Escaping lockdown in Leicestershire

12 gruelling months on from the first lockdown and finally the government “stay at home” restrictions were restricted on the 29th March to allow travel for exercise with the advice to stay local and keep exercise within your limits.

So free to roam I decided not to abuse the privilege too much and travelled to the nearest county on the list that I hadn’t yet completed.

Leicester had been hard hit by Covid-19 and had barely had a day off from restrictions of some sort for 12 months but, fortified by getting my jab a couple of weeks earlier and the strengthening message from Chris Whitty and the gang that being outdoors was far safer than meeting folks indoors, I set off for Leicestershire with no concerns and eagerly anticipating a ride that would prove to be a welcome escape from the commuting routes and local loops that had been my staple ride diet for the last 5 months!

The early start saw me miss out on a coffee fix at cyclists’ favourite Cafe Ventoux.

At the end of a week that had seen the hottest March day in my lifetime it was disappointing to be throwing on the Stolen Goat Orkaan tights and Climb and Conquer jersey but, with the temperature sitting at just two degrees and not expected to climb higher than 6 degrees all day their superb wind blocking features would play a big part in keeping an all day ride fun.

With my mind set on a mixed terrain ride I opted to plan the route on Komoot taking advantage of the excellent surface type analysis the app provides to create a balance of gravel, tarmac, cobbles and unsurfaced bridleways which would certainly keep the day varied and entertaining. This was going to be tourist pace taking in the sights of Leicestershire not a 100 mile race round the country lanes in sub six hours.

A route like this meant my Giant TCX cross bike would be called into action and fitted with the excellent Kinetic one K1-42 Aerodisc TL hoops and Hutchison tubeless ready hardskin overide gravel tyres it proved a very comfortable and capable ride on all of the surfaces encountered.

The pretty village of Hallaton was soon encountered on incredibly quiet country lanes, the tour of Leicestershire was off to a cracking start.

Quiet country lanes and smooth tarmac transitioned into excellent hardpacked gravel towpath on the Market Harborough arm of the Grand Union canal. Steady progress along the canal brought me to Foxton Locks, the longest and steepest staircase locks in the UK. I’m sure the The Foxton Locks Inn or Bridge 61 cafe will be an excellent spot to take a break on a sunny summer spin once the pandemic is behind us but for now everything is closed.

A further section of really pleasant rolling country lanes brought me to the first potentially tricky off-road segment of the route, described on Komoot as “great in summer, North end is churned up by tractors in the winter” I was banking on what had been a pretty dry March to keep me rolling on without having to shoulder the bike cyclocross style. I wasn’t disappointed the track was rideable for its entirety and the only thing to slow me down was the respect given to the lovely spring lambs taking a rest on the bridleway.

Back on tarmac a short diversion to Saddington reservoir and through the village of Fleckney took me through the village of Great Glen that apparently is named “Great” to distinguish it from the nearby village of Glen Parva and not because of any spectacular scenery!! With the time getting close to eleven I was expecting the ride into Leicester city centre to be a bit of a challenge, the reality was quite the opposite, the continued Covid restrictions resulting in the city being virtually deserted. In addition to the reduced traffic Leicester council have added 11 miles of pop-up cycling lanes to the existing cycle routes like the Great Central way which made the cycle into the city centre a breeze. A quick Capuccino and an excellent slab of flapjack set me up for the next leg of the journey which would link up the most popular country parks in the area.

This section of the ride was livened up with two short blasts with local cycling clubs first was a friendly group of five from Market Harborough with Polish connections sporting the “Solidarnosc” logo and Polish flag on their gilets, quickly followed by an equally friendly group of Sikh cyclists who gave me a good tow into the outskirts of the city before disappearing about as quickly as they appeared.

A bit of urban artwork and a quick scoot passed Leicesters’ impressively large market took me to the banks of the river Soar and into Abbey Park a lovely green space barely a mile from the city centre.

The river Soar Splits the park in two and to my amazement I had this beautiful section of the park virtually to myself.

Abbey Pumping Station

A glimpse of Blue streak and Thor able rockets can just be seen through the walls of the tower at the sadly closed National Space centre unfortunately due to the closure my planned “sculpture of the tour” the spaceman was inaccessible but luckily just a little further up the river at Watermead Country Park the “iron age art” saved the day.

A few short off-road sections through Castle Hill Country Park and an easy grassy descent dropped me into Bradgate Park. All of a sudden I had found where everybody in Leicester had gone for their post lockdown escape! The park was absolutely thronged with dogs, push chairs and walkers but obviously the local cyclists knew this as there wasn’t another cyclist to be seen over the age of four!

Taking advantage of the only open public toilets I had encountered I managed to make things difficult for myself as per normal where keys are involved. Having locked the bike to the drain pipe outside for peace of mind I duly left the key in the cubicle resulting in me waiting patiently outside whilst a dad of three toddlers ensured all were ready for the journey home before I could thankfully recover my key and head on my way!

The ride through Bradgate Country Park although undoubtedly diminished (and slowed) by the throngs of people was still a pleasant experience and if visited early at quiet periods the semi-rugged scenery and ruins would make for a great ride or hike.

Found somebody looking more weather beaten and craggy than me!

On leaving Bradgate Park I was aware that the days most strenuous riding would soon be in front of me. Beacon Hill Country Park is home to the highest point in Leicestershire and the road climb makes an appearance in Simon Warrens excellent series of best 100 climbs books documenting the best climbs in the UK. Leicestershire is not famous for its brutal climbs and as such Beacon Hill doesn’t make it into the top 100 climbs in the UK but does get a mention in the best 100 climbs in the Midlands book with its 8% ramps and steady 5% gradient for nearly 2km earning it a ranking of 3/10 from serial Grimpeur Simon. But not for me no, I planned to do the gravel version finished with a hike to the trig point at the top. With a tinge of disappointment the gravel route was surprisingly well surfaced and no steeper than the tarmac version but the plus point being what I thought would be a 5 minute walk was reduced to just a scramble over the last few craggy rocks to the summit. The views were far reaching on a dull and dreary day, taken in on a clear, crisp winters day they would certainly be worth the effort to get there.

Descending down from Beacon Hill further into Charnwood Forest (surprisingly little forest to be seen, more craggy little hills) the route was pretty much all good rolling country lanes and as before they were exceptionally quiet and equally impressive was the relative absence of potholes compared to my regular loops round home.

As the sign for Polly Botts Lane came into view I was again struck by that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you are faced with a stiff climb. Another entry in the best 100 midlands climbs I was looking forward to ticking this one off, following the official route used regularly for hill climb races in this neck of the woods I planned to ride it steady not wanting to destroy myself with another 100km’s still to ride.

I crested the top barely realising the climb had begun, it had proved to be a nice steady climb with great views to the left and some impressive pads to the right maybe lockdown has been good for my climbing skills.

The route now descended steadily into Coalville where the dilapidated Rex Cinema, closed since 2016 was a saddening sight as its’ modern facade must have been a fairly fantastic feature in its’ day.

Having planned the route before Covid-19 struck the next stop should have been at possibly the oldest pub in Leicestershire – The Belper Arms in Newton Burgoland (great name) for a pint of local ale but given the restrictions the pub would be closed so the detour to it was a little pointless but nonetheless to the closed pub I went!

Bosworth Battlefield was the next stop unfortunately not even a takeaway coffee to be had but good to take in a major piece of British history where the Tudor period began following Henry Tudors rebel army win with the last slaying of a British monarch on the battlefield. Indeed the whereabouts of King Richard the III remains had only recently (2012) been discovered at Greyfriars Friary church in Leicester whereupon they were transferred to Leicester Cathedral in March 2015.

When in Rome!!

So back into Leicester city I trundled and similar to the morning the city was surprisingly quiet still. Now here lies the one disappointment of an otherwise fantastic day in the saddle. The purpose of my return into Leicester was twofold I was to visit the home of Walkers crisps and the school of Gary Lineker but it was only on leaving the city and passing Leicester airport (I didn’t even know Leicester had one!) I realised I must have ridden passed them both without even realising. Rumour has it you can smell the crisp factory before seeing it but perhaps the wind was blowing in the wrong direction!

With a few miles to go and the only cafe stop of the day a good five hours previous the thought of another fruit salad SIS Isogel just wasn’t appealing so instead I jumped off at the next Co-Op and bought a bag of Walkers roast chicken to see me to the finish.

The tourist pace I had maintained through the day saw me arrive at Cafe Ventoux twenty minutes after closing time but never mind Leicestershire was great and I will certainly be heading back to Cafe Ventoux with my road bike for a blast on the excellent quiet country roads to be found in this area.

Kit and Gear review

Stolen Goat – Orkaan tights and Climb and Conquer jacket proved absolutely perfect for a long steady day of riding with temperatures in single figures. The bib tight pad was as comfortable as anything I’ve worn for a century ride and the Climb and Conquer jacket is my go to garment for winter, totally windproof, sheds water like a ducks back and providing the weather is cold enough to justify wearing it, it breathes well enough to keep you dry from the inside out.

Komoot – Route planning software ideal for “leisure” rides of this nature, simple to use but with detailed features regarding terrain and community feedback of things worth seeing.

Kinetic-one – independent wheel builder based in Gloucester with brilliant customer service. The K1-42 Aerodisc TL wheelset used has been bombproof for 4000 km + having thrown everything at them they run as true and fast as the day I bought them.

Hutchison hardskin overide tubeless tyres – Fairly low rolling resistance on tarmac, good grip on dry and gravelly off road segments and very durable, I wouldn’t recommend them for muddy trails though.

The ride in numbers

184.38 km

2109m Elevation gain

8hrs 52 min moving time

10 gels

2 Flapjacks

1 coffee stop

5 bottles of water

1 bag of crisps

0 beers

0 punctures

Local craft ale update – My mixed case of traditional ales from Langton Brewery was delivered promptly just two days after ordering online from their website https://langtonbrewery.co.uk/langton-brewery-about-us/ Started in 1999 to supply the Bell Inn and the local cricket club the success of their beer has allowed them to expand. The mixed case for £31 had 12 500ml bottles, two each of the six traditional ales. Rainbow Bridge 3.8%, Caudle 3.9%, Union Wharf 4.0%, Inclined Plane 4.2%, Thomas Lift 4.4% and Bullseye Stout 4.8%. I have yet to try the Thomas Lift and Bullseye Stout but the four I have tried were all extremely palatable with the Caudle proving to be my favourite. A rich copper colour, named after the local hills this had a lighter more refreshing taste than many bitters I have tried, I could happily drink a few of these so it’s an 8/10 score from me.