Surveying the Shire (C#57)

Sunday 13 November, 101 Miles

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Slowly but surely the days are getting shorter as the nights draw in. But on the other hand, provided the weather isn’t grotty, the sun is putting in an appearance before 8:00am. In practical terms this means that it's still possible to ride a century in daylight. For local rides I allow about 6.5 hours to complete a typical century. This includes time to take pictures and for comfort stops. In colder weather I tend not to stop for refreshments on a ride (unless donuts are on offer) and take a couple of gels and a protein bar with me for an energy boost. I much prefer to keep riding and stay warm. On a few occasions I’ve ridden centuries non-stop i.e. no photos or comfort breaks. I’ve sort of ‘trained’ my body to cope with this though I daresay a cycling trainer would probably frown.

Today I decided to survey the Shire in a sort of Bilbo Baggins manner. While I had a general idea of the route I intended to take I hadn’t planned it out specifically. I thought I would add in the miles depending on what took my fancy as I rode along. With the rain of the last few days and colder temperatures, road surfaces around here are quite wet – the sun doesn’t have enough warmth to properly dry the tarmac. So I fitted a rather handy Zefal Swan to my seat post to keep my bum dry as I can’t think of anything worse than riding in soggy lycra with a wet bum! But enough of this.

Christmas is coming ....

Leaving home I headed into Thetford Forest towards Brandon. On the way I passed the entrance to Center Parcs at Elveden which seems to be getting ready for Xmas. I went to one of Center Parcs sites many years ago and whilst I had a lot of fun there I’ve never really felt the urge to return. I always have a wry smile as I pass by the Elveden site because I can see the security fence as I ride along. It reminds me of a POW camp, but that’s probably just my warped sense of humour!

Passing through Brandon I soon reached the western edge of the Shire with the Fens of Mordor just visible in the distance. By now the sun was trying to break through and I could see some hints of blue sky. But my front wheel was glistening with water as it swished along the wet tarmac.

I then did a little detour north to Foulden which means “hill frequented by birds” (Fowl and den). There doesn't seem to be a shortage of fowl in these parts as many of the fields are hooching with geese. So, in the true spirit of Xmas and as there was no one near me, I burst into song!

"Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat

Please do put a penny in the old man's hat

If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do
If you haven't got a ha'penny, then God bless you!"

My son is around here somewhere - allegedly!

Soon after my little impromptu singalong I arrived at the Stanford Training Area, known locally as Stanta (and not Santa). This covers about 30,000 acres and has been used since 1942. The mix of open heath and pine forest provides any number of different types of countryside to train in. Villages have been built there over the years to replicate the local conditions that troops can be deployed to. Stanta’s other claim to fame is that many episodes of Dad’s Army were filmed around here. “Don’t panic Captain Mainwaring!” Today was a rather more poignant occasion for me on two counts. First it was Remembrance Sunday so I stopped to observe the two-minute silence. The second reason was that my son, who is in the Royal Artillery, was somewhere here on a training exercise. He must have been very well camouflaged because I didn’t spot him or any members of his Battery. Or it might just have been that he was tucked away somewhere else in the 30,000 acres.

From Stanta I headed north to Watton and then turned towards Attleborough before heading back to more familiar countryside closer to home. I can report that the northern part of the Shire is in good heart and there are no mysterious goings-on to be seen. The populace seems happy and the few Hobbits I passed all had a cheery smile and often an even cheerier ‘hello’ to share. I sense that with Christmas in the offing this is indeed the time of good cheer.

I managed to complete the ride well within the notional 6.5 hours so I was pleased with that. The only downside was that although the Swan had kept my bum dry, the celeste of the Impulso was now mottled with sticky brown mud. Indeed, it almost looked like camouflage paint – quite fitting considering where I had been.

In Pursuit of Sunshine (C#56)

Tuesday 8 November, 102 Miles

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Two words in last night’s weather forecast for the East of England caught my ears – ‘snow’ and ‘sun’. The weather folk seem to think there’s a chance of snow hereabouts tomorrow and I hope they’re wrong! But they also said that today it would be “warm” in the sun. Note, they didn’t actually say it would be sunny.

As I approach the end my 60 Centuries Series I’ve started to think that it’s a bit like pursuit racing on the track. The finishing line is just a few laps away. The opposition isn’t quite in sight but I can sense they're there. (My metaphor today for the ‘opposition’ is the sun.) The temptation is to up the cadence, get the opposition in sight and hope I can hold the pace to the line without blowing up. Well, that’s what I’ve been telling myself. Mind you, it’s a very long time since I last rode on a track. I hope to change that early next year - especially if Santa looks kindly on my Xmas list.

So with the possibility of some sun in the home straight I was out of the house and on the bike (Impulso) pronto this morning. I had dressed for the occasion too. Winter bib tights, merino wool base layer, medium weight fleecy jersey, windproof gilet, winter socks, shoes and overshoes, silk inner gloves and thicker winter outer gloves. All finished off with a thermal skully thingy under my helmet and a pair of daylight enhancing (i.e. yellow) glasses. And by heck, for the first hour or so I was very glad of all this kit. At one point it was so cold that I actually thought ice crystals were forming in my beard. They weren’t, but it made me feel virtuous to think they were! Overhead the sky was leaden grey and there were traces of some overnight mist lurking in shaded field corners.

My route today took me south eastwards through Hadleigh towards Manningtree before heading to Shotley and then doubling back into Ipswich where I then had about 30 miles to get back home. The route was virtually the same as the one I rode on 23 October (C#51) except today I went the other way round.

I was able to hold a good pace to Hadleigh which helped to keep me warm. And leaving Hadleigh I had a little rant at a moronic motorist which also helped generate body heat. Basically, this guy driving a Focus came up behind me, overtook, then immediately slowed and pulled in to the kerb so I had to swing out to pass him. Then said moronic motorist turned hard right across the road and down a driveway just as I was about to pass. There must have been some oil on my rear wheel rim because as I slammed on the brakes it emitted a loud squeal – so loud that even the moronic motorist heard it and then pretended to ignore it. Oh, and I should have said that the moronic motorist made no attempt to use his indicators at any point. But every cloud has a silver lining I suppose as I learnt that in here in Hadleigh we all speak the same language – unrefined Anglo Saxon.

And yes, every cloud really does have a silver lining since soon fter leaving Hadleigh the sun started to put in an appearance. Rather hesitantly at first though by East Bergholt it had made its mind up and I was riding under what the weather folk refer to as broken cloud. Or is it scattered cloud. Well, whatever I’m sure you get my meaning.

I had been looking forward to arriving at the village of Holbrook because I wanted to spend a few minutes checking out the Royal Hospital School which I had spotted on my last ride down here. The School has an impressive history. Originally established in Greenwich in 1712 it moved to Holbrook in 1933. It has a very strong naval tradition; its nickname is ‘The Cradle of the Navy’. It is the only UK independent boarding school to have ever been continuously granted the Queen's Banner and it flies its own Admiralty-approved Royal Hospital School Blue Ensign. And it is one of only two UK schools whose students have the privilege of wearing Royal Navy uniforms. Nowadays students wear their naval uniform for ceremonial occasions only. The School buildings are extremely impressive as are the adjacent houses, which I imagine were originally built for residential staff. About 700 students, aged from 11-18, attend the School.

Leaving the rather splendid delights of the School behind me, I needed to up the pace a bit to warm up again. Mooching around trying to get a photograph, and not getting arrested for loitering, meant that I had cooled down somewhat. The sun was still shining, quite brightly now but with little warmth, so movement was the key to keeping warm, or at least not getting any colder. To get the necessary mileage in for this to qualify as a century ride I rode down to Shotley Gate at the mouth of the Orwell and Stour estuaries. Then I rode back again. I stopped briefly to take a photo of the cranes at Felixstowe. My mate Nick, one of the Elites, works there so I sent him a text with the photo and he sent me back a text to say he was waving. Well, that’s what he claimed.

From Shotley Gate I retraced my route ducking under the impressive Orwell Bridge and shooting through Ipswich to Claydon, Coddenham and Crowfield (nice alliteration) before the final leg home. Gradually, as the sun dipped I could feel the temperature falling away quite quickly so I was glad to be in the home straight. And, perhaps it was a good thing that I didn’t have to call on my Anglo Saxon vocabulary again. Now with four laps to go I can almost hear the bell. And is that the sun I can see just disappearing round the banking?

Orford Again and Always a Delight (C#55)

Thursday 3 November, 102 Miles

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Well, if there was any doubt about when autumn would fully arrive the frosts of the last couple of mornings have dispelled any uncertainty. That said, I do enjoy riding on a cold, clear, crisp morning when the sun is trying to break through the remnants of any overnight mist. And today was just such a day so it would have been rude not to take advantage of it. And what better to make the most of the favourable conditions than go on one of my favourite rides – to Orford. Yes, I know I’ve been there a lot – most recently about two weeks ago. But it is a lovely ride.

So waking the Infinito from its slumbers we were underway just as soon as the frost showed signs of thawing slightly. At this time of year with the sugar beet harvest in full swing the smaller lanes can be a bit of a nightmare, puncture wise, so we tend to avoid them where possible and stick to ‘B’ roads and the wider lanes. If the road surface is wet then the minor lanes really are a no-no. We’ve got to know which lanes are best avoided quite well now.

Another challenge can be road closures and today was no exception. Within two miles our progress was thwarted by a closure for a bridge repair and as there was no prospect of shouldering the Impulso and jumping the trench, a detour was necessary. Fortunately we could see that the road was impassable immediately so didn’t have to engage in any annoying backtracking – we simply turned right instead of going left onto the bridge and added an extra three miles on. For those readers who like to know about these things there’s quite a good website (roadworks.org) where the various folk who dig up roads are required to publish information in advance about what’s going on. It’s map based and very easy to use. I mainly use it, when I remember, during the tar and chip season to work out which roads to avoid. Looking at the site when I got home I learnt that the bridge was closed on Monday and will be shut for a fortnight. So that’s helpful.

Further on in the ride we encountered another closure. Unfortunately when we arrived at this one we faced having to backtrack about five miles with an additional eight miles or so to get back on the proper route. I guessed the road was being resurfaced in the village that lay about a mile ahead and decided to chance it. If I was correct then there had to be pedestrian access which meant we would be able to pass, cyclo-cross style. Reaching the barriers we realised that I was right and the guy manning the barriers told us we would be able to get through on the path/pavement. Result!

Now readers, if this all seems like I’m making a fuss about not very much then bear in mind that the last thing I want to do near the start of any ride is go on some random safari of the countryside, unless that’s the purpose of the ride. Also, at this time of year although I do carry some lights with me we really prefer to get back home while we can still see where we am going! So, pah!!

I snuck a few changes into the ‘standard’ route so instead of going via Saxmundham and Snape, today we went via Wickham Market and Tunstall on the way to Orford. Arriving in Orford we had a quick spin down to the quayside which was surprisingly busy. Then it was back to the village centre to catch up on recent developments since our last visit on 17 October. Sadly, neither Action Man, with or without his combat boots, nor Miss Moneypenny were anywhere to be seen so an update on the amorous affairs of Orford will have to await a further visit. Consequently, we headed over to the Pump Street Bakery for you know what. (I had a very tasty mini-sourdough baguette with ham and a spot of Dijon while the Infinito had the usual raspberry donut – which apparently was still warm.)

Sitting outside the Bakery in the full sun it was actually surprisingly warm and we amused ourselves by watching the passing visitors parade around the village square. Peering through the window of the (closed) Butley Orford Oysterage was a particularly popular activity. The Oysterage is up there with the best as reported in The Times: “30 things to eat before you die15: Fish pie at Butley Orford Oysterage. Great fish pie combines the exotic excitement of seafood – with its evocations of cold, mysterious depths – with the cosy warmth of creamy mash. Here, the pie has the perfect mix.” The Infinito got quite excited by this and wanted to know how soon we would be coming back.

With our lunches eaten and the sights, smells and sounds of Orford absorbed we set off for the return leg this time following the ‘standard’ route via Hollesley, Woodbridge and Debenham. Gradually, as the sun dropped towards the horizon the temperature cooled down and I was very glad of the wind proofing provided by my (excellent) Castelli Gabba jacket. This is a wonderful piece of clothing and today, with the average temperature hovering around 5°C, all I needed to wear was a base layer and the Gabba. It’s very popular with professional cyclists, so much so that Castelli used to sell a version complete with a black felt pen to hide the logos for those pros whose team used a different kit sponsor. And yes, eagle-eyed readers, I know that the Gabba has been rebranded by Castelli as the Perfetto. And that properly sums up today’s ride – Perfetto!