2 Dec: Afternoon ride to West Wratting

John writes: Sunday afternoon was a perfect day for a Winter cycle ride – brilliant sunshine, neither wind nor precipitation and temperature hovering a few degrees below zero. Only two riders, John M and Mike CC from Over joined me. Already forewarned about ice by Nigel and that none of the day-riders would be at tea I called The Chestnut Tree who agreed to provide tea from 3:30 p.m. and only charge for the three riders. This was possible because they had not yet made any preparations but could not guarantee this for future visits. This was my first visit to the pub since its reopening. It was a splendid tea-stop with ample sandwiches, cakes, tea and coffee. We should definitely reuse this.

We followed the familiar route along the right bank of the Cam to the Green Dragon bridge and then via Fen Ditton, Quy, Bottisham, Swaffham Bulbeck, Dullingham where turned right and headed more or less due South to West Wratting. Wearing a peakless woolly hat I was bothered by the low sun on the latter stage. After the splendid tea we left the pub and sped via Balsham, Little Abingdon, across the footpath to Brabraham. It was now pitch dark and the frozen muddy path required tricky bike handling skills. It got noticeably warmer and cloudier as we approached Cambridge reached via the Shelfords at about 5:30 p.m. The constellations were only faintly visible and the gibbous moon had not yet risen. John Ferguson