Considering this ride was organised at the last minute, both Wow and I were amazed at the number of people that agreed to come along and still turned out despite the rather hazardous conditions.
I didn't want to bail as a) it was my birthday b) I consider myself to be fairly tough, being from oop norf n all c) I wanted to see everyone
On unloading the bike from the car I had a little moment in the car park, my legs went in different directions, fortunately I was alone and somewhat grateful that I had been practising my yoga moves and felt slightly more flexible in the hip joints than normal. The car thermometer registered -4, but according to the weather forecast it was predicted to warm up, the fog was to clear and we were to bathe in glorious sunshine. Ok I lied about the last bit but was desperate to see Wowbagger in his bikini, desperate might have been an exaggeration on my part.
It was then up and over the stairs to greet the folks on the other side of the railway line, in true yACF style, smiles and hugs aplenty. I even received some early morning presents and like a big kid I popped them into the car to open later. Thanks to Tim for helping me down the stairs with the bike, it was slippery and I am scared of heights and get a little sea sick from time to time, oh that's not really applicable here is it?
The rest of the gang arrived and we were soon on our merry way.
I have to give a huge great Annie thanks to Wow for organising the route, I know he likes to play with his maps and so was more than happy to let him guide us into the depths of Essex and beyond.
It was great to catch up with everyone, having not seen some of you for the best part of a year and others having never met you at all.
It wasn't long before the chill began to bite and several of us suffered around our extremities, particularly myself and NSTN. We wriggled our fingers and toes as much as we could, nothing seemed to work but we carried on regardless.
The roads were treacherous in places, sheet ice stretched out before us, only the bravest of souls were keen to try their bike handling skills over these stretches, the rest of us walked or shuffled. I took the opportunity shortly afterwards to run alongside my bike to keep warm, managing to clock a fairly decent 7mph I felt the blood slowly return to my fingers and a smile to my face, a happy pixie once again.
On one particularly bad stretch NSTN said she wanted to call a taxi, I really felt for her and tried to cheer her up and in doing so made myself feel a little braver for a few short minutes until I too succumbed and it was her turn to make me feel better. We even discussed hiring a minibus.
Despite the cold and the treacherous conditions it was without a doubt the most beautiful scenery I have ever been witness to in my .. years. I felt like Alice in Wonderland, everything else felt surreal and somewhat larger than it would normally have been. I think we all worked really well as a group, looking out for one another. There isn't much that comes close to that feeling of being part of something like that, hard to explain but unmistakable and unforgettable.
Yes we cut the ride short in terms of distance but not in terms of enjoyment and fun with a capital F. Smut and innuendo flowed at just the right level and kept a smile upon my face for most of the day.
I particularly enjoyed the little dance session at the side of the road with Bobb and the spur of the moment push up session, suggested by Cometworm, I only managed 10, I didn't want to put the boys to shame
Thanks to Delthebike for my yummy lunch and share in the delightful pudding.
It was the perfect way to spend the day, let's do it again soon.