DIARY – CHELTENHAM
SHOWCASE MEETING – DAY 2 – PART II
SATURDAY 18 OCTOBER 2014
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The Alan King trained Ulzana’s Raid wins the Handicap Hurdle with Wayne Hutchinson aboar The starting gate for the next race was part way
down the home straight, with two fences being jumped prior to heading away
from the grandstands for the first time.
This being the case, the horses cantered up in front of us having left
the horse-walk before returning down the turf and re-entering the all-weather
strip to finish their journey. This was a race affected by the re-location of
the start; an extra half a furlong (110 yards) had been added to the distance
of this year’s renewal of the race, which meant an additional fence to be
jumped too. Alan King had a runner in this event, the
blinkered Midnight Appeal, today ridden by Wayne Hutchinson. The race favourite was Standing Ovation at
5-1. Lesley’s dad likes to bet on a
grey so, with three greys in the race, Lesley chose Chicago Grey.
The
runners approached the tape and then they were off ... or rather they weren’t
... it was a false start; the jockey on the inside of the group aboard
Chicago Grey had peeled off to his left, thus ensuring they would not be
permitted to go. As they weren’t
travelling at speed, the other riders soon pulled up their mounts and they
returned to the starting gate, bringing up the rear as they returned was the
grey Sire Collonges, mount of Sam Twiston-Davies. So
much for the sedate walk in to the start, the horses weren’t far behind the
tape as it was stretched across the racecourse once more. They set off from more or less a
standstill. It was a short run to the
first, with Your Busy rising just ahead of Mon Parrain
to his inside, and inside of these were Standing Ovation and Mart Lane. In midfield, Midnight Appeal hit the first
fence; travelling in rear were Chicago Grey and Duke Of Lucca. Chicago Grey landed a little awkwardly over
the second obstacle. Having
reached the area in front of the stands, the horses then veered off to their
left and headed up the hill to jump the third. Your Busy and Standing Ovation cut out the
running, followed by Sire Collonges to the outside,
the cheek-pieced Mon Parrain, Alfie
Spinner and Mart Lane; behind these was Dursey
Sound, to his inside Midnight Appeal and Golden Chieftain. Behind these Duke Of Lucca and Me And Ben
matched strides, whilst at the rear of the field were a brace of greys, Roalco De Farges and Chicago
Grey. The runners cleared the uphill
fence without problem and headed out into the country on the first occasion. There
were no incidents as the field cleared the fourth fence, and they all safely
negotiated the water-jump too. The
following obstacle was their first open-ditch; again no obvious errors. Your Busy continued to lead the field as
they jumped the seventh fence, with Standing Ovation close up on his inside; Roalco De Farges and Chicago
Grey remained at the rear. The horses
headed around the dogleg turn to arrive at the next open-ditch; again no
problems, although the Gordon Elliott representative was a little slow at it. The
field continued to the top of the hill, travelled around the far bend and
began the journey down the slope to fence number nine; once more no obvious
errors from the experienced handicappers.
However, by this stage, Mon Parrain had
dropped back through the field to dispute last place. He received a slap or two down his right
shoulder and a couple of back-handers too for his
troubles. Your Busy to the wide outside and
Standing Ovation against the rail, led the field into the home straight once
more. All of the runners cleared the
two fences therein without incident; both Your Busy and Sire Collonges reaching for the second of these. There were no real distress signals as the
horses headed away from the grandstand and up the hill to the next fence;
Your Busy was a length ahead of the field, with Mon Parrain
and Roalco De Farges
bringing up the rear. However Mon Parrain was very slow at the obstacle and began to lose
touch with the others as they headed into the back straight for the final
time. Duke
Of Lucca hit the next fence. Midnight
Appeal closed up behind the leaders as they approached the water for the
final time. Your Busy continued to
lead, from Alfie Spinner, Standing Ovation,
Midnight Appeal and the grey Sire Collonges. The runners cleared the next open-ditch
without a problem and Standing Ovation took a very narrow advantage as they
jumped the following fence. They then
travelled around the dogleg turn and approached the final open-ditch; it was
now Sire Collonges’ turn to drop noticeably back
through the field. Alfie Spinner was marginally ahead as they
cleared this fence, from Standing Ovation against the rails, between them was
the improving Golden Chieftain and, to their outside, Your Busy; Midnight
Appeal travelled in fifth position.
Sire Collonges had now dropped to the rear,
Sam Twiston-Davies called it a day at this point;
stable companion Mon Parrain having already been
pulled up. The
runners negotiated the far bend and began the descent to the third last
fence. To the inside, Standing Ovation
held a slight advantage over his rivals as they jumped it, Alfie Spinner cleared it in second, from Golden Chieftain
and Your Busy. Midnight Appeal wasn’t
far behind, although he didn’t put in the tidiest of leaps at this
fence. As they rounded the final bend,
Roalco De Farges weaved
his way through between Midnight Appeal and Alfie
Spinner; he looked the biggest danger to the two leaders, Standing Ovation
and Golden Chieftain. In
fact he was upsides, if not marginally ahead as they cleared the penultimate
fence; Golden Chieftain began to weaken shortly after clearing the fence,
this left Standing Ovation to battle it out with the grey on the run to the
final obstacle. Alfie
Spinner was staying on and had soon drawn alongside the Tizzard
runner. Roalco
De Farges was only a neck ahead of Tom Scudamore’s mount clearing the last, but the latter soon
began to tire as they climbed the hill to the line. The grey went on to win by 4½ lengths. Standing Ovation held on for second, with Alfie Spinner two lengths back in third. Chicago Grey had stayed on from the rear of
the field to claim 4th. Midnight
Appeal completed in 9th place. Unfortunately
Lesley had chosen the wrong grey. Although
she would have won her each way bet had 16 runners taken part but,
unfortunately, there were just 13 runners in this one.
We
returned to the area beside the Parade Ring to see the placed horses
return. Chris diverted to the bookies
once more. I believe he had also placed
a winning bet or two on the Champions Day racing at Ascot. It
was now time for the fifth race of the day.
There were two runners of interest for me in this race, namely the
Alan King-trained top-weight Ulzana’s Raid and the
Martin Keighley-trained Seymour Eric.
The favourite for this event was flashy chestnut Andy Kelly at odds of
4-1; the Alan King runner was also a flashy chestnut. My
group returned to the course-side rails prior to the runners leaving the
Parade Ring. Seymour Eric showed his
wellbeing by having a buck or two as he exited the horse-walk prior to
cantering across the track and heading up the all-weather strip around the
top turn. The
starting gate for this race was located part way down the back straight, with
two hurdles to jump before the far bend.
Having milled around at the start, it was soon time for the race to
begin.
The
jockeys organised themselves into a group and walked in slowly to the tape
and then they were off, first time. To
the inside of the track leading the way was Bygones Sovereign; to his outside
were Jimmy The Jetplane and Seymour Eric. Wider still on the track travelled Act
Alone and Forthefunofit; just behind these
front-ranked runners was the keen Andy Kelly.
Having cleared the first without incident, the field headed around the
dog-leg turn to approach the second flight.
Megastar and Dragon’s Den brought up the rear as they jumped this
hurdle. Bygones
Sovereign continued to lead the way as they climbed to the top of the hill
before turning the far bend and heading downhill to the next flight; both
Jimmy The Jetplane and Seymour Eric drawing upsides
the leader as they jumped it. There
was still a difference of opinion regarding the best ground, with Forthefunofit, Act Alone, Megastar, Ulzana’s
Raid and Dragon’s Den all being taken wide upon the course as they travelled
towards the fourth flight. Having
cleared the obstacle without incident, the runners on the wide outside manoeuvred
back towards their rivals in order to take the shortest route they could
around the bend and into the home straight on the first occasion. There was no change at the head of affairs
as they continued towards the fifth flight; Dragon’s Den brought up the
rear. All
having cleared it safely, the field galloped up towards the grandstand,
veered left and headed up the hill to begin their final circuit. Bygones Sovereign led the way from Jimmy
The Jetplane, Seymour Eric, Andy Kelly, Moorlands Mist,
Act Alone, Ardkilly Witness, Forthefunofit,
Ulzana’s Raid, Megastar, Pass The Time, Foxcub and Dragon’s Den.
Seagulls were flying above the Best Mate Enclosure as the horses
passed by, perhaps searching for titbits dropped by today’s punters. Heading
down the back straight for the final time, the runners cleared flight number
six without incident and continued the long journey to the next, passing
through their starting point in the process.
The jockey aboard the leader became animated as they approached the
next; his closest rivals soon taking a very narrow advantage. Seymour Eric now disputed the lead with
Jimmy The Jetplane and Andy Kelly as they
negotiated the dogleg turn. The
runners cleared the next without incident, although the flight did look a
little battered as the horses continued on their journey; Megastar and Ardkilly Witness probably the main culprits. By
the time they’d reached the top of the hill, Bygones Sovereign had dropped to
the rear of the field and was beginning to lose touch. Seymour Eric led the field around the far
turn, with Jimmy The Jetplane now also dropping
back through the field. The Martin
Keighley runner cleared the flight with Andy Kelly upsides; a close third to
the outside was Act Alone. Further
back in the field Ardkilly Witness flattened one of
the panels. Seymour
Eric fought off the challenge of the favourite as they approached and jumped
two out; but now Act Alone, who bumped him slightly, and Forthefunofit
took over the lead after the flight.
Travelling just behind the leading horses were Ulzana’s
Raid and Dragon’s Den. The field
turned into the home straight, heading for the final flight. The Nicky Henderson runner and the Jonjo O’Neill runner just ahead, with Wayne Hutchinson steering
his mount to the inside to get a clear view of the hurdle and almost upsides
as they jumped it. Act
Alone made a hash of it and this left Forthefunofit
and Ulzana’s Raid to join battle up the run-in,
with Dragon’s Den making his challenge between them. Richie McLernon’s
mount was the first beaten but, although his other rival continued to stay on
to the line, he was always held. The
Alan King-trained Ulzana’s Raid won by half a
length. Forthefunofit
completed 3¾ lengths back in third, with Ardkilly
Witness a further 3½ lengths away in fourth.
The first three had all taken today’s favoured outside route around
the course. Seymour
Eric completed in 7th place.
The
Alan King runner having won, I set off at route march pace to the Winners’
Enclosure and arrived with plenty of time in hand. Having left both Lesley and Chris in my
wake, they managed to find me easily ... because of my bright mauve
jacket! Ulzana’s Raid was still
quite lively when being unsaddled by his jockey; Matt poured two or three
buckets of water over the horse to cool him down before covering him with a
rug. The trainer, jockey, stable-lass
and owner posed for photographs with the horse before he was led away. Having
weighed-in, Wayne returned in time to join the sponsor and connections on the
podium for the presentation of the prizes.
We remained on the steppings for a while and
saw the runners for the penultimate race arrive therein; there were just
three participants in this event, there being two non-runners. The
evens favourite for the race was the blinkered David Pipe-trained runner Ainsi Fideles, who was just a
4-year-old, and had won his last five races, including a beating of today’s
main rival Splash Of Ginge at Perth on his most
recent run. However, Splash Of Ginge possessed the best hurdles form, having won
Newbury’s very valuable Betfair Hurdle in
February. And, evidently, a number of the
Twiston-Davies runners had run below par at that
particular Perth fixture. We
walked down to the course-side rails in time to see the three runners exit
the walkway; they headed across the racecourse and up the all-weather strip
around the top bend to reach the starting gate. Having milled around behind the gate for a
few minutes it was then time for the race to begin.
The
three runners walked slowly towards the tape ... and then they were off, with
Ainsi Fideles leading the
way. Gentleman Jon brought up the
rear. The leader put in a big leap at
the first, jumping out to his right; as a result, Tom Scudamore
pulled his whip through to his right-hand should any necessary aid be
required at the following obstacles to keep the horse jumping straight. Having
negotiated the dogleg turn, the small field approached the first of the
open-ditches; all three cleared this without problem. They continued to the top of the hill, Ainsi Fideles with a clear lead
over his rivals, before heading downhill in Indian file to the third. Again the leader jumped out to his right,
as did Splash Of Ginge; horses having a tendency to
follow their leader! Gentleman Jon
clouted the fence, survived but lost ground. The
runners headed into the home straight on the first occasion; all three
cleared the two fences therein without bother before continuing up the hill
in front of the Best Mate stand and over fence number six. Ainsi Fideles continued to lead the way, with Splash Of Ginge approximately four lengths behind him and Gentleman
Jon five or six lengths in arrears.
The front two cleared the next without incident; Daryl Jacob’s mount
hit it but survived. Sam
Twiston-Davies had closed the gap slightly between
himself and the leader by the time they cleared the water-jump; their
remaining rival still trailing. The
next obstacle was the penultimate open-ditch.
There were no problems encountered at this fence. One circuit had been completed, with five
more fences to jump. The runners
headed to the next, a plain fence, which they all safely cleared, before
travelling around the dogleg turn. Ainsi Fideles
continued to hold a three length advantage over Splash Of Ginge
as they jumped the final ditch and headed to the final turn; Gentleman Jon
travelled ten lengths adrift in third position. Sam Twiston-Davies
made up ground upon the leader as they galloped downhill to three out and was
just a length behind as they jumped it, although his mount did skew slightly
in mid-air. Once again, as he’d done
on the previous circuit, Gentleman Jon hit this one but yet again survived
the blunder. Approaching
the home turn, Tom Scudamore aboard the leader
became more animated; he also checked beneath his right arm to ascertain how
far behind him Splash Of Ginge was. His rival was just two lengths adrift as
they turned into the home straight and headed towards the penultimate
obstacle. From travelling in the
slip-stream of the leader, Sam pulled his mount out to the right in order to
get a better view of the fence; perhaps not the best side to select
considering the leader’s preference to jump out to his right too. Having
cleared the obstacle, Splash Of Ginge was now manoeuvred
to make a challenge to the far side of the leader instead and they jumped the
fence together. Sam’s mount landed
with more momentum than his rival and galloped up the hill to the line to win
by 9 lengths from a tired Ainsi Fideles. Gentleman Jon finished 34 lengths back in
third.
Having
discovered how easy it was to return to the Winners’ Enclosure following a
race, and there being plenty of room on the steppings
today too; we decided to return to the area to see the runners arrive
back. We
stayed to see the presentation and the horses enter the Parade Ring ahead of
the bumper race too, before returning to the course-side rails in time to
watch the competitors canter up the all-weather strip in front of the
grandstand before returning down the turf, and continuing along the all-weather
gallop to the starting gate at the far end of the home straight. The
favourite for this race was the David Pipe-trained, Tom Scudamore-ridden
Moon Racer, priced at 11-4. My
personal ‘pick of the paddock’ was
the Seamus Durack runner, Paolozzi,
starting price 20-1! Lesley’s choice
was Chezzy. The
horses congregated on the course, rather than in the holding pen ahead of the
off. Having moved in the opposite
direction, they turned and walked towards the starting gate in an organised
fashion.
Then
they were off, led away by the nose-banded chestnut Going For Gold. A couple of runners were fighting for their
heads, namely Troika Steppes and Miami Present. Moon Racer took over the lead as they
progressed up the home straight; close up to his inside Troika Steppes, to
his outside Celtic Agent. Bringing up the rear was War On The Rocks. Troika
Steppes and Moon Racer disputed the lead as they headed up the hill away from
the stands, followed by Celtic Agent, then a group of six runners; namely
Miami Present, Robbie Rabbit, How About It, Paolozzi,
Ink Master and Going For Gold. These
were followed by Arabic History and Chezzy; War On
The Rocks was three lengths adrift in rear. Heading
into the back straight, all the runners apart from Going For Gold, decided to
take the favoured route close to the outside rail. The Jonjo O’Neill
runner, Miami Present under David Casey, was still pulling for his head. Conor Shoemark aboard Lesley’s selection, Chezzy,
was having a very uncomfortable ride – his saddle had slipped forward and he
was perched up his mount’s neck. Having
reached the dogleg turn, the runners drifted back towards the nearside rails,
almost joining up with Going For Gold who continued to plough a lone furrow
along the inside. Moon Racer continued
to lead, from Troika Steppes, Robbie Rabbit and How About It as they headed
to the top of the hill. My selection
was travelling well to the wide outside of the main group and made rapid
progress as they galloped down the hill towards the final turn; in fact he
was now in second position, behind Moon Racer and ahead of Robbie Rabbit. Tom
Scudamore set sail for home as he rounded the home
bend, putting daylight between himself and the field. Paolozzi
continued in second position, from Ink Master, Arabic History, Robbie Rabbit,
Celtic Agent and War On The Rocks. And
the leader was not for catching, he continued to pull away from his nearest
rivals, winning by 12 lengths at the line.
Arabic History grabbed second position from Paolozzi
just before the line; ¾ of a length the distance between them. Celtic Agent claimed fourth, a further 6
lengths behind these. Unsurprisingly
Going For Gold, the lone horse to have taken the inside route around the
track, trailed in last; he was even beaten by Chezzy
despite the slipped saddle! With
12 runners taking part, the first three would have paid out each-way; so my
20-1 selection would have turned a profit had I bet on it.
We returned to the Winners’ Enclosure
for the final time today and were in time to see the placed horses arrive
back. The final race over and presentations
made, it was time for us to set off for home.
Lesley and I popped to the loo situated on the ground floor of the
main grandstand, opposite the Winners’ Enclosure. We then set off up the concourse towards
the main entrance, passing the temporary site of the Cheltenham bookshop on
the way. They were advertising the
recently published McCoy In The Frame,
a collection of photographs taken by acclaimed photographer Edward Whitaker
spanning 20 years of the Champion Jockey’s career. Also Gary Witheford’s
If Horses Could Talk book, which I
read last month shortly after publication.
Having exited the iron-gates adjacent
to the Centaur building, we walked over the bridge, across the driveway and
passed by the ticket kiosks before weaving our way between stationary traffic
queuing back along the Evesham Road.
We returned along the tarmac driveway which acts as the exit point for
the upper car park, before turning to our left between hedges and descending
the gravelly roadway which runs through the centre of the lower field where
I’d parked my car. It wasn’t
particular comfortable underfoot conditions, with numerous large stones
protruding from the surface of this driveway; we moved onto the grass to our
right to search for my car. Many of the vehicles had already
left, so my car was standing within a group of just 5 of 6 cars. I changed into my driving moccasins,
placing my slightly muddy shoes in the boot; there wasn’t much room inside,
with space also required for two passengers.
I placed my jacket and scarf on the back seat, and my capacious
handbag in the foot-well behind the driver’s seat. There was time for a quick snack – I’d
brought four cheese rolls with me; two for me and one each for Lesley and
Chris. I’m not 100% sure what time we set
off; I didn’t glance at the car clock.
But traffic outside the racecourse was moving smoothly and I was able
to turn left onto Swindon Road upon reaching the gateway. I know traffic can build up along the New
Barn Lane exit route, and have regretted heading that way in the past so, on
this occasion, I took a right at the large roundabout outside the main racecourse
entrance and headed down the section of the Evesham Road which leads to the
town centre. There was a taxi parked
shortly after the corner to the road, it was in the process of picking up
race-day punters; I had to manoeuvre around it before descending the
hill. We did get stuck in traffic further
along the route, but not for long, and were able to take a left turn into
Wellington Road; a signpost marking it as part of the route to Cheltenham
General Hospital. I’d soon reached the
roundabout on the Prestbury Road, heading straight
across to Pittville Circus; a ‘microcar’ pulling out a little
later than sensible onto the roundabout in front of me too. Having negotiated the Circus, I entered Pittville Circus Road, and I recall a number of vehicles
passing by in the opposite direction too.
Hewlett Road was clear of traffic
heading from my right, so I immediately turned left and headed back to the ‘longabout’. Again with no traffic from my right, I took
a left turn and a right turn and this took us up Harp Hill; the land falls
away to the left further up the ascent, with the houses on the right enjoying
great views across towards Prestbury. Having reached the top and begun a slight
descent, a further right turn took us into Greenway Lane. We encountered no vehicles along this
stretch of road, manoeuvring through the two chicanes without delay. Houses line the left-hand side of road as
it nears the Sixways Junction and, following the
sharp left-hand corner I was able to pull up behind two vehicles, waiting for
the lights to change. Being a multi-phase junction, it
often seems to take ages for the lights to change to green; on this occasion
we didn’t have to wait long. A left
turn then took us onto the A40 and we headed through Charlton Kings before beginning
the ascent up past the Dowdeswell Reservoir to
reach the set of traffic lights upon the Andoversford
bypass; these were set to red. We then
drove along the next stretch of road; a Murco
petrol station is situated to the right, there being a sharp left-hand bend
at this point. Shortly afterwards the
Gloucester Road joins the A40 from the right; again the traffic lights were
set to red. Once they had changed to green, we
headed up the short section of dual carriageway; one maniac driver whizzed by
at the start of the sharp incline, impatient to speed ahead. We were soon travelling past the Puesdown Inn, although this has been re-signed Garniche. Having
descended from the highest point of our Cotswold journey, we crossed the
Stow/Cirencester Road; again no traffic crossed our path to cause a
delay. I don’t recall following any
vehicles, or being closely followed either, during the next stretch of the
journey but, by the time we’d reached The Inn For All Seasons or shortly
afterwards, we’d caught up with the vehicles travelling ahead of us. It could be termed a ‘convoy’ as we approached the 40mph speed limit on the outskirts
of Burford.
I was held up at the large roundabout above the town by traffic
crossing my route, before heading along the ridge to reach the roundabout at
the beginning of the Witney bypass.
The markings on the road have changed in recent times, traffic heading
into Witney via Minster Lovell take the inside lane, those wishing to use the
bypass use the outside lane when approaching the roundabout. I drove along the bypass at a
sensible speed, around 60 mph, with no requirement to overtake any vehicles;
it was quiet, with no-one interrupting my progress along the inside lane by
entering via any of the slip-roads.
There was no scrimmaging for a position at the Oxford end either, there
being no over-takers ‘running out of
road’ before it narrowed into single carriageway in each direction once
more. The road passes the Evenlode pub on the right and a petrol station on the
left before a roundabout is reached; heading straight ahead, then through a
set of traffic lights, and onwards to the roundabout on the outskirts of
Oxford. As I needed to return Lesley and
Chris to Bedfordshire, I turned left at this point and headed up the dual
carriageway to the Peartree roundabout before
driving up the slip-road onto the A34 northbound carriageway. I made certain that I moved into the
outside lane before I reached the cones which presumably marked improvements
at the junction with the M40. It was
noticeable, even in the dark, that the shrubbery on the A41 side of the
junction had been removed as part of the workings. I headed up the dual carriageway to the
large roundabout where the B4030 joins from the left. A further short stretch of
carriageway, followed by a right turn at the next roundabout took us onto the
Bicester bypass and onwards towards Aylesbury. Whereas my night vision had been no problem
on the A40, it was worse than I’d hoped as I drove along this section of the
A41; it didn’t particularly help that I was being followed by a vehicle ... a
little too closely! When we reached
the short stretch of dual carriageway just prior to Kingswood I was convinced
the driver would overtake me, but he/she didn’t; obviously they felt safer
having rear lights to follow. After Kingswood the road meanders
through the English countryside, as opposed to following the route of the old
Roman Road as it did prior to the village.
We then drove through Waddesdon; we were
slowed briefly by a vehicle backing out of a parking space in the main street
into our path. Our journey continued along
the next section of the A41 and we had soon reached Aylesbury. There are a number of roundabouts leading
to retail parks on the outskirts of the town; we negotiated these and turned
left to join the ring-road. Having been caught out by the very
rough road surface on the Aylesbury-side of Wing, I had no intention of
returning via that route. Instead we
continued along the ring-road until we reached the A41 once more, turning
left at the traffic lit junction and getting caught by a red light at the
next junction shortly afterwards.
Aylesbury have been busy during the past year or so replacing a number
of mini-roundabouts with traffic lights.
Personally, I think it is the wrong move for them, but it would be a
good idea for my particular locality in St Albans! We headed along the Aston Clinton
Road, taking a left at the large roundabout to join the A41 bypass road. Not
far along I took the slip-road off the bypass to join the A489 and head in an
easterly direction. I used to know
this area quite well, having been rambling in the vicinity on a number of
occasions; I also had a recollection that the road followed field boundaries
for the part, resulting in a number of sharp right-angled turns. It did.
We passed the road to Wilstone; I’ve rambled
from there. Also the lane leading to
Little Tring; I had ancestors who lived at Little Tring Farm, beside the Wendover
Arm of the Grand Union Canal. The Wendover Arm
fell into disrepair over the years due to leakage
and a stretch close to the farm was ploughed over. However, in recent times, a phased project
has been underway to re-open it. The
farm building is not the original, a new one having been constructed; nor is
the nearby road bridge over the canal. Having crossed the Tringford Road roundabout, we drove along beside the Startop’s End Reservoir, yet another starting point for
my historical rambles. The road rises
up to cross the narrow bridge over the main Grand Union Canal; the traffic
light controls showing on red as we approached. Having cleared the canal, the road passes Marsworth before heading over the Euston railway line and
into Pitstone.
There are minor traffic calming bumps by Marsworth,
but these become more intrusive at Pitstone; second
gear, 20 mph all the way. There used to be a cement works at Pitstone and I recall my late father taking me out for a
driving lesson in the vicinity and all the roads and houses in the village
were covered in white dust from the works.
The works have now been replaced by a business park; far cleaner. The speed bumps continued through Ivinghoe; there’s a National Trust post-windmill close by. Just beyond Pitstone
I needed to take a sharp left turn to continue along the B489 towards
Dunstable; in the dark, I almost missed the turning and, if I had, would have
ended up back in Tring! Mind you, in the dark, at this stage of the
journey I was relying upon my companions to direct me! The road soon passes close to the bottom of
Ivinghoe Beacon, another happy rambling ground for
me; I’ve climbed it a number of times over the years. The view to the left across the vale would
have been pleasant, had it not been dark.
At the next junction I had the option
to turn left at the first of the pair of roundabouts and drive through Edlesborough to reach Eaton Bray, or continue along the
Dunstable Road to the next single roundabout before turning left; I chose the
former. A right turn opposite Edlesborough Church put me on the road through the main
part of the village and on to Eaton Bray.
I dropped Lesley and Chris off at her home; it was 20:15. They had both enjoyed their day, with
talented punter Chris definitely returning home with more money than he’d
left with that morning! I retraced my route back through the
village, turning left to head through the Church End area of Totternhoe. There
was a vehicle following close behind me and the driver took a short-cut along
Furlong Lane just prior to the main road; it didn’t help them, as the car was
still waiting to pull out onto my route as I drove by. Bad move. Having reached Dunstable, I
turned left, crossed one roundabout before turning right into Meadway. The speed
bumps and 20 mph limit along this stretch of my journey through the housing
estate add five minutes to my journey time. I eventually reached Beech Road,
turned left and drove down the slope to the traffic lights located at the
junction with the A5 London Road.
After waiting a minute or two for them to change to green, I turned
right and headed through the traffic lit junction where the road on the left
leads to Caddington; I drove onwards towards Markyate. The
lights on their bypass were showing green, so I was not delayed as I drove
past Flamstead to reach Junction 9 of the M1. I continued under the motorway bridge to
join the Redbourn bypass, turning left and heading
up the hill, through Hatching Green to Harpenden Common. I turned right at the roundabout and
headed towards St Albans, an impatient driver sped past me; I was doing 40
mph, the speed limit, the other driver was going much faster. I had been looking forward to a final burst
of speed on this stretch of road before my home City but unfortunately a car
pulled out from Beesonend Lane; they dawdled along
ahead of me at 50 mph. But we still
caught up with a convoy of traffic before St Albans, so I presume even the
earlier speed-limit breaker would not have got much advantage. After a pedestrian pace along the
City roads, I reached home at 20:55.
There was time to eat a salad, upload my photographs and write a blog
before turning in for the night ... or rather before dosing off to sleep on
the sofa! I awoke at around 01:30 and
went to bed. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Considering I had two passengers to
talk with along my journey, I appear to have taken in even more than usual
along my route!!! That’s really
strange ... Click here for photos – Race 4 Click here for photos – Race 5 Click here for photos – Races 6 & 7 |
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