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Pub Guide

Roy Rides

Roy Rides

North Bedfordshire

Introduction:

The timing for this cycle ride has been quite a challenge. It has been down to finding a dry window in a wet summer. Pondering the map I decide to go west in a circular tour, taking in Great Staughton, Kimbolton, and Tilbrook, then into North Bedfordshire, to Upper Dean, Riseley and finally Keysoe. This is a long route with plenty of rolling countryside and no major roads.

Distance:29 miles. Circular route from St Neots. Around 5 hours.

The Ride:

A dry Sunday coincides with the UK start of the Tour de France. Leaving St Neots Market Square over the town river bridge, at the roundabout we take the third exit and proceed parallel to Riverside Park and up the hill to the Eaton Oak. We follow the cycle path on the opposite side of the road then continue on the road to Great Staughton.

Our first stop is at the White Hart (4.5 miles), a former coaching inn with an archway through to the car park at the back, and one of only two Batemans tied houses in the Huntingdonshire area. On sale today are XB, XXXB and Valiant.

Just around the corner is the Tavern on the Green (5.0 miles), which features in the Michelin ‘Eating out in Pubs’ guide so is an opportunity for a bite to eat. It is a free house so an interesting range of beers is anticipated.

Today there is a great range - Elgoods Cambridge Bitter and Mad Dog, Thwaites Double Century and Taylors Landlord.

We continue to Kimbolton, taking time out at Stonely to spot the now closed Bell on the right-hand side.

Entering Kimbolton the main thoroughfare offers a choice of two pubs, the Saddle and the New Sun (7.5 miles). Today we choose the New Sun. On offer are Youngs Special and Wells Eagle.

Moving on to Tilbrook, we pass another closed pub, the former Three Shuttles.

A CAMRA favourite in days gone by, it had ten years in the Good Beer Guide before it closed in 1986.

A few metres further on is the White Horse (9.5 miles), which Charles Wells brought when they closed the Three Shuttles, and one of the two bars is named after this former pub.

Back on the road, after a mile or so we branch off to the left towards Upper Dean. Here we spot a sign that nearly throws the whole trip into jeopardy.

The Yelden beer festival is on. Should we go, and abandon the whole trip?

Thankfully common sense prevails. So it’s onwards through Lower Dean to Upper Dean.

One of our objectives here is to find the former Paines pub, the Prince of Wales. Eventually we find it, but it has undergone quite a transformation and is hard to visualise as a pub.

The last pub left in the village, the Three Compasses (12 miles) is quite a large thatched Charles Wells pub, and the last building in the village.

Pubs are now few and far between as we head into the North Bedfordshire countryside. Fields, trees and hedgerows abound. We turn left at a T-junction, then up a hill until to a crossroads, where we take a right turn towards Riseley.

By now we are concerned as to whether the Five Bells at Riseley (16 miles), will be open, as it is 2.45pm and there is still quite a way to go. A spurt is needed. Luckily it is mostly downhill, but Riseley is a long village. We only just arrive in time for 3 o’clock. But the panic is over when we find that it is open all afternoon! Greene King IPA and Ruddles Orchard provide welcome refreshment after the rush.

We retrace our route into the centre of the village, take a right turn and wend our way to Keysoe, which is on the B660. In Keysoe we turn left but find that the Chequers has closed for the afternoon.

So it’s about turn and back along the B660 for a couple of miles to the White Horse at Keysoe Row (20.5 miles). This is a half-thatched local serving the community of this small village. Although a Charles Wells pub it is serving a good range of beers, Shepherd Neame Spitfire, Batemans Miss Luscious and Eagle IPA.

This prepares us for the long ride back to Eaton Socon. We continue along the B660 to a crossroads where we turn left and along a road signposted to Eaton Socon. Although a seven mile ride with no pub in sight, this is slightly downhill and not too much of a strain.

On arrival back in Eaton Socon we relax in the Rivermill Tavern. It has been a tour de marathon, well worthwhile on a lovely day in our wet summer.

Roy Endersby