I arrived at the start point with a plan for a route out along the river and back along the guided busway, but Gareth reported that the riverside path was very muddy and someone else complained that the busway was boring. So after a short discussion of alternative routes I led our group of eight out of Cambridge along Hills Road and Cherry Hinton Road. We climbed Lime Kiln Hill and enjoyed the fine views over Cambridge at the top. After a short descent on the other side we turned left onto Wort's Causeway and a second climb over the Gogs to Fulbourn.
It was cold and dull. I had been worried that the roads might be slipperty, but although there was an occasional patch of snow remaining from yesterday, and there were icy puddles besides the road in shady corners, generally the roads were dry.
From Fulbourn we took the familiar route through the Wilbrahams to Six Mile Bottom. There we turned left onto the A1304 which we followed for a mile until we turned right onto the unsurfaced road to Westley Bottom. After a few more miles we reached Dullingham.
At Dullingham we turned left to Swaffham Bulbeck from where we returned back to Cambridge via Bottisham, Quy and the Jubilee cycleway.
Tea this afternoon was at Julia's house in Chesterton, which we reached about twenty minutes late. Here we met George, Janice and Ian and some friends of Julia's who had ridden with us last summer. The spread of sandwiches, savouries and cakes was most impressive. "I wanted to prove that vegetarian food doesn't have to be boring", said Julia. Indeed it doesn't, as today's spread proved.
After tea it only took ten minutes to get home; I was back by 5.30pm, after having ridden about 30 miles.
View route on a larger map
Thanks for the compliments, and most of all thanks to Ian who helped me getting it all ready after having been out with the day ride in the morning!
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