Saturday 21st April – Afternoon ride on Connect-2

Iain Dawson leads this ride and writes:

We start at 2.00 p.m. at the Canoe Centre, Bedford Road.

It’s a leisurely ride along some of the Connect-2 network out to Kislingbury.  We’ll return along part of the re-surfaced canal towpath.  About 15 miles in total. Although there’s no designated coffee stop, if we get back early enough we can pop in to the café at Daily Bread on Bedford Road.

The route is not on billiard-smooth tarmac all the way round (although a surprising amount of it is) so your “best bike” might not be the right choice this time around. Mountain bikes, however, are NOT needed.

Hope to see you!

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Ride report – Saturday 7th April

Phil Letts led this ride and writes:

Despite an unpromising grey sky and spats of rain, Philip Gray and I met at the Brampton Valley Way’s Welford Road Crossing (by “The Windhover”)  for this brisk circuit of Northampton.  We were delighted to be joined at the last moment by three new riders: Simon, Graham and Fiona. They had seen the ride advertised in the paper and were attracted by the description as “brisk”.

And brisk it was to with a good steady pace of 15-16 m.p.h. all the way via Kislingbury and Blisworth to Salcey Forest for morning coffee.  Then on via Great Houghton and Ecton to Moulton.  Our new friends departed for their neck of the woods in the Creaton area.

Good to get out and good to ride with some new folks. Let’s hope they come again!

Saturday 7th April – Brisk morning ride encircling Northampton

Phil Letts is leading this ride and writes:

Meet 9.30 a.m. at “The Windhover”.  35 miles on quiet roads.  Coffee stop at Salcey Forest.  Return by lunch.  Leader on 07707 118389.

Ride Report – Sunday 1st April

Phillip Gray led this ride to Draycote Water and Dunchurch.  He writes:

Seven riders took part in Sunday’s ride to Dunchurch. Setting off in crisp but cool sunshine, we headed west for an early teastop at Whilton Locks garden centre. This built us up for the hilly route via Norton and Welton towards Braunston. Here we took the track past the church and lost village of Wolfhamcote. About 1.5 miles of rough semi-metalled track, with several gates, tested our tyres and co-ordination but was a refreshing short-cut through isolated, picturesque farmland. Emerging near Grandborough, we headed through the village and then north along an A road to Draycote Water.

No sooner up on the reservoir wall, than we found that this was the day the flies had chosen to come out and mate, with huge swarms reminding us that the happy cyclist is the one without the flies in his teeth. Draycote was strikingly low – not surprising to learn that Severn Trent Water is working to pump water in from near Leamington Spa.  Despite this, the blue reservoir was beautiful in the sunshine.

Leaving the reservoir, after a short stint on the road, we stopped at The Green Man in Dunchurch for a good, economical pub lunch and pleasant conversation in the sunny garden.

The route back took quiet roads and a steep hill into Barby, then back to Whilton, Little Brington and Harlestone, a total 50.7 miles back at the Brampton Valley Way.