25 Jun: Evening ride to Fen Drayton

Nigel writes: Tonight was a dry and sunny midsummer evening, with the midsummer warmth offset slightly by a surprisingly chilly breeze. The riders tonight were Klaas, Jim, Neil, Mike K, James and me. We set off north from Brookside, riding through the city centre along streets decorated with bunting to celebrate the forthcoming Tour de France visit.

We continued north up Castle Hill and along Huntingdon Road, taking the turn to Girton, riding through the village, and joining the busway a short distance beyond.

On the busway

As with other evening rides in recent weeks, the pace was brisk, with Jim, James and particularly Klaas pulling the rest of us along into a light headwind. When we reached St Ives we continued along the Thicket Path to Houghton.

Lock at Houghton Mill

We crossed the Ouse Meadows to Hemingford Abbots and then turned back south-east through Hemingford Grey and Fenstanton to Fen Drayton, where we stopped at The Three Tuns for drinks and plates of chunky chips.

After about half a year we set off for home. By now it was 8.50pm, but sunset was still half an hour away and it was still quite light. We returned to the busway via half a mile or so of rough tracks through the Fen Drayton lakes. These were either loose gravel or potholed but allowed us a traffic-free alternative to the road route via Swavesey.

On our way back along the busway Klaas took the lead, setting an impressive pace and allowing Jim and me an enjoyable ride tagging on behind. When we got back to Cambridge we sent our separate ways, and I arrived home at 9.50pm, having cycled 37 miles.


View this GPS track on a larger map. Download GPS track (GPX).