Wednesday 24th July 2019
Post date: 23-Jul-2019 08:02:35
Another beautiful and very warm summers day greeted a larger number of riders this week.
Short Ride
After the long ride had set off northwards the remaining riders decided to head south into the forecast wind for the Methodist Church Hall in Birstall. Setting out past Mucklin Wood and then on to Swithland, Rothley taking the new bridge and cycle path down to Wanlip before arriving at the Church Hall. On arrival it was discovered the we had chosen a day in one of the two weeks that they close for holidays during the year. As it was not yet 11am it was decided to carry on along the planned route and instead take refreshment at the East Goscote Nurseries tea room in Cossington. After a pleasant sojourn in the gardens the riders returned into the wind (which was not complying with the forecast) to Loughborough arriving just after noon.
Long Ride report, (by Eric).
It was a warm and sunny day as we met at Outwoods Drive. Howard had decided that the destination would be Barton in Babis, or should that be Vabis or Maybis? After asking him about fourteen times and asking him to spell it, I found out it was Fabis! By that point we were half way there and half the people who would have come didn’t because they felt that going somewhere they couldn’t even pronounce didn’t bode well.
So it was that Howard was only followed by the deaf the dumb the stupid or the just plainly unaware. Somewhere all of the above. They were Rob, Clyde, Pat, Eric and Brian.
Off we went through various secrets routes and reels known only to Howard through the tracks and byways of Loughborough. Starting along the canal and out on the A6004 to Stanford on Soar, turning left up Fox hill we headed through Normanton on Soar and Sutton Bonnington; all seemed familiar until we turned right at Kingston on Soar and we knew that Howard had been doing his homework and was clearly heading for new ground.
It was obvious that the thunderstorms of the night before had been even greater the nearer we got to Nottingham as the giant puddles on the ground were even bigger.
We headed into Gotham of Batman fame. The village known to be associated with Madness, for years later, became a nickname for New York. Bill Finger originally set his cartoon character in N.Y. but later charged it to Gotham.
And so it was that 6 mad souls passed through and onwards down the main Nottingham road. However we turned off left down Barton lane and dived down under the new road, A453 Remembrance Way and on to our destination. The venue has just opened in the oddly named Barton in Fabis. A new cafe at Dovecote farm (which interestingly doubles as a bar. It had a lovely setting. Coffee and cakes of good standard and the staff very friendly if slightly struggling with their new found barista techniques.
We sat outside in the sunshine and watched Brian’s head burn until Howard took pity and lent him a freshly laundered handkerchief and upon advice knotted it in true “Brit on the Beach” style. After coffee break Brian handed a sweatier slightly less fresh laundered hanky back to a bemused Howard as we saddled up and rode out of town.
Back alongside Rememberance Way on country lanes then through West Leake, East Leake (waving farewell to Pat) and a new route down Rempstone Road and onto Loughborough Road back to Stanford on Soar. The group said goodbye to Eric who split off towards Cotes to inspect the the battlefield that Historian Rob had told us about during the break. The rest went back to Loughborough completing over 25 miles round trip.
Great ride out to a lovely new venue ... we shall no doubt return.