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Glorious Bike Rides
Glorious Bike Rides
Route directions PDF (right click to download)
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A word of warning, the route between Elsenham and Thaxted is prone to flooding so check the weather forecast and err on the side of caution. Yesterday (23rd November) a friend and I cycled the route as far as Thaxted and there was surface water across the roads most of the way.
After a pot of tea in Parrishes café we decided to return to Elsenham via the B1051. But this road was worse than the lanes had been and there were two long stretches of road where the flood water was several inches deep across the entire road.
This is not a criticism of the route, just a note to those eternal optimists who like to think that the rain will stop and the roads clear if we push on just a little bit further.
Just returned home from riding this route today, a warm summer Sunday. It was really great: a combination of countryside, quiet lanes, pretty villages and only a few stretches of low-traffic B roads. The only downside were very strong crosswinds heading north, but you can’t have everything I suppose :-).
Be warned you don’t ride past many shops – Thaxted has a costcutter and Great Bardfield a Co Op, but we didn’t see much else. Bring your own lunch or, even better, go for one of the doorstep sandwiches at the cafe on the green in Finchingfield.
I’m from Essex and have been through this area a few times over the years but until today never had the chance to explore by bike.
Broxbourne ladies cycled this route on Sunday after one of the girls purchased a copy of The Lanes . We jumped the train to Bishops Stortford and cycled to Elsenham to start our journey . The weather was stunning so cycling through these lanes was an absolute pleasure the miles seem to melt away as we chatted and soaked in the beauty of Essex. We arrived in Finchingfield and stopped at The Fox Inn I would recommend booking in advance as the pub is very popular as the location is perfect for
Taking in the village over looking the duck pond.
We had a super Sunday Roast which fuelled us . There is another little hidddn gem of a pub to stop not on the green but the hill to the right The Finchingfield Lion apparently the food is passionately prepared smoked fish and meats http://www.thefinchingfieldlion.co.uk . We cycled route 25 from the lanes joy of Essex .. I would highly recommend this ride it was just a joy,
Enjoyable ride with a number of attractive villages.
The Bluebell Inn in Hempstead was shut (we were there on a Saturday at 13:15) and to judge by the drawn curtains, long grass and car/van parts on the picnic tables in the garden, is no longer a going concern. Resigned to no lunch, we were pleased to find The Plough (Bar and Grill) just further on at the crossroads where the B1054 meets the B1053 before you get into Radwinter proper.
Old Mead Road (final leg back to Elsenham) was closed due to roadworks that were sufficiently extensive that there is no way through for bikes or pedestrians. There’s an easy enough work-around under the M11 and then bridleway (bit cross-country but perfectly do-able) to re-connect with tarmac in Ugley and thence to reconnect with the route.
A scenic ride with little traffic. Supplies in Elsenham and Great Bardfield. In Thaxted there is more choice. The windmill in Thaxted is worth a look, though closed when I got here. Note at 0.7m no signpost for Gaunt’s End the pub is still here. At 2.7m no (☞ Broxted / Thaxted). At 33.0m no (☞ Widdington) instead at top of hill turn left when you see ☞ no through road (on your right hand side).
Rode this last week, an excellent and mostly quiet ride. I found the two busy road sections to be the initial route out of Elsenham and then at the end of the north-easterly section when you join the B road, both had a fair amount of traffic. Got the train to Elsenham, Greater Anglia have some of the best provision for cycle space on trains I feel. All the cafes in Thaxted seem to be closed, but there is a Dorringtons, nowhere to sit and enjoy the town that I found sadly. A Co-op in Great Bardfield provides an alternative for provisions on the go.
If you plan to stop at Finchingfield it’s unbelievably busy with motorcyclists and cyclists all around lunchtime. I arrived just after 12 and managed to get a cold drink and ice-cream from a lovely cafe called Picture Pot Tearooms which, due to its size presumably, wasn’t inundated with riders.
Very few other stopping options sadly, I worked my way over to an excellent place called Blossom Bites near Howletts End where I had my lunch stop.
I’ll probably ride this one again, although may vary the route to find refueling stops or attempt to avoid some of the traffic on the final stretch.
Thanks for update.
Enjoyed riding this route today, good sandwiches at the Picture Pot tea room and cute wallabies spotted at Hill Farm on a lane just before Finchingfield. Not an animal we expected to come across on a lost lanes ride!
This was a good un, and the landscape made a change from my usual corner of Kent.
Lunched at Finchingfield, which is the obvious choice with tearooms and pubs, but I remember passing a few antique/garden centres on the second half with attached cafes.