Short story: ECEd from Cambridge and that was... damp. First time I've worn waterproof trousers on an audax! Glad I did.
Thanks ACME team for another lovely day out!
Longer story:
No photos today: rain instead...
Full waterproofs on leaving at 6am. The rain didn't really start until I got to Walden.
Much new technology for me today. Impending death of phone has caused me to get a new phone; new phone not having an ordinary headphone jack caused my husband to get me new Bluetooth bone-conducting headphones [old ones up for grabs if anyone wants to try them]; my old music player doesn't do bluetooth, causing me to rely on Spotify and BBC Sounds today. First up is a terrific podcast featuring Emily Chappell:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3hECPK9fPJibLL3sr0RoZfWhen she talks about doing audax it is as though she is speaking directly to me. Swoon.
Rain picks up just before Braintree. I really don't like Braintree but am pleased to see it on this occasion. They Might Be Giants on to perk me up. I arrive in Witham just in time to wave to the 9.30am depart. Into the pub; cup of tea and a quick sit-down before leaving at 10am. Already soaked through, and the prospect of more rain for another hour; I stay togged up.
Not long after leaving, I am caught by James. James is relatively new to audax, but is clearly taking to it like a duck to water (literally today) and I'm sure he'll be fine for his first SR next year. One of the audaxes he has done is the Richard Ellis; I've never been tempted, as I couldn't bear to cycle down to Dunmow then back up to Grantchester. Plus the queue at The Orchards is always so long. I tell James that my husband and I got married at The Orchards. "Oh!" he exclaims. "Me and my wife used to call in there quite often, and we always said what a nice place it would be to get married!". In our case, it rained cats and dogs and we were outside for an hour or two before it was too cold. In August. Ho hum. James and I have children the same age, and spend some time swapping notes. He mentions that there is a ford near Hatfield Forest that is mentioned on the routesheet. What, I don't remember that! He is glad to ride together when we get to the first info control: thanks to a conversation at the start, I already knew that the answer was (still) missing. So there's no point stopping. A great advantage of ye olde paper brevets over e-brevets on these shorter audaxes; no need to stop and fumble with a phone in the rain, especially when you already know the answer.
It is lovely to chat but I already had 40 miles in my legs before the start and am tired from the rain, so it isn't long before I drop off on a slight incline.
On the A1060, the route has us do a left-then-right jig. All clear on approach, I turn onto the road. As I indicate right, I can hear a lorry coming up behind me, too fast to slow down for me. Very very much too fast. There's no choice: the lorry driver has me riding on the white lines in the centre of the road, and squeezes through on my left, with cars going the opposite way on my right. I turn right and stop to gather myself. What do these people think? Awful.
Near Hatfield Broad Oak, I stick on the B road rather than go past Hatfield Forest and potentially impassable ford. Saves a bit of time but means longer on the old A120, sad. It's such a horrible road. With all the concrete traffic islands, there's no choice but to take the lane - if you don't, then obesotron SUV drivers push their way through. But if you do take the lane, you have to put up with honking and incomprehensible shouts. One lowers his window to shout "Ar!" at me. Bit late for talk-like-a-pirate day, surely? No idea.
At the cafe, the sun is shining! Yay, I'll be able to take off stupid swishy waterproof trousers - which are now covered in chain lube, and have been basting my bottles for the last 40 miles. Inside, I sit down with James, and then spy Lottie! Owen is stamping cards. Owen brings up the subject of squares, ahhh... I go all doe-eyed until Owen asks about the Epping Upland square. Everyone else laughs at the solution: just hop over the PRIVATE NO ENTRY gate on the corner opposite some houses, down the concrete track for 100 metres to the sewage treatment plant - no problemo, you're in and out inside five minutes.
I set off at the same time as Phil. We don't think we've met before, but must have done the same audaxes. His Garmin is playing up, so I lead while it has a little think. Our kids are similar ages, so another lovely chat about kids and families and the trials and tribulations of a house of teenagers.
No need to stop in Thaxted; the info control answer is easily visible and we are both doing paper brevets. We pick up James: his navigation is on the blink too, so we ride together all the way to Witham. I am very glad to be in a group; the shelter from the wind is nice, but I'm mainly glad of being with other audaxers at the point where I'm closest to home. I am no good on the front and don't even offer, but am useful in Great Notley where I'm a bit more sure of navigation and can even remember the little bit of cycle path worth using to bypass a big roundabout.
We pass Lottie on her Brompton. Hellooo! The roads have been fairly wet, but not too bad. Near Fairstead, I regret taking off the waterproof trousers, as we have to ride through about 200m of flooded road. Aaaargh! It's a lovely lane, but next time there's been this much rain I'll divert to the Notleys instead. I think about Lottie on her little wheels, and hope that she's okay. It is a glorious evening though, and we all enjoy the sunset.
Witham, yay! I stop to get some money out to buy an ACME buff - just the thing, as my soggy AUK buff is making my chin sore. Small dinner, tea and chat with ACME people. Phone on charge: it hasn't coped very well with being a music player all day. Lottie pulls in, and receives the 2023 ACME Lanterne Rouge award. I set off again about 5pm.
Getting home is a bit of a drag; tired and into a strong gusty wind. I stop every half hour to change track. The BBC Sounds series I am listening to is excellent though, and really spurs me on - it's about witches, both the wicca-type stuff (which doesn't hugely interest me) but also the witch-hunts and theories about why they happened. Did you know King James - he of Bible-translating fame - blamed a storm on witches and wrote a book about demons which stirred up witch-hunt enthusiasm? There are interesting sections tying up enclosures (another thing which makes me angry, as it resonates today and makes our lives as cycle campaigners blooming hard) with witch-hunts; there's pieces about women decried as witches because they were midwives who carried out abortions, and the church didn't like that. North Essex villages are treated to strings of expletives. Serve them and their Matthew Hopkins right, hah.
I get home at 9pm. 230km in December wind and water in 15 hours, happy with that!
This marks the end of RRTYx5 and, once validated, can send off for my NEW BADGE! Whoop yeah.
