The weather seems to be picking up a little - despite the BBC local forecast predicting rain it was sunny in the morning, but by the time it came to getting out on my bike it was cloudier. The lighter evenings are also making it more pleasant to venture out a little further in the afternoon. Not that I mind cycling at night with some decent cycle lights - but there are less opportunities to take pictures. With the shift in sunset from around 16:50 to 17:39 during February it is now around 18:00 in March plus the change to BST (British Summer Time, when the clocks go forward on March 28th) - will along with an improvement in the weather and leaves on the trees make for some interesting scenery and lighting. Both are needed for photography.
I headed out North of Cambridge up to Waterbeach, there is an off-road Sustrans route (11) alongside the River Cam, but I tend to give it a miss on weekends - it is popular with walkers and can be a bit slow. Actually this bit of Sustrans 11 goes nowhere (well Waterbeach) it stops at Waterbeach awaiting further developments before new routes are opened. The indication on the Sustrans map is that a Connect 2 route will connect the route from Waterbeach to the Southern Edge of Wicken Fen. As I have mentioned part of this route now exists with a route through White Fen and a bridge over Swaffham Bulbeck Lode already in place and bridge construction starting at Reach Lode. This will leave a bridge for Reach Lode and some way of crossing the River Cam to complete the route. I can't find any information on how the missing dots will be connected though. On the Sustrans map there is a proposed route shown from White Fen up Lug Fen Droveway, stopping at Vicarage/Fen Farm and then on the other side of the River Cam and the Ferry House - but no clue as to where the route goes between these two places.
So I took the road route to Waterbeach - not the nicest of roads for a cyclist, from Fen Ditton through Horningsea and Clayhithe to Waterbeach. It is a narrow but fast road and a couple of cars got closer than I would like when out for a cycle. All cyclists know that bikes wobble, whether a gust of wind (yes really) or a pothole - it happens. The greater the number of cars that don't follow the highway code and don't give you room the greater the chance you will get hit. At the speeds cars travel you would not stand much chance - and what really annoys me - they try to make the cyclist the (partly) guilty party if they are not wearing a helmet.
Fortunately the route switches to less buy roads through Landbeach and then onto the outskirts of Cottenham before taking Long Drove (a popular name for a road in these parts). This road is single track and bypasses Cottenham, but does pass Green End Cow Pastures and Two Bit Farm - there were also quite a few (10 or so) people out for a walk along it. Unfortunately the single track road rejoins a busier road - Twenty Pence Road (B1049) near Twenty Pence Cottage. Although this is a faster road than the road through Horningsea it is wider and I find that cars overtake with a wider gap. Here is a random field, just off Long Drove, ploughed and drying in the dry winds of the Flatlands. The track alongside the field is not marked on the map but there is one a little further on called Engine Drove that I will try in the warmer weather.
Long Drive, it must have been constructed from slabs of concrete, with expansion gaps, but has not been resurfaced with tarmac. It is quite unpleasant cycling along with the rhythmic thump, thump, as the wheels go into the gaps across the road. The middle of the road is slightly better, but the gravel collects in the middle. You pays you money you takes you choices. I then carry on North through Wilburton (crossing the A1123) and zig-zagging North past Grunty Fen, Wentworth, crossing the A142 (a busy road and tricky to cross sometimes) before climbing up to Coveney. When I say climb this is the Fens remember - the peaks around here around 20m! My route then heads into Ely, another climb up past the cathedral before following the Sustrans 11 route back to Burwell and Sustrans 51 to Cambridge.
On the outskirts of Ely you have to cross the A142 near a bridge over the Great River Ouse - this can be the trickiest crossing of the journey - it is a busy road with constant traffic in both directions. During rush hour there is often a line of traffic caused by the railway crossing just up the road. (There is a bridge under the railway, but tall vehicles cannot use this and have to go over a level crossing. If enough lorries are waiting then it can block the underpass. All trains going East cross country and West to Norwich and North to Kings Lynn head over this bridge over the great River Ouse. There is a large loop in the track further along to allow this feat of "steering".
The Sustrans 11 route then follows a shared pedestrian/cycle way alongside the Great River Ouse using a combination of tarmac path and farm track. Here there is also evidence of recent ploughing. I did not know the Electricity poles lean into the prevailing wind!
Looking over the Great River Ouse from the Fen Rivers Way (as this part of Sustrans 11 is known).
I could not choose between the last picture and this one - this one typifies East Anglia's wide open skies.
My bike had a rest whilst I was taking these pictures. There are around four or five benches on this stretch of the path. I used the seat I was on to steady my camera whilst taking the pictures. In this one you can see Ely cathedral in the background. As you can also see it is not a wide path. It is useful having a bell to give a warning ting - you see quite a few people walking their dogs and a number of agricultural workers (based at Barway) walk this route into Ely.
Just before entering Barway and leaving the tracks to re-join the road I there were people busy putting covering over newly ploughed fields. This picture is made up of seven pictures and because some of the guys in the field were moving (between pictures) they look a little ghost-like in the picture.
This part of the Sustrans route uses a No Through Road which helps to keep the traffic levels down- but again along Padney Drove the farmers had been busy. I guess with the late spring start a lot of farmers will be trying to catch up.
I generally detour from the Sustrans 51 route from Burwell to Cambridge and head through Reach towards White Fen. Another picture in my series entitled "Farm Machinery in a Field"
The skies were quite softly lit as the sun set - here is an orange glow over another freshly ploughed field just off Lord's Ground Drove.
All in all the ride was around 50miles/80Km in pretty decent weather and for once I got home without frozen toes - I did feel unusually drained when I got home though. I should have known something was up - I woke up feeling sick and with a headache the next day. A pity because the sun was shining - but I could not even eat breakfast - unusual for me - ah well. Spring is coming,
No comments:
Post a Comment