Milton is leading Saturday’s ride(s) and writes:
Meeting Point Canoe Centre Bedford Road, Northampton NN4 7AA
Time 9.30am
Café Stop Pastures Farm
Distance Moderate 32miles / Brisk 38miles
Finish Time Around 1pm
Pastures Farm, our coffee stop, is fairly new and not yet well known to the cycling fraternity but it is a lovely café and well worth a visit. I have made this a fairly short route in the hope of encouraging out those who have been hiding indoors through the cold months.
Both groups set off from the Canoe Centre up the hill at Great Houghton and take the quiet and delightful road to Quinton. Heading past the café at Salcey Forest we take a right turn through Hartwell and, just beyond Hanslope the Moderate group turns left towards Gayhurst and onwards through Weston Underwood. Skirting the western edges of Olney, the road towards Yardley Hastings is where the cafe is positioned.
The Brisk group meanwhile takes a right turn in Hanslope going to Castlethorpe before heading north eventually reaching Gayhurst and from that point only differs from the Moderate group in taking a loop through the beautiful village of Ravenstone before skirting Olney and heading to coffee. It’s an extra 6 miles for the Brisks to reach Pastures Farm and they will need to put the power down a little bit if they are to meet with the other group in time.
From the stop we will all, riding together most probably, head through Yardley Hastings and Castle Ashby before the hill at Cogenhoe leads us back to the Canoe Centre via Little Houghton.
It’s not over challenging and should be an attractive morning out. I hope we’ll be back by around 1pm. The weather forecast is excellent – Mediterranean is the word being bandied about at the Met I understand. Don’t check it out … trust me! Please remember to bring lights, just in case.
CTC Northampton 