off along the Alban Way, which was quite busy -  as everyone was being considerate we were all happy.  We stopped to admire the Watercress Beds, then continued up NCN6.  From the Watford Road we peeled off onto Ragged Hall Lane and paused to admire the gingerbread cottage.

We continued our meander up to Potters Crouch, with an entertaining rest stop by the pond at East Farm, much quacking as spring fever energised the ducks.  On our way down towards Chiswell Green we admired the giant creature eating a leaf at the Royal Entomological Society offices.

We were first to the coffee stop and bagged a table in the sun, and in due course the rest arrived and bagged more sunny seats.

There was mingling over coffee and then rearranging of groups for the return.  After enjoying the lovely track through the woods, then taking great care on the gravelly descent by the allotments, one lot went back via Robert Avenue to return to Fleetville and the other lot headed through by Netherway and Verulamium Park for points onward around the north of the city.

Hard to define ride milage, as everyone covers a different distance to and from the start, but the 'Fabulous' ride was of the order of 10 miles and the 'Further Faster' ride was about 15 miles.