Rain was forecast overnight but didn’t arrive. I was packed up and
away by 7:30 a.m. and continued along the rough track that followed
the north side of Grafham Water until it eventually reached a tarmac
road at the village of Grafham. The cycle track through Huntingdon
was difficult to find near the Railway Station as it crossed a car
park. I reached Castle Hills, Huntingdon and stopped at the site of
Huntington Castle built in 1068. The fire beacon on one of the hills
was erected in 1988 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the
victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Fire beacon on Castle Hills
St Ives Bridge
St Ives Bridge in medieval times
The roads were quite busy even for a Sunday morning. Thankfully I
was soon on a cycle track which took me to the delightful village of
Hemingford Abbots. There were many signs in the village advertising
a summer fair but nothing had started yet. I joined the road for a
while until I came to the outskirts of St Ives where I cycled into
the town over the old bridge. The first bridge was built around 1100
of wood and the present stone bridge dates from the 1420s. It was
substantially rebuilt in 1716. It still has its bridge chapel which
was used to take tolls from travellers as well as being used for
church services. The main street had been taken over by a
motorbike festival where many machines were on display and some very
old ones going back to the 1920s. As I left the town I called in at
a supermarket to buy some bread. A man saw my bike and came over to
talk about cycling as he took his family out on cycle rides.
I
return to the road for a short way when I came to the guided bus
route which has a cycle track adjacent. This is a park and ride
access point for Cambridge and as I started to ride along the bus
lanes I saw the sign saying Cambridge 14 miles. It is along the line
of the old railway and the cycle surface is excellent. I continued
with ease riding through the flat countryside. There wasn't a lot to
see except for a windmill off to the left. I was on cycle route
51 heading for Cambridge and as I reached the bus stop at Swavesey I
was exactly on the Greenwich Meridian. Behind me are longitudes west
& in front longitudes east. This illustrates how sad I am.
Eventually I left the cycle track to ride along a few roads to the
River Cam where I crossed by a footbridge. Once over I turn right to
follow the cycle track along the river bank towards the town centre
of Cambridge. The whole area was very busy with people walking and
cycling and enjoying the fine weather. The nearer I approach the
town centre the more people there were, making it difficult to ride
as many didn't get out of the way even though I was ringing my bell.
Windmill neat the Busway
Cambridge
Crossing the River Cam
Once in the town centre I had to get off the bike and push it as
there were too many people around. I crossed over the bridge over
the cam and then sat in the Park area a while to enjoy the
surroundings. It was now quite overcast and it rained for a while
but not heavily. My next objective was to visit
John Naughton for
afternoon tea in the nearby village of Madingley. I continued west
along a cycle track which ran by a large complex of student
accommodation. The track crossed over the main M11 at a Footbridge
and send it into a wooded area of what looked like common land.
I emerged onto the road and cycled up the road towards John's house. I
made a short detour to look at the entrance to the large Cambridge
American Cemetery and Memorial which commemorates American servicemen and
women who died in World War II. A notable memorial
is to the jazz bandleader and trombonist Glenn Miller (1904–1944)
who was lost at sea.
Home made scone with jam and cucumber
sandwich for an excellent Sunday afternoon
Just after the cemetery entrance I turn
right to ride down a narrow footpath by Madingley wood which joined
the road into John's village. It was good to see John again as it
is 5 years since we last met when we had tea at The Orchard cafe.
The weather was very pleasant so after meeting Fiona for the first
time we went into his garden to enjoy his homemade scones with jam
and cream with several cups of tea. It was a delightful afternoon of
excellent conversation and over two hours went which seemed to go
far too quickly.
Around 5:15 I had to leave so I could get a few
more miles in before camping for the night. I returned to the road
and headed south east through Grantchester passing The Orchard cafe
on the way. After a few more miles I joined a cycle track which runs
parallel to the railway. Before long a wooded area appeared to the
left and this is where I'd hoped to camp based on what I've seen on
Google Earth images. In the Wood was a narrow path leading to a
series of ancient wells where I managed to find a big enough grassy
area to put up my tent.
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Whittle Wanderer
