Monday 4 July 2011

Day 9: St Neots to Wortham

Up at 4: 20, put the steak slice in the Bain Marie, lit the burner and headed to the shower block. Steak slice was ready in 25 minutes and went down a treat. Very different from heating it in the oven: the pastry was moist like the Fray Bentos canned pies I recalled from childhood. Followed by hot chocolate and a banana. I was ready to ride.

I set off following the signs to Cambridge until I reached the A 428 where I realised I'd cocked up completely. I could have carried on along the A 428 but it wasn't the sort of ride I wanted so I decided to rejoin my route by going west along the A 428 where I hope to join the B 1046. Unfortunately this went over the top on an inaccessible bridge so I had carry on to the B 1043, back into town and then join the B 1046. Only 5 miles out of my way!

A nice ride through to Haslingfield where I made a real pig's ear of it. I was looking for a track which cut across to the A 10. I kept missing the turning. Eventually found it with the aid of my phone. The track was not really a cycle path but simply a bridle path. It started as a gravel track, then singletrack, a footbridge across the river, then the headland of a field then another track. Without the route on my phone I doubt I would have persevered.

Still it brought me out onto the A10; probably a little further south than I needed to be but when I planned this section I was expecting to camp at a site near Trumpington. It was rushhour but there was a cycle track alongside which took me across the roundabout over the M11. After that there was a cycle lane or cycle track; after Trumpington Hall I took a track across what seemed to be park right to the centre of Cambridge where I parked up at 8:10 and headed off to look for breakfast. I had never cycled among so many cyclists before. To start with I was a bit perturbed to find many didn't worry whether they were on the left or the right. Anarchy! But after a while I began to enjoy it.

I was looking for a greasy spoon and walked into Bill's Cafe and sat down. It slowly dawned on me this was no greasy spoon in fact a bit of a foodie place. Breakfast was a sausage, bacon, scrambled egg, a mushroom, a tomato and toast. Quality ingredients. £7 95 for breakfast not including the two Americano's. Bloody good though.

Back to the bike and I cut through the centre of Cambridge to re-join my route (NCN 51) using the phone to find my way.

I enjoyed it, even the chaos of so many cyclists often suddenly joining the road/path. I went out through Burwell. There were several shared paths; they seemed good out in the country though not so good in villages.

Just before Fordham I stopped to look at my map; there was a voice at my shoulder "first tourist I've met since Holyhead". A Wetherby Wheeler on a Super Galaxy going from Holyhead to Aldeburgh and back to Wetherby. Stayed together for a while (in fact I deviated slightly so I could chat more). At one point we discussed routes using my A4 printouts of OS maps. He said "let's get a proper map" and pulled out his half inch to the mile Bartholomew's (canvas and in pristine condition). (He said he visited his grandchildren at Telford and it wasn't on the map! And he'd been on Watling Street - the A5 dual carriageway?- and it was okay. The A14 had replaced another road he was following -- and I think he used it! -- it was "a bit busy"!).

Instead of taking the B1085 I stayed with him so we could chat. We went our separate ways at Worlington. I was off the edge of my map so wanted to head back to my route; I later realised it would have been much better staying with him as our routes converged further on. Stopped for refreshments at Kentford then for a bit of a break at a country park just after Lackford. It was about 2 pm. Through West Stow, Ingham and Great Livermere I was feeling a bit jaded.

I was looking for a campsite as the next one on my actual route was some 25 miles away and I had indicated some uncertainties about its current existence on the map and I wasn't confident that I'd find a shop there. So, I went into Ixworth. The village shop included a helpful butcher; he said there was a campsite at Wortham - in fact, I'd marked this (and with very favourable notes) on my map but overlooked it because it was a little off my route. It was 8 miles up the A 413. It was busy but okay. I deviated onto a cycle track which took me through Rickinghall and Botesdale, then back on to the A 143 and into the campsite just before five. It was about 35 miles to Lowestoft, so the warden said, so ideally suited for a two night stay so I could have a lightweight trip to the coast and back tomorrow. Pleasant site with a very friendly warden; small shop with a cafe across the road and a pub nearby.

Cooked a meal of rather nice sausages from the butcher at Ixworth with onions and new potatoes washed down with red wine and followed by a sticky pudding and custard. Then to the pub for a couple of pints.

Distance: 141.18 k

Time: 7: 38: 33

Average: 18.4 k/hr

Max: 38.0 k/hr

Height asc: 860 m


Campsite: Honeypot Caravan and Camping Park, Wortham, Suffolk. £8.50. Nice site with a pond and plenty of trees. Good facilities. Friendly warden and friendly owner.

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