Saturday 9th of March was not a very good day in terms of weather, with early morning warnings of snow in Scotland, and strong winds further south. Misguidedly I alighted at Birmingham International station rather than Hampton in Arden, to add a bit of distance to the cycling to the Origami Ride, and unfortunately persuaded Paul Evans and Susan Barlow, who were on the same train, to do the same. The ride from Birmingham International as far as Hampton in Arden was very hard work and not very pleasant because of the very strong wind, though from Hampton to Meriden the wind was mainly behind us. After the usual social gathering and chat at the Tearooms in Meriden, we set out, taking account of the weather, for a relatively short ride to tee Red Lion at Corley Moor. In other conditions this would have been a very pleasant ride, but the strong and blustery wind made riding hard work into the wind, and rather unpleasant when there was a side wind, which made it difficult to steer a straight course. I think we were all glad to reach the lunch stop, especially as a wintery precipitation started as we were near there. The Red Lion proved an excellent place for a stop - not the cheapest meal we have ever had, but HUGE portions of really excellent food - we were all reluctant to start riding again after lunch. Leaving the pub, it was immediately evident that the wind was just as strong as it had been earlier, so we opted for the shortest route back to Meriden, but the wind still made it it fairly unpleasant. Happily we all got back safely, but this was certainly the windiest Origami Ride we have had, and on a par with the conditions on the Sunday of the second Folder Forum at Weymouth.
Although the weather had been less than perfect, I think we all enjoyed the outing, and certainly enjoyed the company. We hope for rather more pleasant conditions for the next ride. The bicycles present included Bromptons, Moultons (and both an SP Brompton and an SP Moulton!), Dahons and a Bike Friday.
Copyright (C)2002 Ferrets Anonymous
URL: http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/origami/orig0302.html
Last updated: 9 March 2002