The weather forecast was predicting rain and some strong winds so the destination of a well insulated, dry and extremely safe bunker seemed perfect.
As usual we met at Leytonstone station cafe and took the tube to Epping, to start the ride. Although wet, the weather was not too bad and nine of us took to the hills, Toot Hill in fact. On our way out we passed riders from the Hainault Roads cycling club completing a hilly 50k time trial. Note that we only passed them as they were coming the other way…
Near Navestock we had our only puncture, but this was soon fixed and we were on our way. Once again we entered the secret bunker via Beacon Hill, ignoring the warning signs, and parked our bikes next to the missiles for extra security. Following the coffee break we continued to Kelvedon Hatch and then to Stondon Massey and the Bricklayers Arms for the lunch stop. Refreshed we headed into the wind, although the rain had stopped, towards Ongar. This well cycled path took us past Greensted Church, back to Toot Hill and the rollercoaster. The advantage of the hills is that we were all warm as we concluded the ride at Epping. The time triallers were all long finished by then but we had enjoyed our route at a slower pace and witnessed the changing times as the secret place of greater safety for five hundred has become a museum .
As always, thanks to Robin for his excellent photos – https://www.flickr.com/photos/rsstephenson/albums/72157690137332453