This is a good ride for any beginners wanting to test their legs out of London. There are no big hills and the ride rolls around quiet roads in the low country to the south of Colchester. We leave the station at Kelvedon and head north to Coggeshall before heading east towards Colchester. Before we hit Colchester we head south accross Abberton Reservoir to Tollesbury.

Dinner will be in a pub at Tollesbury and we'll take a little time in this area to look at the Blackwater estuary. From Tollesbury its 13 miles back to Kelvedon.

Report

It’s difficult to drag yourself out of the house on these cold mornings, difficult to gauge exactly what you need to wear for a day out riding in the country side but when you know the weather next weekend could be atrocious and you are getting heavier due to winter inactivity logic dictates that when there is a decent forecast you have to get out and do it. This might be the best weekend for a month.

Eight riders managed to motivate themselves out for this ride. Seven at Liverpool Street and one joined the train at Stratford.

Jen, Liz, Paul, Tom, Ian, Jane, Nick and Ray.

Liverpool Street to Kelvedon is 47 minutes. All our bikes went into one carriage easily meaning we called all relax and chat together. Nice.

We headed NE out of Kelvedon on the B1024 crossing the River Blackwater and the quickly turning N and going through Feering, a nice little village with a group of pink houses and a towered church on top of the hill. It was too near the start of the ride and my camera was tucked away too deeply for me to get it out for what should have been a good picture. Next time. From Feering to Coggeshall to Great Tey to Aldham, to Copford and Copford Green the ride looped to the N of the A120. The miles slipped easily by on the flat quiet roads and we were able to ride where we liked and chat with only an occasional rearward glance to look for non existent traffic. Nice.

Flanked by bare and desolate fields the only countryside activity we witnessed were a couple of pheasants and a field of free range hens. There were more pink houses and black wooden barns to look at.

Heading S from Copford Green to Hardy’s Green to Birch Green across Abberton Reservoir and we were in Tollesbury by noon. Scouting the high street we found a couple of pubs but neither did food.  A local told us we could find a café and restaurant down at the waterfront. Down then to the Blackwater Estuary. The café was closed and the restaurant was for yacht club members only. The waterfront had been on my itinerary for the ride because it is the location of the Granary a big wood shed built in the mid 19c (know one knows what the original use was) and was featured on the BBC Restoration program. It didn’t win and still lies in disrepair. What is obviously a busy marina, loads of yachts, was quiet on this cold January day but is certainly worth a look.

OK no food in Tollesbury. We headed to Tolleshunt D’Arcy. Tolleshunt D’Arcy was a good bet for something to eat because we’d dined there before on our Harwich to Chelmsford ride in August.  The Queens Head provided us with a good selection of food ranging from baguettes and baked potatoes to more substantial meals.

From Tolleshunt D’Arcy we travelled W through Tolleshunt Major and Great Totham climbing gradually to 260 ft and then descended back into Kelvedon for a 40 minute wait in the cold for the train back to London.

Stats
8 riders
39.7 miles 9 (more than advertised because of a wrong turn and the trip down to the water)
5 hours
1051ft of climbing (almost as flat as it gets)
Fatalities – 1 rabbit.

Another good day out, thanks everyone for coming.

Ian Pendleton.