Tim, our webmaster, went on this “leader-less” ride to Yelvertoft and reports:
Five riders congregated at Brampton Valley Way for Milton’s “Steady ride to Yelvertoft”. Sadly Milton wasn’t able to be one of them having been laid low the day before by Norovirus; we wish him a speedy recovery.
We headed west via Holdenby and East Haddon before turning north at Long Buckby towards West Haddon and on to our most northerly point at Yelvertoft. From here it was back south to Crick where we had an impromptu stop outside St Margaret of Antioch Church for an energy bar or two.
There was a minor deviation from Milton’s planned route at this point to avoid the road to Ashby St Ledgers (discovered to be coated with a rather unsavoury layer of semi-liquid mud and horse manure on a reconnaissance ride the Thursday before!). Instead we branched off down a very pleasant gated road to Watford village before rejoining the planned route just east of Welton.
From here a section of “Milton special tarmac” (to borrow from Eric Morecombe – “all the right pieces, just not in the right places”) led us to Norton and thence to our planned stop at Whilton Locks where bacon butties were eagerly consumed.
It was then just a short ride back to the start via Great Brington and Harlestone.
All in all a very pleasant December morning out: no blue skies but warm and dry nonetheless. Thanks to Milton for providing us with a fine selection of quiet country lanes to enjoy.
Milton will be back to lead the “Boxing Day Bash” (departing 9.30 a.m. from the Canoe Centre – 28 miles with a stop for elevenses at Salcey Forest) so why not come along and join him?