Ride report by Doug H
There was a moment in all of the Wheelers’ minds, as they set out from their respective homes to the start of today’s ride, when they wondered: Will this happen? Followed by, Just how wet am I going to be at the start? And, Darn it, it will be dry for the rest of the day, so there’s no excuse not to go. So, as the first four riders arrived at Pretty Corner—Mark, Chris, Andy, and Doug—all were slightly damp but hopeful the rest of the day would be dry.
They set off into a headwind towards East Beckham and on to Gresham, picking up an equally damp Ian, following the road south through Bessingham and through Aldborough. At the Spread Eagle in Erpingham we picked up Neil, who had timed leaving his house to perfection, arriving completely dry. With the full peloton, we then headed towards Banningham, Felmingham, Tuttington, Westwick, on to Tunstead, and then to the lunch stop at the Rising Sun in Coltishall. Despite the headwind, the flooded roads, and the large amount of detritus, the ride went well, and the lunch stop arrived faster than expected.
Lunch was great, with the addition of a festive twist to the loaded fries that involved a deep-fried Brussels sprout. The food was good, but the discussion of the life cycle of the ferret and polecat was the pick of the day, with a reference to Nora Batty from Last of the Summer Wine coming a close second.
With lunch petering out, Chris was away early, with the prospect of the Thursday chain-gang and keeping up at the front in his head, and he was off. The five remaining Wheelers took a more leisurely approach to the journey home. With a bit of sun and a tailwind, it was a lovely return. We travelled through Buxton and Burgh, and with a diversion to avoid a closed road at Aylsham, we travelled north to Blickling, then through Erpingham again, where we said goodbye to Neil and Andy.
We continued north through Aldborough, and shortly after, Doug headed back to Cromer via Hanworth, with Ian and Mark heading back to Pretty Corner.
Overall, a lovely day of cycling, and we were all glad we braved the rain to get to the start!
PC to PC was 45.6 miles at an average 14.3mph
Riders: Chris S, Andy S, Mark M, Doug H, Ian A, Neil M
Upcoming Rides –
Wednesday 10th December – Old Reading Rooms, Kelling
Saturday 13th December – Junction 21, Themelthorpe
Routes for rides on the website under Dates and Destinations: https://nnwheelers.co.uk/club-runs/
Visit the Clubs Runs Gallery for larger and more photos: https://nnwheelers.co.uk/club-runs/club-runs-photo-gallery/
North Norfolk Wheelers 