Wednesday 19th December 2018

Riders awoke to a dark morning with the rain pouring down and it was still raining hard at 8-45am. However the forecast was for it to clear so some of the keener riders (particularly Pat who had to set out in the rain to get to the start on time) gathered at Outwoods Drive just after the rain had stopped and the sky began to lighten. Tricia had phoned to say that she had got a puncture and was at Cycle_Trax in Shelthorpe having it fixed. John and Terry decided to go and meet her there and ride out to Beth's Kitchen in Breedon (which was being forced to close at the end of the week as the garden centre has been sold for housing) and Howard led the other riders away on a longer ride.

Shorter Ride

Once Tricia's bike had been sorted the riders headed north through the University and out through Shepshed taking the Sustrans route to Belton. The sun started to shine and it had suddenly become a very pleasant winter morning for cycling ,with sunshine, light winds and a temperature in high single digits. The riders carried on through Tonge and arrived at the garden centre in Breedon to find it apparently deserted. However it turned out they were the first riders to arrive and the normal excellent fare was on offer with other groups of cyclists arriving shortly afterwards. After John had indulged himself with some bread and butter pudding (as this was the last chance) the time had crept on to 11.15 and with no sign of the "long riders" it was decided to head back. The return was through Diseworth, Long Whatton and Hathern, arriving back at about 12.15pm.

Long Ride Report

Unfortunately the tea rooms known as Beth's Kitchen is closing at the end of the year. We decided we better go one more time before its 'destroyed to make way for an Hyperspace Bypass' or some other such development. The standard route being a little short I thought it would be better to make it more circuitous. Five of us set off (I'm sure Derek or Eric would have said 'Famous Five'). Pat, Alan, Brian, Mick and myself.

A copy of the ride titled 'Beths_Breedon.gpx' is available to download from the Routes link. It was a standard start to to Shepshed, through Uni., alongside the A512, then Cambridge St., Oxford St., and across to Tickow lane and onto Belton via the Garendon Trail. In and out of Belton and down Gracedieu lane, before turning off right to Osgathorpe. From here on it all got a bit tricky and we nearly missed the little ginnel through past the Woolen mill cottages to Aqueduct Road as we went through Griffydam to Newbold. Under the A42 to the B587. Turning right down Burney Lane eventually brought us out in Breedon and Beth's Kitchen. We'd missed those that had arrived earlier by a more direct route. After our tea stop we took pictures and left for Loughborough using Diseworth, Long Whatton and the A6 cyclepath, arriving back at approximately 1:15p.m. and 50+ kilometres later.