The best day out:- by bike on The New River – from its source in Ware along it, across it and on top of it or never far from it, eighteen Wheelers followed The New River course towards London.

David T had clearly spent simply heaps of time on bike, on computer, on bike again, and in books researching and working out an interesting ride for us all.

Sunday was warm and sunny, hardly any wind that might have scattered David’s copious and complex route notes, historical tit bits that he shared about the colourful characters whose names, like Myddleton appear and re-appear throughout New River’s 30 odd mile route.

The friendly Wheelers' ride system was ‘bulletproof’, all-inclusive, not abandoning or alienating a single rider. Owen, Andy and other Wheelers did a superb job of getting everyone safely through any busy or tricky sections, back-marking, encouraging, re-assuring, allowing everyone to enjoy the journey.

We followed along the Lea valley to the carefully selected Cheshunt lunch stop, which catered for all tastes and budgets -some picnicked, whilst others took to a mobile snack stall or visited one of three hostelries; the leaders wisely heading to the Rose Café where maps were consulted and our prized wheels were ‘minded’.

Two pairs of riders decided after a good lunch to follow a shorter Great Anglia rail route back, and the group pressed on across the M25 past Spurs training ground following The New River.

David brilliantly covered all the challenges and clever engineering of this 400 year old masterpiece, pointing out gauge and pump house buildings, springs and other water sources that supplemented volume, and where the River had been straightening out, old disused sections - some abandoned, others nurtured. It was up and down and around and about to see all the engineering bits where and how New River, with its five inch per mile fall, crossed over Pymmes brook, went under the North Circular Road only to re-emerge briefly then be buried under Bowes Park.

Feisty Felicity on a Phillips fold-up bike (had ridden fewer than six times in 30 years), battled up Forty Hill to take on Enfield Town traffic, guided and protected by Andy and Owen, then Bush Hill, Wood Green, Hornsey to the former Manor of Harringay, past Haringey Passage at the top of the ‘ladder’ and down Green Lanes to Finsbury Park/Seven Sisters, arriving as a group, at East and West reservoirs by 4.30 in the afternoon.

David’s fascinating New River story, and journey, is to be continued at another time……  through Islington (past a school whose basement shelter was flooded caused by a parachute bomb/mine) to Sadler’s Wells; and all riders wheelie look forward to that !! Congratulations to the Wheelers.