The Beverley Tweed Bicycling Club's First September Bummel*

The Beverley Tweed Bicycling Club enjoyed its first September ride today. Leaving Beverley in mid-afternoon, the club donned tweed and mounted their trusty steeds, and bicycled eastwards towards Leven and beyond. The sunshine promised for today by the weather forecast didn't quite materialize , although it came close on a couple of occasions in the afternoon. This was the first club run along the bicycle path from Beverley to Leven. The opened this year after being built with Government bicycling infrastructure monies. It certainly made the experience of riding a velocipede more pleasurable when not forced to share the carriageway with motor vehicles. The path is often used by our lycra-clad brothers and sisters. Hopefully, this will mean more of them will see the benefits of segregation of bicycles from motor traffic. In fact, there only seemed to be a couple of minor downsides to the path. Firstly, there was having to give way to motor traffic at every driveway and side road. Surely the priority should be to the bicycle path and not to traffic crossing it. The Dutch and the Danes have got this right, we need to learn from them. The other downside is it meanders strangely through existing lay-bys and moves around strangely for no apparent reason rather than taking a more direct way. At one point the path narrows considerably as it occupies what was the existing footpath in front of some cottages, which would make an interesting bottleneck with bicyclists and pedestrians travelling both ways.

But all in the all, the path receives the thumbs up and the Club would like to see the path extended all the way to Hornsea. Well, we can hope...

The route goes through Tickton village after going over the footbridge over the River Hull. Members paused to remove their caps at the memorial to the crews of two Halifax bombers from 78 Squadron RAF Breighton killed in 1943 in a mid-air collision after being diverted to Leconfield due to thick fog.

At the end of the path, the club followed the road to Leven (part of the former main White Cross to Bridlington road before the by-pass was built but now a quiet road leading to Brandesburton before re-joining the main road). The Club planned to visit the canal, but some doubtful route planning led to an interesting diversion. Following the road through the village of Little Leven heading towards the airfield, the Club caught a glimpse of standing stones through some trees. We rode over and found an old churchyard. Reading the informative noticeboards the Club discovered this was the site of the now long-demolished church of St Faith with only its churchyard remaining. It was built in 1350, replacing s a wooden church on the same site, and used as a church until 1843. It was partially demolished in 1844 although its chancel remained in use for funeral services until the graveyard closed in 1876.  The chancel was finally demolished in 1883 as by then it had become unsafe and was in danger of collapse.

Retracing its wheel tracks, the Club found its way back to Leven and then down to the canal. A pleasant hour was spent next to a bridge. The Club took Tiffin, and relaxed watching the wildlife on the canal in what afternoon sunshine there was. “Tiffin” to Beverley Tweed Bicycling Club members may consist of tea, and sandwiches, followed by more tea, followed by cake, followed by more tea.

The club then returned back to Beverley. The trusty steeds (English roadsters) seemed to enjoy their bummel* through the country lanes as much as their riders. Some could not resist showing a surprising turn of speed. One or two riders of modern road bikes, still known as racing bikes or racers to Club members, seemed surprised to see roadsters on their jaunt so far from town.

The homeward journey seemed a little shorter than the outward one. After riding through Tickton, instead of going back over Hull Bridge, the Club turned left and followed the Weel Road back to Beverley, crossing the river at the old shipyard and onto the Grovehill Road. On arriving home, and “stabling” their steeds for the night, some members may have enjoyed a wee dram ...

"A 'Bummel'," I explained, "I should describe as a journey, long or short, without an end; the only thing regulating it being the necessity of getting back within a given time to the point from which one started. Sometimes it is through busy streets, and sometimes through the fields and lanes; sometimes we can be spared for a few hours, and sometimes for a few days. But long or short, but here or there, our thoughts are ever on the running of the sand. We nod and smile to many as we pass; with some we stop and talk awhile; and with a few we walk a little way. We have been much interested, and often a little tired. But on the whole we have had a pleasant time, and are sorry when it's over."

 

From "Three Men On a Bummel" by Jerome K. Jerome.

A Beverley Tweed Bicycling Club Member's  English Roadster Outside The West Door of Beverley Minster.