Going Global via Harpenden

Not the usual 5MTF - a Sunday afternoon ride, although a Harpenden start is not a first.  Having a lady actually from Harpenden coming on the ride was though!  We rolled off in the sunshine and were soon admiring the Ambrose Lane ramp access to the Nickey Line.  Having a local with us brought local advice to divert and admire the bluebells in Knott Wood.  Stunning.

On to Redbourn and into the Hub, café and cyclists' refuge.

The ride today was celebrating and honouring quite a few things.  Sunday 10 May is Global Woman's Cycle Day: Ride with us as we Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present, Empower the Future of Women in Cycling. 5MTF in a nutshell.  Rona shows the logos, at the same time wearing a pink hat (Giro d' Italia) featuring Plowman Craven (former cycling team associated with the Hub, sponsored by Harpenden specialist survey firm).

We completed our loop via Redbournbury Mill, the Ver meadows and Beesonend.  The St Albans contingent came through Childwickbury to Batchwood, admiring the rhododendrons on the way past.

Bluebells at the start of summer

Five of us headed off in search of bluebells, taking advantage of a preceding dry spell to get onto tracks.

Wet roads to start with, but drying in the breeze and occasional sunshine.  We went out by Sandridgebury Lane, then took the bridleway that goes across Heartwood Forest to Ayres End Lane.  Plenty of bluebells here, visible from the track.  And, it must be summer already, because we saw swallows!  A bit further on, a kestrel hovered. The reason these write-ups tend to turn from ‘ride report’ into nature notes is that going slowly, as we do, we can easily catch sight of flora and fauna, and stop to admire or investigate.  Across East Common and then down Cross Lane into Southdown for coffee at Jay’s.

Our return route was straightforwardly on-road to start with, back out Grove Road and then Pipers Lane and up Ayres End Lane, then down to Nomansland, gorse in flower.  We then headed onto Nomansland itself (cycling on paths is permitted) to join the recently enhanced track parallel to the B Road to get to Sandridge.  We chose to return to the start point via Jersey Lane (pictured), Oaklands and the Alban Way.  The whole loop was just shy of fourteen miles.

Make It Happen - celebrating International Women's Day

The spring was certainly happening on our first ride of our 2015 programme.  Two regular Fabs and two new recruits joined the leader on a lovely sunny morning.  We headed west along the Alban Way, then up to the Watford Road using the NCN6 route.  It was not quite time to stop for coffee so we did a loop along Ragged Hall Lane to Potters Crouch then back into Chiswell Green Lane.  The snowdrops looked great.

This was a try-something-new ride, the new being a café only just opened.  Leader did not know exactly where the café was, and hence had a bit of a route malfunction involving unnecessary roundabout revolutions - or roadcraft practice as she terms it.  The backmarker had more sense and asked a passing local where the new café was.

Gentle reader, the café is called Bhaker House and is at grid reference TL 133 044, or 339 Watford Road if you prefer.  We enjoyed good coffee and cake, and were made to feel very welcome.  The café is run by two sisters,  so a good choice for an IWD ride.

We varied our return route by using the track through Greenwood Park.  Our total mileage was in fact ten miles today.  Anyone who suggests that five or even ten miles is not a very long ride..... it's further than nothing.

2015 Rides List

Date 2015	Start*	Leader	Time	Ride Notes
Saturday 7 March	Morrisons, St Albans	Rona	0930h	First of 2015 - give your bike a check before you come out!
Saturday 25 April	Morrisons, St Albans	Rona	0930h	Bluebells
Sunday 10 May	Harpenden Railway Station	Rona	1400h	Global Women's Cycle Day
Saturday 13 June	Morrisons, St Albans	Rona	0930h	Bike Week
Sunday 5 July Saturday 18 July	Redbourn Morrisons, St Albans	- Rona	pm/eve 0930h	Fete du Velo Shenley to meet the Saunter
Saturday 19 September	Morrisons, St Albans	Rona	0930h	Open Studios ride - see www.hvaf.org.uk
Saturday 17 October	Morrisons, St Albans	Rona	0930h	This year celebrating This Girl Can
Saturday 21 November	RIDE CANCELLED	Rona	0930h	Sustainable St Albans ride

Green Ring Reprise

Six riders again this month, for our final ride of 2014.  We were revisiting the Green Ring, to see what has happened in the last 12 months.  First off, big round of applause for St Albans District Council's Alban Way improvement - the retaining wall by the oak tree just west of Sutton Road.  We stayed on road around Hatfield Road - quiet at 09:30h on a Saturday morning - and up Woodstock Road and Jennings Road.  It is a gradual uphill here, we were glad to get over the railway bridge and onto Lemsford Road.  This time last year the bridge was closed for water main works.

Since last year a raised table has been built, so it was easy to get onto Lemsford Road itself for a short way, then we walked up through the woodland alongside Sandpit Lane. The official notice to upgrade the informal path through this 'common land' was posted in the paper this week.  We walked over to cross where the toucan crossing will be installed, walked up the footway and then rode along Heath Road and Boundary Road.

Over Sandridge Road onto Bernards Heath, where youngsters were setting up some sort of training session - the very youngest waved at us!  This section across the heath has already been upgraded for the Green Ring.  The next section from Heath Farm to Harpenden Road is also still at statutory formalities stage - that white square in the photo is an official notice!

We did not fancy a muddy path today, so rode carefully down Heath Farm Road and crossed straight over the Harpenden Road.  There is to be a toucan crossing, a bit further down.  As there was no-one on the pavement, we rode slowly along.  But this was too flagrant for a man on the other side, who actually crossed the road to harangue our back marker.  Oh dear, bit embarrassing. The more so since none of us would normally ride this bit of pavement, we have alternative routes for our usual journeys.  Anyway, we were soon on legitimate shared use pavement and NCN6 to Batchwood Drive.  The footway starts off as shared use here, and there is no actual end of route sign.  But we did go with great care on the narrower section along to Everlasting Lane, where we were back on road through Ladies Grove to Downedge, then a quick footway link to Oysterfields.

The crossing of Verulam Road is at design stage, we deemed it preferable to just ride on the road through to Branch Road and St Michaels round to Verulamium Park. Lots of activity in the park, kids scooting, cycling and playing and adults pounding along with rucksacks doing 'warrior fitness'.  From here on the Green Ring is almost all done, save upgrading the crossing of Holywell Hill to toucan and installing a raised table at the Prospect Road junction.  The footway is signed for shared use from Prospect Road round to Griffiths Way and along to the level crossing.  Back onto the Alban Way, we were ready for coffee.

We went to Sandino's on Hatfield Road for our refreshment and perusal of maps and plans.  Having missed out on art in September, we took advantage of the pop-up art gallery at 131 Hatfield Road, where steampunk pieces made of bicycle components were displayed on a table made out of an old road-sign.  And the lamp has a cycle chain pull-cord.

The gallery is open until late December, the art changes from week to week. More info, including gallery opening times and pictures of more artworks can be found at www.clivebatkin.wordpress.com

Three orchards and two ponds

Six riders today, half of them sporting hi-viz pannier covers as issued by the Community Safety Partnership last year - see pink panel picture.

We set off east along the Albans Way, then turned off at Hixberry Lane to get to Highfield Park.  Our first orchard was part of Hill End Hospital.  The season has been early this year, so there were some windfalls to be gathered, but not very many compared to the same ride last year.  Lots of sweet chestnuts though, as we rode west to the former Cell Barnes Hospital orchard, and stopped to study the information board.

Which led us to look for the pond mentioned thereon.  Highfield Park is brilliant if you are interested in trees, orchards and history. We then put in a loop, down Nightingale Lane, along the A414 and back up Highfield Lane, then we headed along to London Road and down to Ayletts for coffee.  Five miles covered so far.

To our delight, we found that Ayletts was running an apple festival over the weekend, with interesting varieties to taste and purchase, also apple juice and apple crisps.

We decided there was time to fit in yet another orchard, so we went round by Napsbury Lane and New Barnes Mill to the east end of the Alban Way.  You get a good view of the Watercress Local Nature Reserve from the Alban Way. It is tucked in between the Ver, the Alban Way and Riverside Road.

We took the little path from the Alban Way down to the end of Riverside Road and went for a wander around, thus gaining pond number two ('the mere') and orchard number three for our ride. The spring-fed mere was once watercress beds. The whole site had become a dump and was restored by local people.  The reserve is very well managed by the Watercress Wildlife Association. Visitors are encouraged to arrive by foot or pedal power - there is cycle parking. It is a wonderful, tranquil place to get close

Southdown Trot

After carefully perusing the Open Studios booklet, we decided to revisit Frogs Folly in Southdown.  5MTF went there in  2012, but none of the three who met the leader at Morrisons on a grey September morning had been on that ride.  So we set off up Woodstock Road, heading for Sandridgebury Lane.  Offered the option of rough but traffic free track or going around on the tarmac, the preference was for the track.  So off we went heading for Ayers End Lane.  We managed the uphill with ease, stopping courteously as one should to let a horse and rider past.  The downhill was a bit trickier, being a bit rough and gravelly and some of us chose to walk.

We decided on a bit of an explore, two of those present are involved with the Cycle Campaign's work on the revision of the St Albans District Cycle map, and Cross Lane was not familiar to us.  Super route - a chat with a dog walker and some more horse riders made it a sociable route too.
This brought us nicely to the eastern edge of Southdown and our intended studio.  Puzzled by lack of hi-viz flags, we checked the booklet.  Oops, seven days too early.  (Should've gone to Specsavers.) Not to worry, we admired ceramics and cake and photographs at Jay's delicatessen in Southdown.

Having established our walking credentials, it was obvious that we should take the footpath through to Ferrers Lane. Then we rode on a Nomansland path (as is permitted) and back to Sandridge using the track parallel to the B road.

Back into St Albans by Jersey Lane.