ROMAN CHALLENGE - Hackleton, Northants

It is hard to believe that it has taken so long to get round to doing this ride, but finally this year I got sorted and put entries in for myself, Friend Chris and Dangerous.
The event is organised by Hackleton W.I. to raise funds for the Village and offers a variety of routes to suit families and fitter cyclists. This year there was a new Maximus option which took a tour of MK giving a total of 42 miles.
We had loosely agreed to do at least the 32 mile option and arrived at Hackleton Village hall just after 8am. Everyone must have had a good breakfast because we decided to go for the longest option! It was clear from the start that this is a very well organised event and we were all given detailed maps to complement the excellent way marking.
The riding is a mixture of road and bridleways, most quite easy going, but before long we did come across a ploughed field – David gave it go and did well, others walked it! The MK route was not marked out specially, but followed much of the Millennium trail around the city – most of it very green and pleasant, (and flat).
We did go a bit wrong toward the end of the MK tour, but quickly picked up the route again and headed back North. Talk of a pub stop had started, but we thankfully came upon the second W.I. refreshment stop with squash and biscuits to keep us going. Once through Salcey Forest and nearly home a quick pint was fitted in and then back to the village hall for a superb WI ploughman’s lunch!
The weather was a key factor for our experience, but I would recommend this event for a late Summer day out. Chris set us a quick pace and I guess the relatively flat landscape made this achievable – if it had been muddy the story would have been very different.

Posse: Uphilla; Chris: Dahnhilla.

Weather: Dry, Sunny at times, some wind.

Mechanicals: None.

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