Saturday 21 May 2022 - SustFest ride

We had nine and a half participants on our SustFest special rides.  The half was being towed in a trailer attached to his mum's bike!  We do designate our rides as 'for adult women', but under-fives that are connected to their adult can be included if practicable.

The ride started from Morrisons on Hatfield Road, here are most of us getting ready for the off.  We split into two groups, a slower, shorter 'Fabulous' group and a 'Further Faster' squad.

The Fabulous five-and-a-half headed out along the Alban Way. then turned into Highfield Park. 

The picture above shows the stately trees, the long grass and some new plantings, they are just little sticks at the moment. With care, we got the trailer through the gap at Hixberry Lane, but at Highfield Lane lifting was required.  We do need barriers to active travel to be removed!  Literally.

We headed down Highfield Lane then along the A414 cycle-path then up Nightingale Lane.  It made a change to ride this clockwise, we usually do this loop anti-clockwise.  We do need vegetation on active travel routes to be regularly trimmed - there were places where we needed to duck and where the path was down to single file.

Coffee was calling, so we sped along the cycle track on Highfield Park Drive and used the toucan crossing of London Road to get to the Herons Way bridleway.  This popped us out on Napsbury Lane, and in no time at all we were locking up at Aylett's cycle stands.  These are the best type, sturdy 'Sheffield' racks that support the bike when loading and let you securely lock the frame and wheels. And of course Ayletts can deliver your heavy or bulky purchases.

 

We had chosen the Seasons cafe at Ayletts for our coffee stop today because Ayletts was a  a SustFest Gold Sponsor in 2021 and do a lot to promote sustainability, as outlined on this webpage.  We had also chosen this cafe because it has lovely staff  (who take photos for us!) and serves good food and drinks.

We headed back along the A414 and up the London Road cycle route, back along Highfield Park Drive and then through Cell Barnes orchard with its long grass and meadow flowers.  We used the Camp Cycle Route to get back to Morrisons, having completed just short of eight miles.

The Further Faster foursome went along the Alban Way, through Oaklands, along House Lane and up Coleman Green Lane. House Lane was busier than expected, with fast moving traffic. We do need lower speed limits on urban roads and rural lanes to favour active travel. 

We turned off onto Drovers Lane, across to Nomansland then up to Amwell. This was quite a steep climb, but we all survived. We then had the lovely ride down Brewhouse Hill into Wheathampstead and the coffee stop. We were lucky to get some seats there, as many other cyclists were stopping for refreshments. 

We returned along Marford Road, up Beech Hyde Lane, over to Tower Hill Lane, and another nice ride down Hammonds Lane through Simonshyde Woods. Having warned everyone about how busy Coopers Green Lane is, there was no traffic as we went along it for a little way, before turning off up Woodcock Hill.  Another ride down Nashes Farm Lane brought us to House Lane again, and we split off for home at Sandpit Lane. The ride was just over 16 miles on a bright clear day.

And what has a sociable cycle ride to do with Sustainability?  These rides began in 2007, when Cycling UK noticed that there were a lot of women who 'wanted to cycle but...'.  They had cycled in the past but had lost confidence, or just needed a nudge.  To help overcome the concerns these women had, Cycling UK encouraged local groups to put on easy-paced rides with a supportive vibe to help women feel comfortable with getting back on their bike.  Group rides are a great way to learn local routes.  Over 80 women have ridden at least once with our group.  A number continue to enjoy our gentle, sociable rides; having re-booted their riding, many now use their bike for convenient and environmentally-friendly transport as well as for the physical and mental health benefits cycling brings.  

Saturday 30 April 2022 - Southdown via Redbourn

Forecast said cold, and it was not hot, but it was sunny, gloriously so.  Seven of us set off from Fleetville on a fairly ambitious route suitable for a sunny day.  Out via Homewood Road, King Will, Ancient Briton and on up the Harpenden Road.  Although the cycle track is bumpy, it is a relief to be free of the traffic.  The verge has just been well trimmed, tidy along the edge, left to grow long by the hedge.

A lovely freewheel down Beesonend Lane brought us out at Redbournbury.  Ongoing erosion at the ford means the path is getting trickier and trickier, but we managed, no-one got wet!

It was very busy at the mill, lots of people buying bread.  We carried on to Redbourn, using the path next to the road, it has been 'sided', but it's still a narrow, rough path.  We rode around the common instead of up the High Street, re-joined the 'A5' at the north end of the village and continued northward, then turned into Luton Lane and scuttled across the A5183 to get onto lanes to Harpenden.

It was tiresome to be in the traffic again through Leyton Green, but we made it through to Southdown via Rothhamstead and Cravells Road.  We filled the cycle stands at the bottom of Piggotshill, and we overflowed the bench - could we have another one installed please so that we can all have a seat while we enjoy our drinks and cakes from Simmons?

Back to St Albans via Cross Lane and West Common, and through beautiful Childwickbury.

One had already peeled off, and from Batchwood we were dropping out for home, the last of the group heading through Verulamium Park and onto the Alban Way.  The ride was around 19 miles if you got all the way back to Morrisons.

Saturday 23 April 2022 - Ellenbrook Fields

 Mild and breezy, fairly overcast.  Just a Fabulous group out this morning. We decided to evade the easterly headwind by sneaking along in shelter of the Alban Way.  As it has been dry for some time we opted for some off-road options.  Firstly we cut down a byway from the Alban Way to Wilkins Green, then we went for an explore in Ellenbrook Fields.

We headed north and got as far as the memorial, then we backtracked and headed along the taxiway, then along the grass sward next to the hedge to bring us out by Notcutts.

We are unimpressed by the cycle stands, but we managed to secure our cycles one way and another, before we sauntered through the lush nursery and meandered to the cafe, where we had a good-going natter.  Having set the world to rights we emerged, crossed the Hatfield Road and snuck along the field edge through to the hamlet of Springfield, rejoined the Alban Way and sped back with a tailwind.  The Alban Way is lovely at this time of year.

We covered about 9 miles, this does include the distance hiked through Notcutts!

Saturday 5 March 2022 - International Women's Day

Through the week the weather forecast was changing every time we checked it - bad, not so good, ok, bit dodgy.  As we gathered in Fleetville there was dark clouds filling the sky and a cold northerly wind.

This is our International Women's Day ride.

We were riding in two groups today, but given the weather we scotched the plan to rendezvous in the park for a chat and went our completely separate ways.

The Fabulous foursome warmed up by going straight up Campfield Road and across the Camp cycle route.  Not many other people about!  Through the Cell Barnes orchard, then down Nightingale Lane, along the A414 and up Highfield Lane.

The Highfield Farm coffee machine was a bit temperamental, but we were kind and patient with it and once it had done a cleaning cycle and an accounting reset it served up very nice coffee.  There were brownies in the automat today, very delicious.  Also eggs and honey for sale.  Also chicken feed, but we rather disappointed our feathered friends, we  were too reluctant to stand around in a cold wind chucking corn at them.  They were happy to let us take their picture though.

We were also reluctant to ride for very much further, the very dark clouds had gone but there was a blatter of rain and it was chilly, so we left out the extra little loop and headed straight through the Hill End orchard and back along the Alban Way, exactly five miles!

The Further Faster six zoomed off along the Alban Way to Hatfield, and south through the College Lane campus and under the A1 to ride a loop around Roestock, skirting some extensive puddles.  Back up to the Galleria, where three headed in for coffee in the warm and three headed straight home.

It was good to be out but we are hoping for warmer weather on our next ride.

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

Cottonmill Community and Cycling Centre

For years people have been saying 'if only St Albans had a cycle hub'.  And now, the Cottonmill and Sopwell community, with support from Verulam Cycling Club (who organise youth cycling at the Hub site) and other local organisations and St Albans District Council, are making it happen!  Years of campaigning and consulting and the building is now being built.

However, in spite of all the fundraising effort and successful grant applications, because of rising costs there is a budget shortfall.  If you would like to help with closing the funding gap, head over to the Cottonmill and Sopwell Hub website for details of the Crowdfunder and also contact info if you are a business that would like to donate rewards or sponsor the project.

The target for Crowdfunder (ie donations from individual people) is £20,000, and this will pay for:

- a Changing Places toilet

- kitting out the Community Kitchen

- creating the Quiet Room

- building the all-ability Cycling Track

The Hub will be a boon for Five Miles to Fabulous, giving us a starting point further west and also access to a cycle workshop and refreshments.

Saturday 13 November 2021 - Further Faster Lazy Llama

Seven of us set out along the Alban Way to Verulamium Park, where the Park Run had just finished. We all managed to cycle up The Causeway, although we were panting at the top! We went along the King Harry Lane path to the Hemel Hempstead Road, then up Bedmond Lane to Potters Crouch. The ride was a figure-of-eight, as we went past Potters Crouch Farm and down Blunts Lane, over the motorway to Whitehouse Lane and Sergehill, turning right into Bedmond Lane. Then back up to Potters Crouch Farm and this time going past Plaistows Farm and along Noke Lane. We cycled on the path at the Noke and joined the road into Chiswell Green. We cut down to Greenwood Park and stopped at the Lazy Llama café, where the service was very efficient. Aly split off there as she lived close by, and the rest of us cycled through the wood, joined Watford Road, then down Robert Avenue to Vesta Avenue. We then went through by the garages onto Abbots Avenue West, then Berners Drive and back on the Alban Way to Morrisons. We cycled nearly 15 miles. The weather was dry with no wind. Everyone enjoyed the ride and was pleased to be out in the fresh air.