Today’s BER monthly 40 mile ride encountered water and butts but more of this later. With eleven having gathered in Drury Lane, with clouds darkening as the minutes ticked by. We needed not to have been concerned as it turned out to be a ride in lovely bright weather to go with the bright garments that were being worn. Our ride towards Danbury meant we were riding into a slight headwind which would be good as we could expect this to be behind us on our return. Our route took us fairly direct, which is unusual for me, Banters Lane, onto the Boreham Road before turning left and skirting around Terling to cross over the A12, at which point almost everyone was asked how their legs were feeling a

A fine sunny day led to plenty of Easy Riders (41) assembling on Drury Lane. I’d not ridden for a week or so, and it was good to hear that participants had missed my blog posts regularly popping up on the website. The middle group, led by Adrian, was so large that we decided to split into 2 subsets of 8 riders, with Gifford leading the second half. We pedalled off down London Road, right down Queenborough Lane and through Rayne. We were riding through farmland a lot of the time, and the rapeseed was in full flower. Its perfume was pronounced at certain points and it made me remember how cross it made my beekeeping aunt, as rapeseed makes very hard, white, granulated honey, rather than the sm

We set out in the warn sun on the planned long route to Black Notley,via Bishops Stortford as someone said in jest. No actually via Rayne, Bartholomew Green, Molehill Green, Thistley Green, Little Leighs, Fuller Street and Fairstead. When we got to Notley Road the wind got up and a large black cloud decided to drop a few rain spots on us. The short time till closing of the venue, the sixteen miles already covered, along with the greater chance of getting wet, the sharpened mind of the leader decided to turn left to the venue and miss out the White Notley and Cressing loop. We arrived at the venue just before the Medium ride and after the Short ride with seventeen miles already covered. Two m

On a bright and sunny day, with a cold north-east wind, 31 Easy Riders assembled on Drury Lane. The middle ride was topped and tailed by the two Peters S, leading to our group being named Two Ps in a Pod – does that make the bikers’ collective noun a Pod? We pedalled off out of Braintree on a somewhat circuitous route – down past the station, across Notley Road, and through the park, out on Tortoiseshell Way, under the bypass, following route 16 down past the Green Dragon, and through Ranks Green. We turned left and pedalled up to Witham Road, heading to White Notley, riding up to the junction with the main road. Here, some experienced cyclists passed us, on their flash bikes. However, I was

Today, Sunday, I decided on a solo ride – Maurice and Jim were watching the Braintree Duathlon, and I needed to do some college work in the afternoon, so I needed an 8am start. I was unlikely to find a companion that early, so off I went on my own. I went down London Road, and took the footpath that runs on the south side of the A120. Mercifully this footpath has had the hedge cut back, so you don’t end up riding on the farmer’s field. I pedalled through Black Notley and turned down towards Bulford Mill. Here there is a garden with a steep bank, and the owners have planted a stepover apple tree, which I think is a great way to stablise the edge of the bank, and make a productive barrier whic

Wednesday dawned clear, cold and bright. Great day for a bike ride. Braintree Easy Riders congregated at Drury Lane, welcoming 2 new members – Richard and Roger. Richard went out with the short group, and Roger joined the middle group with me as his buddy. We pedalled out along Clare Road and up the Flitch Way. In conversation with Roger, it turned out that we have student interests in common. Roger’s recently completed his OU degree. He studied Open Studies – so had the benefit of picking an eclectic selection of topics, including Colonial History and German. I’m always impressed when people can speak more than one language. I can stumble through a bit of French, but Roger chose German as h