Excursion to St Albans - May 3rd

For something a bit different, we decided to see what life (and cycling) is like north of Watford.  We headed to the old Roman city of St Albans, and the verdict was that the cycling is excellent!

Despite a dubious weather forecast, twelve of us gathered at Twickenham Wetherspoons, which was still recovering from the Army vs Navy rugby match the previous day.  There was no bread for toast or butties, and the floor was still a bit sticky in places.  We made the most of the unlimited coffee, perhaps unwisely.  It was good to welcome Julie B for her first ride with the C&M - welcome Julie!

First toilet stop

Second toilet stop (taken by our Eye in the Sky, Eric)

Lunch was near Watford so we had 20+ miles to cover in a more or less straight line north, fairly quiet roads except for the occasional traffic queue of people doing whatever they do on Sundays, and also consistently a bit uphill to Northwood Hills.  Eventually we arrived in Cassiobury Park, dodging dinosaurs in the undergrowth, to arrive at the cafe, where we were served pretty quickly.   The weather was a mix of sun and overcast, good cycling weather, and it was pleasantly warm to sit outside.

Cassiobury Park

After lunch we were in the countryside, and also definitely in the Chilterns.  A succession of short but sharp hills, some lovely descents and very pretty roads led us round to the wide open spaces of Gorehambury Park.   A swooping descent led us to Verulamium Park, the site of the old Roman settlement, where we felt very much at home among the battered old relics.

Gorehambury Park

remains of Gorehambury House

What it used to look like. Drone photo from 1578.

We passed Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, a pub Andy remembers visiting on a C&M ride maybe 30 years ago, and then up a final hill to the magnificent cathedral, before retiring to the nearly equally magnificent Wetherspoons, the Waterend Barn for tea.

A few left for the station before tea, a few left for the station after tea, and a few of us did a bonus ride of another 15 miles to Borehamwood, through delightful Hertfordshire countryside in the quiet of the evening sun.   That just left Eric still in the pub, as he was meeting friends there.

Many thanks to all who turned out for a journey into the unknown and made it such good fun and a pleasure to lead the ride.  Thanks also to Brian G who led the Wayfarers to St Albans in 2019, showing us Gorehambury Park.  And special thanks to Andy for co-leading, Alan and Jennie for back marking, and to everyone who took pictures of a special day out.