Meeting Points

08:35 by main ticket office at Liverpool Street Station for the 08:58 train to Newport , Essex - ETA 09:57

or

07:20 on Bromley North Station Forecourt for the 07:35 to London Bridge ( changing at Grove Park ) ...we then have stacks of time to cycle to Liverpool Street Station ..then we too will get the 08:58 ( the following train from Bromley North would be a more civilised choice...but would leave us very little time in case of difficulties ) 

Buy return tickets to Audley End

The Ride

Today's ride is Bromley Cyclists first venture into Essex ...and is 45 Miles in length with 2108 ft of ascent and descent ...not that flat ...fairly hilly really .However ...North Essex is rather picturesque and somewhat different to Kent ...so worth an explore methinks .

Once we get to Newport we head in a South Easterly direction through Debden & Thaxted ...thence to Great Bardfield ..then we start Northwards to Toppesfield and Stambourne ..and also visit the interestingly named village of Helions Bumpstead ...onwards then to Bartlow ....which lies in Cambridgeshire ...before heading South gain to Ashdon and Saffron Walden itself ...where we might well have a little look at this most interesting town ...afterwards we will go to Audley End Station for trains home ( it is one station on from Newport )

Andrew Fergar - 07717 693 701 - no texts please

Or email : kayacan@aol.com

Report

photos

An amazing turnout of people – when we got to Liverpool Street, we had Captain Andrew, Andy A, Andy C, Bernard, Burak, Gabriel, Ian, Ibrahim, Jan, Jane, Jurek, Katie, Lynn, Robert, Trevor and when we got to Newport (Newport, Essex that is) station Helen with her fabulous tryke was waiting. A quick phone call to Martin revealed that he was 15km but bearing towards us (as would a heat seeking missile) after cycling from Staines.

The rain had hit some of us in London town but by the time we rocked up into northern Essex it had vanished and our fears were diminished. After Newport we headed south and east passing through some extremely pretty villages – Debden was lovely but Thaxted was probably the town that was of particular note. Somewhere around this time Andy A and Andy C had peeled off to meet Martin and bring back to the group and the plan was to meet them all at lunch.

After 24 miles we were all getting peckish and the welcome lunch stop was at the Horse and Groom in Cornish Hall End. Getting there around 12.30 the pub was relatively quiet but they had laid out some tables especially for us so it was all looking good. It got even better to find out that they were doing 2 meals for £5.95; we salute the pub that offers reasonable price deals. Everyone was extremely well fed. It slowly transpires that the other 3 cyclists completely overshot the pub and were having lunch at Helions Bumpstead, so we pootled off to find them. They had an equally good lunch there and were breathing in the carbs.

With our numbers complete it was time to press on, with Ian and Helen swapping bikes for a wee bit before acknowledging quickly that the different set of muscles needed to operate tryke/bike were now squealing. We cycled through some even more dazzling yellow rape-seed fields and the sun was beating down on us. With 18 of us, we did tend to get spread out but with the wonders of sat-nav plus waiting for others we managed to do alright, until it accidentally fragmented into 3 different groups just to the north of Saffron Walden.

Thankfully we were all re-united back in Audley End station. Some elected to get the train back into town, some went to the local pub for yet more awesome food and a group of 6 elected to cycle back to London, whilst Helen made a getaway in her car. I joined the group heading towards Londinium, but gave up after Sawbridgeworth as the wind was taking its toll on me. The remaining 5 cycled back into London – well done!

Many thanks to Captain Andrew for a great ride and to Ian for taking the photographic images and to you all for the great turnout - a wonderful testament to Bromley Cyclists pulling power.

Katie Collis