Alford Craft Market and the August Bank Holiday Festival

Cycling UK Louth ride to Alford Craft Market and the August Bank Holiday Festival - Sunday 28th August 2022

Today, Alan Hockham would be in charge of the Bank Holiday ride to Alford and meeting up with him at the Leisure centre in Louth were John Ambler, Rob Cook, Paul Linder and Tim Newbery. Chris Owen would join us at Little Cawthorpe whilst apologies had been sent from Reg Bagshaw and Joh Rickett.

Weather was set fair with a forecast of sunny skies, light winds and top temperatures of about 21 degrees Celsius. A steady ride today with plenty of time to take in the Bank Holiday festivities; we had estimated returning to Louth at about 3pm.

The northerly breeze aided our ride to Little Cawthorpe and following the boundary of the Lincolnshire Wolds AONB, Muckton Road was followed all the way to Authorpe Grange. It would be up to Rob to continue through Belleau on the prescribed route before regrouping at Claythorpe Water Mill. Refreshments were ordered and John seemed to enjoy his bacon buttie having missed out on his previous visit.

Replete, John would need to return directly home whilst the remainder continued through Aby and along the attractive Well High Lane admiring the views across the Greenfield valley. Resplendent in today’s sunshine.

Cycle route C1 would now take us to Willoughby with a chance to view the church of Saint Helen. Famous of course because explorer John Smith was baptised here in 1580. He was notably associated with Pocahontas and as president of the Virginia Colony at the age of 27 led the survival of the first English speaking settlement in North America.

With the town’s clocks registering 12 noon, we arrived in Alford and sought out the Manor House for lunch. Long queues and a full tea room forced a change in tack, instead we secured tables in an almost empty ‘All Kinds of Everything’ café which has recently opened. We would enjoy fine fayre whilst having a front row seat watching the world-famous Alford Morris and Grimsby Morris.

Time before departing to spend a little while visiting the craft market with a large number of stalls and entertainers, notably ‘Banjo Bob’. Large crowds were enjoying a perfect Bank Holiday day out.

Rob and Chris would head for home from Alford which would leave Paul, Tim and Alan to continue to Woodthorpe for a final cuppa. The wind fortuitously, had turned to the south east and so we had a back wind once more.

Bidding farewell to Paul, just Tim and Alan to head to Louth, arriving almost exactly on schedule a few minutes past 3 pm, having covered close to 40 miles.

Rob and Chris would depart for home from Alford which would leave Paul, Tim and Alan to head for Woodthorpe for a final cuppa. The wind fortuitously, had turned to the south east and so we had a back wind once more.

Bidding farewell to Paul, just Tim and Alan to return to Louth, arriving almost exactly on schedule a few minutes past 3 pm, having covered close to 40 miles.