Had a great ride out today with Pete, Gabe and Mike. We meet at Rose’s Cafe and rode to Thaxted for coffee in Parrashies. Lovely old town with a large old church. Pete couldn’t resist the urge to try his mask on. I’m sure he thought someone was about to cough or sneeze.
We then rode on to “Cafe 33” just south of Bury St Edmund’s for lunch.
It was beginning to grey over so we set off for Sible Hedingham and the “Corner Cafe” for afternoon tea/coffee. Whilst we were drinking our drink it started to rain.
We set off for home in the rain, but it didn’t last long. Pete left us at Halstead and peeled off for home.
Gabe and Mike left me on the A12 near Chelmsford, the rain started again. I continued home in the rain.
Apart from the rain it was a great day out riding on good roads in great company.
Until the next time, ride safe.
Roland. Branch Secretary.
Or if you prefer, another of Roland’s mystery tours. You really should try them sometime folks. Get that bike out of wherever it is stored away and get out on one. Quite how the intrepid Roland finds his way unerringly down the byways and highways of darkest deepest Essex never getting lost is quite beyond comprehension and a sight worth seeing. This guy could give Captain Cook a run for his money and as for setting out from Harwich to discover the New World, a piece of cake.
I can’t wait to see if this penchant for finding his way carries over to foreign climes and our impending day run to France in May corona virus notwithstanding.
With Roland having invited other branches to join the French soiree I really hope he is rewarded with more Essex branch members swelling the ranks than he gets on his meticulously planned local ride outs.
Ask not what Roland does for us but what we can do for Roland.
Anyway, this particular ride was cunningly disguised as a ride to ‘Tubby T’s’ for lunch whereas it was really to see High Point Prison where very naughty people go for a holiday at the taxpayer’s expense. Well, in fairness I suppose I must point out that the café, carefully disguised with another name ‘Café 33’, presumably to confuse escaping prisoners, is almost a ladders length away from the prison’s security fencing.
To my surprise as well as Roland’s I suspect, I made it really early to Rose Café and was tucking into a second bacon and egg sarnie by the time he arrived much to my relief as the café clock was showing 40 minutes early and I thought the ride might have been given up in favour of the possibility that it might rain some time in the day and cause participants bikes to melt or at least need the services of the one and only Richard Parkus and his magic detailing service that means you never need to wash your bike again anyway (err… That’s another tenner you owe me Richard as agreed).
Of course, we were joined by the effervescent and ever-present Gabriel and we finally set off towards said prison.
Where we went, you tell me I saw a lot of town names I recognised and lots of roads I didn’t. You don’t appreciate just how beautiful the Essex and Suffolk countryside is until you partake one of Roland’s rides.
Two highlights. First a great herd of deer that decided to run in front of our run leader’s bike in Suffolk and second the scarecrow policeman at the side of the road presumably on a mission to slow traffic down but doing as good a job as the now very inept real deals that seem to have lost sight of what policing should be about.
Anyway, that’s all you are getting about the ride as you weren’t there!
We did stop at Thaxted and Sible Hedingham for coffee on the way back where I shot off home along the Colne valley.
I did meet another active motorcyclist belonging to the Essex branch at the café in the shape of a very nice Mike on a well preserved Fireblade. I did blot the copy book somewhat by asking him where abouts in Scotland he hailed from though! Sorry Mike.
A great day’s riding was had with about 15 minutes of rain in total. How many miles did I clock? I’ll go out and check……. Ahh yes, 163.
Pete
