Regular readers will be familiar with my weekly journeys along the A14 to proper towns.
The toughest section is the first bit. Even at 21:44 tonight, it would take me 1hr 39 to get to Rugby, for instance, missing last orders at the Half Moon. Fifteen years ago that would have taken 1hr 10. I blame the smoking ban.
You can see the slow bits heading east west from Cambridge to Huntingdon marked in red and orange, a ten mile stretch of 40mph limits and narrow lanes. Glad I’m not driving an Eddie Stobart lorry to Felixstowe.
But the four year improvement scheme is reaching its final 12 months, and on Monday we got a 3 lane Huntingdon bypass section to explore. PLEASE KEEP AWAY AND LET US ENJOY IT FOR A WHILE.
Apparently open a year ahead of plan, which is amazing when you know how long it was delayed by Duncan’s escaped moth and the big pool of “water” from when I let BRAPA out of my car near Ellington last year.
It still takes AGES to get to the start of the bypass, of course, but once you get there it’s like the M6 Toll. Folks going totally mad in their desperation to clock up 3 points.
It must save at least 12 minutes 27.5 seconds each way. Hurrah !
Million of Cambridge folk can now realistically do day trips to honeypots like Thrapston, Leighton Bromswold and Raunds, wherever that is.
In 1989, East Berliners enjoying their first taste of freedom in November 1989 crossed into the West and bought bananas and bottles of Sam Smiths Taddy Porter. I went to Grafham Water.
You turn off the new improved A14 at Ellington, whose Mermaid so impressed BRAPA last year with its £95 tasting menu.
Two miles to the reservoir, rather Rutland Water on the cheap but good enough for our lads to learn camping skills when they were eleven.
Lovely setting, shame about the mud.
If it had a micropub, you could imagine you were on a desert island.
Wait ! What’s this ?
A little micro in what looks like a scout hut in the village (park here and save £3.50 on parking and spend it on cake).
Obviously the pub was closed, but since it’s bound to be in the Guide next year I’ll drive Mrs RM here for a special treat.
She can drive me back; I’ll bribe her with bottles of local beer from the adjacent shop.
On second thoughts, I’ll bribe her with the fudge brownie. That’ll work.
It’s got diglycerides in it.
retiredmartin 
“Regular readers will be familiar with my weekly journeys along the A14 to proper towns.”
You missed a ‘5’ between the ‘A’ and the ‘1’. :)*
* BBM will know what I mean.
“
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Argh, new mouse. Sheesh
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Fer fooks sake; just lost another post. 😦
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Ok, last try at doing this…
“I blame the smoking ban.”
Or perhaps people out celebrating? 😉
“which is amazing when you know how long it was delayed by Duncan’s escaped moth”
Most likely due to an endangered species thingy?
“and the big pool of “water” from when I let BRAPA out of my car near Ellington last year”
LOL, classic!
“Folks going totally made”
Um, perhaps lose that last ‘e’?
“East Berliners enjoying their first taste of freedom in November 1989 crossed into the West and bought bananas and bottles of Sam Smiths Taddy Porter”
I’m guessing the cunning devils knew the EU banana regulations would soon come into effect. 🙂
“but good enough for our lads tolearn camping skills when they were eleven.”
But not spelling it would appear.
“She can drive me back; I’ll bribe her with bottles of local beer from the adjacent shop.”
You don’t know how lucky you are. I could never bribe my better half with bottles of beer.
“It’s got diglycerides in it.”
You would have had my wife at ‘sugar’. 🙂
Cheers
PS – Alas, as you may have guessed, I will be very sporadic till the end of the year, at least. My wife’s Christmas catering (and subsequent dirty dishes, cutlery and whatnot), combined with still providing at least 40 food items a day for her lunch truck (plus the replenishment shopping!), have left me little time to comment. To top it off, we’re off by car in few days to drive through the Rockies to see our grandson (and our other progeny of course) for the holidays. My wife has agreed she won’t be doing any bloody catering next year so hopefully I’ll have more time to check out the blogs.*
* – so if you see Si, Duncan or BBM (LAF?) please pass on the reason why I’m ignoring them.
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Russ, I wouldn’t mention crooked bananas so soon after general election which saw the lying, cheating former journalist who originally concocted this totally false story, returned as PM with a vastly improved majority.
Not all of us English folk are taken in by such porkies, so I’m a little surprised that the story, which dates back nearly 20 years, has crossed the Atlantic to confuse you Canadian folk.
Telling lies seems the way to go, if you want to get to the top. 🎅
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We will make do with crumbs from your table, Russ.
Si is devastated though.
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So, another 12 months avoiding the gridlock round Cambridge. I’ll break it to the missus when she’s adequately sedated. 2pm should do it…
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It’ll get worse before it gets better, Mark. Stay away.
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Shame, we’ve finally got the hang of Cambridge after a few rushed weekend fails. We’ll stick with Little Cambridge* until things improve.
*Ely
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“and bottles of Sam Smiths Taddy Porter” reminds me that yesterday the very helpful barman in the Fitzroy Tavern told me that they had bottles of Stingo.
Reassuringly that proves that I don’t look like a casketeer.
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I trust you told him bottles were the spawn of the devil?
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The finest by-pass related beer blog I have read since the Preston by-pass became the M6. If it didn’t I am sure someone will point that out.
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Just spent 90 minutes on the stretch between Brampton and Cambridge with the bypass closed at Papworth. Hate it already.
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