Cambridge Area Report June04
Area Run/Punting.
This time out I thought that we’d try to combine our four-weekly area run with a bit of R&R on the river Cam and we were blessed with fantastic weather on the chosen day (Sunday 4th June)
We assembled the usual suspects in Tesco car park, in Milton, at 12 noon.
I was in my yellow Zetec SE (I must get the Pinto Westy out for the treasure hunt next month), Martin Keene and his better half Anita in Martin's red Xflow SE, Neil Hall our Webmaster Supremo in his black SeiW CVH, Mark his green Xflow powered SEi, Dick with his burgundy Xflow Sei and Monkeylegend who had come in his tin top and was to ride shotgun with me.
I had worked out a circular route around the Eastern side of Cambridge so, we set off up the A10 towards Ely at a cracking pace only to be duely slowed by the Sunday traffic until we turned right off the Stretham roundabout towards Soham via Wicken on the A1123.
This road allows for a fairly brisk pace with long straights and sweeping curves and is a little bumpy in places (usually on the apexes of the slower corners).
The group made quick work of the little traffic there was apart from some bone
head in a dilapidated Golf GTI who insisted in overtaking into a blind left
hand rise in the road leading to one of the many bridges spanning the myriad
drainage ditches that span the fens.
Common sense immediately prevailed on my part as I backed off to let him past
having seen a stream of cars coming the other way over the bridge only for him
to turn off right 400yds afterwards.
As soon as we arrived outside Soham we turned right again towards Newmarket on the A142, the exhaust noise from the convoy setting off many a car alarm as we went!!
This part of the run proved slower due to the increased traffic (and 40MPH) speed limits leading us into Newmarket where Martin very nearly T-boned a marked Police car on the roundabout in the town centre!!!!!!
As soon as we cleared Newmarket town centre and headed towards Cambridge on the A1303/1304 the traffic cleared and the pace picked up again.
We suprised an old guy in a Volvo as I misjudged the turn off towards Brinkley (a mile early) who thought the convoy was about to turn off into his driveway. I also suprised the rest of the group as I nearly missed the actual turnoff towards Brinkley, locked up and slid round the corner just in time only to narrowly miss being collected by Martin…………………………………
The B road from the A1304 to Brinkley is a roller coaster of a ride and a lot of fun to boot, it’s not too bumpy has a few off camber sharp turns and takes a lot of confidence to really crack on.
The runner (downhill) and riser (self explanatory) right hand bend just outside Brinkley can really take your breath away (if you get it just right and more so if you get it just wrong) as the car is changing direction (going right hopefully) and gaining altitude (going up-hill) at the same time.
In the Westy, this has the effect of firing the car out of the apex of the bend with the suspension fully loaded and the back end squirming about under power luurverly!!!!!
Once in Brinkley we stopped for a swift half at the Red Lion before departing
back the way we came till crossed the A1304 and headed into Cambridge via Little
Wilbraham (more narrow switchback curves and long straights)
Once in town we parked up in a secure underground car park that I know ;-0 and
made our way to the Punts on the Quayside.
After a short wait we boarded our Punt (myself as pilot, Neil and his friend, Diana; Monkeylegend; Martin and Anita) and set off down Cam zig-zag fashion (been a while since I punted) down the Cam.
We witnessed the usual kamikaze, pissed-up students jumping from the various bridges spanning the river and the stunning views of the college lawns and buildings that majestically line the Cam.
We took a breather at the Mill Pond for more refreshments from the Anchor Pub
before braving more head on collisions, aquatic congestion and good-natured
banter from the occupants of other punts as we made our way back to the punt
station.
The highlight of this bit was seeing some clever asshole on a punt picking up
a Signet out of the water only to narrowly avoid having his eyes pecked out
by the anxious parents.
Moral: don’t mess with nature when it’s Swan shaped!!!!!!!!!!!
We departed from the punts and made our separate ways home from our under ground bunker at about 4:45pm after a rather successful day out.
Chaz.