Ashridge Cream tea ride out.
It was a lovely morning, something that hadn’t happened too
much this year, as it was Sunday and there wasn’t much planned for the day I
decided that I would like to go for a ride and make the most of the good
weather. My brother was out today and we had planned to go to Hastings tomorrow
joining the ride out from the Ace Café, so I asked Sue if she wanted to take Mum out for
a drive, stopping at the National Trust café in Ashridge Forest for midmorning
tea.
It wasn’t going to be a long ride, only a couple of hours
including the stop for tea, but the roads would be a nice mixture of fast straights
A roads and twisty B roads. Avoiding most major highways and seeing the lovely
British countryside.
Around 10am we set off aiming to be at Ashridge Forest
around 11/11.30am for cream tea. We first had to negotiate our way out of the
village nothing hard but a ride through house lined streets with only a glimpse
of the country side but the journey really begins when we reach the roundabout
at the top of the Blue House Hill on the A4147, we drove down the hill with
Verulanium Park to our right, there is a museum there where you can see the
town’s history and a place in the park where you can view an old mosaic floor
from when it was a Roman town. On the top of the hill stands the majestic St
Albans Cathedral, to the left are fields where sheep now graze over the other
half of what was the old Roman town of Verulamium the only part now on view to
the public is the Amphitheatre.
Set a little further back just out of view are ancient Bronze Age and Celtic settlements
and other historical remains hidden on the Gorhambury Estate.
We continue down the hill crossing the river VER and arrive
at a roundabout, locally known as Batchwood roundabout. Here we turn left along
the A5183. This follows and in places runs on top of the old Roman road
(Watling Street) which itself follows the of the course river VER. This is a
nice fast straight road but has some blind country lane emerging onto it. We stay
on this road until we reach the next roundabout on the edge of Redbourn, here
we turn left on to the B487 heading towards Hemel Hempstead. We’re only on here
for a short time before we turn right (just before the motorway bridge) then immediately
left onto Gaddesden Lane. This is a twisty lane heading through the
countryside, it is narrow but there are no hedges so you can see other vehicles
approaching and take the necessary action. It is a lane as such so care should
be taken to avoid the gravel that can and does sometimes appear in the middle
of the track. As Gaddesden Lane ends you go through quite a blind twisty
section and again care should be taken but it straightens out and then turns
sharp right onto Gaddesden Row.
Gaddesden Row is a lovely straight country road and as with
the trip so far has farm land on both sides. Dotted along its length is a traditional
country pub and the village too is unmolested. We’re now at Jockey End and
although we stay on the same road its name changes to Clements End Road and the
nature of the road changes too. The road now twists its way through farmland
and woodland, we come to a junction where we go straight ahead (which is
technically a right) and head into the quaint village of Studham. The road in
the village narrows down to a single lane with a 20mph speed limit. We continue
along the same road we have been on since Redbourn but the name once again has
changed to Dunstable Road, we follow this tree lined twisty road until we come
to the roundabout at Whipsnade.
Here we turn left onto the B4540 it’s an open road that
winds its way up the side of the downs heading toward Whipsnade Zoo. This is
where we hit a small delay. As it was a nice day other people had also decided
to take the advantage of this, and a queue was now blocking the road as cars
wait to gain entrance to the Zoo. The entrance to the Zoo is on a blind corner,
I carefully skirted around the traffic and I could see both ways I indicated to
Sue it was safe to proceed and she along with some other cars now passed the
waiting queue. Once past the Zoo the road drops steeply down the other side of
the downs, the road then ends when it meets the B4506 and we turn right and
follow until we come to a roundabout.
Here we turn left on to the B489 (the Icknield Way) a hedge
line sweeping road, but we soon come to a double mini roundabout. We continue
straight ahead staying on the B489 (now the Tring Road). This road sweeps along
the edge of the downs giving spectacular views across the countryside. We stay
on this road for only about a mile or so and then take the first left which is
quite a sharp turn head further up the downs into Ivinghoe hills/beacon. Here we
cross a cattle grid and although managed a watchful eye must be kept for deer. Here
again are wonderful views and lovely picnic places where you can stop. You can make
steady progress along this road, although it just worth meandering along to
take in the views of woodland and open downland. The road comes to an end at a
T-junction in a village called Ringshall, where we turn right on to the B4506,
about a mile down the road we turned right again down a metaled Byway to the
National Trust café and visitor centre. We arrived just as some vintage and
classic cars where departing, which was nice to see. Here we parked and made
our way to the café to have our cream tea. 
The place was alive with walkers, cyclists, old and young,
dog walkers and the like. The café itself sits on the edge of the forest and Pitstone
common. It’s the first time I’ve ever been to the café, although I have passed
it on many occasions. I must say they
seem to be very well organised and more importantly reasonably priced. As we
relaxed some old friends from years passed queued up for refreshments as they
had cycled there from Redbourn. It was nice to catch up and we spent a while
chatting.
Time had come to depart and we said our goodbyes. We made
our way down the metaled Byway reaching the B4506 turning left back toward
Ringshall. We pass the road we’d come in on then, then about 50yds up the road
we turn right leaving the B4506, heading toward Little Gaddesden on the
Nettleden Road. Little Gaddesden is another traditional village unspoilt by the
passing of time. Is where we leave the village we take a left down Hudnall Lane
which starts of narrow and twisty with a few blind corners, but soon opens up
to a lovely downhill ride. There are a few houses to start then you head
through a leafy lane then open down land arriving at the bottom to farmland.
Here we meet the A4146 and turn right heading toward Hemel Hempstead.
The road is fast and sweeping and one I like to ride from Hemel Hempstead
passed Whipsnade and beyond. At Water End we slow to go through the village as
the road narrows and there’s a bridge where it becomes single lane traffic,
once out the other side the pace picks up a little until we hit the outskirts
of Hemel. At the roundabout we take a left on to A4147, we head up the hill
leaving the countryside behind and head into suburbia we go straight across the
next two roundabouts then at the third roundabout we turn right but we still
stay on the A4147. We now had to make our way through an industrial estate, not
the most scenic of views but time is ticking away and we need to get home,
there are better ways to go but sometimes needs musts.
At the next round about we take a left then the next right,
here you have to watch for the speed cameras. The next roundabout is a major one,
we could take a left and head home on the A414 which is a fast duel carriageway
but is straight and boring so instead we go straight across staying on the
A4147 and head toward a little village called Leverstock Green. Once you’ve
left the village and then the 40mph zone the road opens up and is another of my
local favourites. We end our ride exactly where we started on the roundabout at
the top of Blue House Hill on the A4147.
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