One for the mountain bikers

Yesterday as I was headed up Swanland Road towards Welham Green, ultimately headed for the old village of Welwyn (as opposed to Welwyn Garden City which is a town) I decided to put a little route in that my neighbour had told me about, into some woods to the west of the A1, as a 25 mile round trip is a long ride that I can now manage and we must all stretch ourselves.

Thus at point 'A' near the turn off for the Royal Veterinary College I found hidden in the bushes the fingerpost for the bridge which takes bikes, pedestrians and horses over the A1 (I had noticed it on Saturday when I popped out in the car for my walk in Durham Sherrardspark Wood) which is now largely hidden by foliage

and then given a choice of routes I took the harder one, which always seems to happen to me, and found myself going up what felt like the north face of the Eiger (as if! I'm not good with heights) on a narrowing woodland track covered in gravel and with protuding rocks. I caught up with two long distance runners at the tightest spot, equipped as they were with water backpacks, and they happened to spot me and stop for a breather as the going got harder. I kept shifting down through the gears until I was in the lowest of the 27 and then I thought I heard one of the runners on my shoulder, which would not have surprised me as my legs were spinning like a top and I was only inching upwards and forwards with no end in sight, but it was a man on a mountain bike who wanted to come slowly past and so with some diffculty I kept as left as I could and he came past. My will was starting to give but after what seemed like an age of effort and not much progress my legs told me the terrain was starting to level out and I could relax a little. The track then went downhill but that was no time to speed up as a hybrid was not the best bike for the terrain which was at the edge of the bike's grip and my comfort zone.

I exited the wood here, at point B.

I had no idea where I was although I was in Blackhorse Lane which I had ridden along last week, a rottenly surfaced narrow road out of South Mimms which I don't plan to use again. I got my phone out to look at where I was and at this point the man with a dog who I had passed a little while back, and said thank you to for moving over, was able to tell me where I was. I told him I was headed to Welwyn which meant that I really needed to be going north and he told me that the route straight up through the gates I could see would bring me out at North Mymms Church. It is no surprise that North Mymms (rarely heard of as South Mimms hogs the headlines) is to the north of South Mymms (Mimms / Myms). He very helpfully pointed out that it would be a another up down route and that the down would be treachorous. He promised to pick me up if I was lying in a damaged heap at the bottom. The climb was easier as it was better paved but the downhill descent was a horror as I needed fatter tyres with grip and suspension. I met a few pedestrians who sensibly kept their dogs and kids under control and after a few slides I managed to get slowly and safely to the bottom without falling off or getting a puncture.

I will not go that way on a hybrid again. If you have a mountain bike, go to it. You will need your best set of legs.

I stopped when I came out at point 'C' to take some photos. I have somehow managed to not capture the red that the poppies are painted in.

Having survived my little detour I carried on up to Welwyn and got home 3&3/4 hours after leaving.

Lockdown will be the making of me.