Derek: cycling trips: The Flitch Way - Bishops Stortford to Braintree & back

You can plan but unusual circumstances can force changes on you. Steve, who is really enjoying cycling along Sustrans routes had come up with a plan, along with a small bunch of friends to cycle along the Flitch Way on what was once a railway line. Steve lives in Enfield and as the planned route was already 38 miles return, cycling to the start didn't look like a sensible option as not everyone wants to, or can do, an extra 50 miles just to get to the start and back. So Steve's group of three decided to ride to Southbury Station, take the train up to Cheshunt and change onto a train headed to Bishops Stortford. It looked like a perfectly reasonable plan.

I decided that I didn't want the faff of riding 5 miles to Steve's and then taking the train in order to cycle again. Instead I decided to stick the bike on the roof of the car and meet the other three at Bishops Stortford railway station. I am nearly always early so, helped by very light traffic on the M25 and M11, I found myself sat at the station watching the world go by and dealing with messages on my phone, 45 minutes before the scheduled meeting time of 10:30

My twittering came to an abrupt halt when the phone went, it was Steve saying we are stuck at Cheshunt due to a car on the railway line. Not words that you hear very often but it was all kicking off in Cheshunt and made national news. Steve thinks a bike ride without an incident (like me crashing into him) is no day out at all, he had his wish quite early.

Time for a new plan, I suggested doing it all again the next day but that didn't suit the others (oh yes it did, Steve & his son are out there now on the same route, they must have found a different way to the start as the rail replacement bus, which is still in place today, probably won't let you travel with a bicycle? I will find out later) and so we abandoned the plan. I thought I would go home but then changed my mind as I had come out to ride and was ready, plus I had paid £3 to park the car all day at Grange Paddocks Leisure Centre (the keen can have a swim after their cycle) so I was invested in the day.

I hadn't done the route planning, Steve had, although I had spent two minutes looking at the Sustrans map on line. Here is my journey record for the trip.

Although the route is pretty straight some sections have been removed due to new large roads etc and I managed to go off piste just after Great Dunmow but it is all cycling so all good. I often seem to add about 10% to a planned ride.

I knew that most of the sustrans route 16 was to the east of the M11 so when I put my destinatiopn into google maps I wasn't surprised when it took me out of Bishops Stortford by road and over the M11 around this challenging roundabout

I'm not fast but I got the pistons moving as dynamically as I could. Drivers all gave me plenty of room, with a dayglo yellow handlebar bag I am easy to spot.

What I discovered when I got home is the dotted green line which is a route open to cyclists, doh. Next time I'll ask the nearby pub, The Three Willows, for permission to leave my car in their car park for 5 hours and have a meal and a pint at the end.

Anyway, I survived, which shouldn't be a remarkable remark but is, and got myself away from the traffic onto a track through the woods. A good clear marker provided you have your eyes peeled takes you away from the road.

I was quickly at the first stop, Stane Street.

Some houses which back onto the track have built themselves steps up to it.

An early view of what the route offers.

This field was even brighter in real life, I think it is probably borage.

I really don't like the barriers aimed at stopping motorcycles as a hybrid's bars are wide, even more so with a bar end mirror. In these two cases locals have worn alternative paths which any motorcycle could use. I tend to use the low horse jump if there is one.

Always good to have a detailed information board.

A fine looking building on the approach to Great Dunmow, now the Jalsa Ghar Indian Restaurant which scores 4.4. on google reviews.

This is a view of the A120, isn't the cycle route a whole lot nicer?

When you leave Great Dunmow behind you take a hardly marked track off to your left from the Chelmsford Road, the blue arrow points from the Gulf petrol station behind you to the main road, not down the cul-de-sac, and that is probably safer for crossing this busy road as you have all round visibility.

As you go down the track you arrive at what could be a ford although it isn't marked as one, there is no depth gauge and there is a big private property warning on the other side.

Turn back and about 50m back you will find a gap in the undergrowth with the route sign on the other side of the small bridge.

Which leads you to a bridge over the river proper.

I like the peace under a road bridge although three youths were playing loud music on the way back (said the old git).

The cycle route was not marked at this junction but one clue was a metal bar across the public footpath, the fact that I had arrived on the Byway and so I carried on to the right on the same category of track.

The whole route is pretty well marked although none of the 1000 traditional Sustrans posts were spotted.

Very good signs with marked distances in old fashioned miles which I like.

Another halt.

This vehicle came to a halt some time ago.

The world needs people like Nigel Wood

The track is wider to the east.

Getting near to the end of the line

There is a very popular cafe at the station, the Booking Hall Cafe, whose target customers are people using the Flitch Way. There was a queue of about 10 as I passed as it was lunch time and lots of people seated outside, cyclists, walkers, dog walkers and just generally happy looking people.

The Braintree way marker

Braintree doesn't imprint itself on your memory as a historic place to visit but parts of it are old

and yes I do know they are all pubs but I'm not complaining

The two mopeds in the window are both the Yamaha FS1E. I had one like the one on the left in my youth. The one on the right had a P suffix plate so is from 1975/76. They were the bike to have at the time for a 16 year old.

I had earnt my lunch, modest though it was, Eggs Royale from Eatons Tea & Coffee House in George Yard Shopping Centre which was very busy but I didn't mind the wait and the food quality was high.