Cambridge to King’s Lynn: another Brompton night adventure

On Friday evening, I joined the lovely Friday peeps for the ride from Cambridge to King’s Lynn. Last year - the first time I did this ride - was great fun, so I decided to give it another go. Getting to Cambridge was plain sailing. It was getting to Liverpool Street station that provided the more than choppy waters!

I needed to be at Liverpool Street at about 21:45, however I left home a great deal later than usual. This meant that by the time I hit the busy bits of London, I was in danger of being late. This, combined with rain starting to fall for the first time in weeks, led me to decide to opt for public transport. This proved to be a rather big mistake. One Tube line threw us all off after one stop. Then there was the stopping and starting of the next. Eventually, I abandoned the Tube network and cycled, but it was going to be touch and go whether I made it at all!

Thankfully, I made it just in time to see the platform number appear on the large station notification boards. I boarded the train and managed to grab a lone single seat with ample space for my Brompton. The journey was not too long and was made all the better by a lady - who I did not see at all but could hear - further up the carriage. She sounded exactly like the late Barbara Windsor. She was also as funny and, for about half an hour, I listened with interest to the very funny story she told. I was slightly crestfallen when she got off.

I arrived slightly after 23:00, and the majority of the riders were already there. Geoff sadly could not make this one, but Dr John was there, and so was Amy, despite both being on big wheels rather than their Brompton bicycles. After the briefing and safety talk, we were off into the night.

We stopped very briefly at the Corpus Clock. This clock is only accurate once every five minutes. It is supposed to be a way of reminding the observer of the inevitable passing of time. Having seen it on a few occasions now, I can certainly say that it does. It made me think that looking at this gaudy timepiece, which could easily be sitting in the window of a shop at the Chelsea end of the King’s Road, was a total and complete waste of time. 

More street art came in the form of a sculpture by artist Christopher Goran-Brown, installed in the side of a hotel. It reminded me of one of the bathroom features of a pension I stayed at in southern France when interrailing across Europe just before university!

After this, the urban did not take long to leave behind, and we soon found ourselves in all things rural.

At pretty much bang on 03:00, the same time as last year, we arrived at Ely, with views of its lovely cathedral. A distant clock chimed, and I could not help but think of Tom and Hatty from ‘Tom’s Midnight Garden’ on top of the cathedral, looking down.

We travelled further, and a huge dead rat needed swift manoeuvring to avoid. Not long after this, a lone deer majestically ran across the road to the other side and into complete obscurity. Owls could be heard calling out to each other, and the moon could be seen whenever the odd cloud decided to cooperate.

At 45 miles, we reached the halfway stop. This was the same village hall as last year. We brought our own main snack, which was supplemented with a generous assortment of crisps, cakes, biscuits and all the tea and coffee you could drink. It was lovely. These halfway stops always remind me of tuck shops, for reasons unknown.

After about an hour or so, we got our bikes ready and set off. It was one of those rare occasions where I did not need any extra layers. All I did was unzip the merino wool zipped top and that was it. In the distance, the sky had an orange glow, blending in with the blue of the sky.

The roads were empty for the most part, and there were sections where one cycled along for a mile or so totally on your own. The scenery before us was stunning, and we made good pace towards our end at King’s Lynn.There were some sections that were rather busy (even at this ungodly hour) and, as such, we were sent out in mini pelotons of four. After a suitable gap, we set off. Thankfully, this year I did not encounter the incident that took place last year when the person in front was… well, read about that in my blog post for last year. CLICK HERE!

We paused again at a little bridge for a sunrise photo opportunity, and not that long thereafter we passed through some lovely little villages. It was then a picturesque long stretch alongside the River Nene, which is so straight and uniform that there must have been some human intervention to get it looking the way it does.

We cycled towards the ferry that crosses the Great Ouse, but unfortunately it was not in operation as the owners were on a well-deserved holiday. So, we all cycled on.

I decided to cycle straight to the station at King’s Lynn rather than the breakfast stop, and Dr John joined me. At the station, the train was ready and waiting at the platform. I boarded, as did Dr John, and we took up positions where our respective bicycles were close by. The journey back took ages - almost two hours - but we made it back to King’s Cross without delays. Saying our goodbyes, we parted company until next time.

I do enjoy occasional visits to the rural, but I do love the urban and especially London. The rain was falling as I cycled, but that did not matter. I had just cycled 79.2 miles from Cambridge to King’s Lynn.

When I got home, I did feel tired, and when I eventually had an afternoon snooze, I was out for the count for a good few hours. It was another great route, and again Claire did a wonderful job as ride leader, so many thanks to her. Also, many thanks to her husband, who organised the halfway stop.

September is, on paper, a busy cycling month for me, and I look forward to all the adventures. So, keep popping back!

Until next time, stay safe out there people!