Cyclists Touring Club
Newark On Trent
Section

• [Novemer 2006]
• [August 2006]
• [June 2006]
• [April 2006]
• [March 2006]
• [January 2006]
• November 2005]
• [Eire 2005]
• [August 2005]
• [March 2005]
• [January 2005]
• [November 2004]
• [September 2004]
• [July 2004]
• [May 2004]
• [Mar 2004]
• [Dec 2003]
• [Oct 2003]
• [Aug 2003]
• [Jul 2003]
• [May 2003]
• [March 2003]
• [December 2002]
• [November 2002]
• [August 2002]
• [July 2002
• [May 2002]
• [March 2002]
• [January 2002]
• [November 2001]
• [September 2001]
• [June 2001]
• [May 2001]
  

NEWARK NOTES from the Secretary

The time is with the month of winter solstice...

Just too late for inclusion in the last issue; okay it should have been included but I forgot, was our last youth hostel weekend of the year. Taking "the last chance to see," Colin and Brian joined Nick and Adrian from dahn saaf for a weekend at Meerbrook hostel. I'd last visited this hostel in the eighties so wanted to join them, but family commitments meant I had to be elsewhere. Those who went had a great time, I gather, despite not-too-brilliant weather on one day. My forgetting to mention it last time was due simply to forgetfulness (it's my age...) and not down to any sour grapes at not being able to go, honestly. As several of the new owners of ex-YHA properties are, I gather, thinking of running them as youth hostels (now there's an interesting business idea!) perhaps it won't be the last chance after all..

November arrived and with it the dark nights, but the weather remained reasonably kind. Guy Fawkes' day saw me and Colin heading for darkest Woodborough, where Colin usually manages to get us lost. This time was no exception, but navigating by the seat of the pants does add a bit of excitement. And we blagged some free apples from someone's garden, too. They were delicious baked...

The next weekend I joined the Saturday ride, which really should feature more in this column as it has far more takers than the Sunday one, for a ride to Gunthorpe. Then, on the Sunday, we rode to Clumber Park and had an early return home. I went out with the Saturday ride again the following week, and although the main ride went little further than Southwell, John and I wanted to go further so we carried on to Gunthorpe again, making it three weekends on the trot that I'd visited the café there. Well, it is in a convenient place.. Sunday brought a trip to the windmill at Wymondham, another old favourite watering hole.

It was now December and time for the annual assault on the digestion that is our Christmas lunch. By way of a change, we went on a Saturday evening instead of Sunday lunchtime, which seemed to work well, and we had the biggest turnout for a number of years, so something must be going right. It was good to catch up with some of the faces I see too infrequently. Included in those were Pete Gifford, and my predecessor as section secretary, Peter Border, who had recently joined the swelling ranks of the riding wounded following an accident. Get well soon, Pete. The following Sunday the weather was most definitely not cycling weather though I did manage a short run. Other commitments prevented any of us from showing up at Belton for the Mince Pie Run, which was a pity as the weekend was probably the best of the month weather-wise. I went to the shop at the end of my road and bought myself some mince pies by way of compensation. Does that make me sad or what?

As usual, I was away over Christmas, but the section had what looks like becoming a traditional Boxing Day run to the Great Northern at Carlton on Trent, with another trip to Gunthorpe the next Saturday, and a New Year's day run to Normanton on Trent, which didn't get home 'til after dark, due, I am reliably informed, to the comforts of the Square and Compass.

One of my Christmas presents this year was one of those customised OS maps with Balderton Lake as the centre of my particular 618 square miles of universe. Great map, though not my preferred choice on the road, but I do wonder why the Sustrans route from Harby to Lincoln is shown as a cycle path, but the bit of the same route (64) south of Newark isn't. Is it something to do with the length of the route? Anybody out there have any ideas?

Mike Graham

Page updated 07/01/07