Saltfleetby 16-10-2024

Temperature wise, a marked contrast from last Sunday’s chiller with the mercury already registering a mild 13 Degrees Celsius for our departure at 10 am. Meeting up at Louth’s Meridian Leisure Centre were Tim Newbery, Rob Cook, John Rickett and Martin Wood. Chris Owen had arranged to meet up with us at Saltfleetby.

 

Although the joining instructions had indicated an anti-clockwise route, Tim would in the end head clockwise into the wind and to take advantage a shorter journey to the tea rooms, in order to arrive in time for breakfast.

 

Skies were grey and leaden and as we progressed along Red Leas Lane to Eleven Greens, we’d also run out of any shelter from the strengthening sou’easter. Martin would unfortunately need to return home before we reached Saltfleetby Saint Peter but it wasn’t long before we met up with Chris.

The former Saltfleetby Church of England Primary School has been totally refurbished and opened in July as ‘The Little Village Tea Shop’. Very fine it is too with the owner happy to chat with us about the conversion. Quite a story.

 

Refuelled with hot drinks, homemade scones, toasted tea cakes and bacon sandwiches, we’d now head to Three Bridges where we’d bid farewell to Chris. No respite from the wind to Meers Bridge at Theddlethorpe but we finally engaged the promised back wind along Stain Lane to Withern.

 

In contrast to Sunday, hardly another cyclist to be seen and little birdlife too although there was one splendid sighting of a buzzard and the call of a number of geese. Perhaps the first of the winter migrants where numbers will eventually total well in excess of 650,000 typically arriving from Greenland, Iceland and Siberia.

 

A request had been made to take further refreshment at Woody’s Bar and Restaurant at Woodthope which suited Ty as he’d be able to enjoy a final cuppa before going to work in Withern.

 

Rob Cook would make his own way home to leave Tim and John to return to Louth a little after 2 pm. 60 km (37 miles) for the Louth contingent. Temperatures had risen to 16 Degrees Celsius, well short of the media prediction of a balmy 21 degrees but pleasant enough.

 

We'll have to return to Saltfleetby when Steve's available.

 

Tim's Relive Video: https://www.relive.cc/view/vrqDNK92ywO