150 miles of Lincolnshire lanes and fish and chips at the coast!
It was rather dull and overcast as 6 hardy Witham Wheelers gathered at 6 am for the annual run to Cleathorpes and back. The forecast was optimistic, though, and as the cyclists set off it was hoped that the clouds would break soon. A slight headwind soon picked up and as the Wolds came closer the clouds came down to meet us and a light drizzle began. Even in these less than ideal conditions the delights of Tealby and the rolling lanes over the Wolds could not fail to lift the spirits — this is truly a delighted area for cycling.
Cleathorpes seems to sneak up on you on this ride as you quickly drop off the Wolds down to the flat coastal plain and wind through the outskirts of the town. The sea looked uninviting though as it was still overcast and the wind was wipping up the waves — all in all not a terribly inviting sight!
 Our lunch stop beckoned, though, and we had a very warm welcome at Brenda’s chippy — we even had our tables set up inside away from the cold wind and persistent drizzle. We all ate a healthy cyclists lunch, packed with vitamins and minerals!
After 70 miles there were no complaints and only empty plates. But the lunch stop was all too short and John Hill soon had us back on our bikes heading south for Louth. The weather continued to be against us and although the drizzle eventually stopped the wind then shifted to the west and we once again had a headwind as we dropped off the Wolds and back towards Lincoln.
 A change from last years route took us north of Grantham with a short stop at Welbourne before we headed south, finally, to Brant Broughton and Grantham. It was a very tired group which headed for Manthorpe around 7pm although a friendly shout from another group of Wheelers (the Wednesday night chain gang) lifted heads and before long we were into Grantham and one last stop for a quick chat before we all split for our own well deserved supper, bath and bed.
In all we were out for nearly 14 hours with over 9 hours in the saddle covering just over 150 miles. A great day out despite the weather and special thanks to John Hill for his meticulous planning and for lending me his chain tool!
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