28th April 2021 - Balsham, West Wratting, Weston Colville, Brinkley

 Introduction

A fine day with light wind. We set off for the villages along the ridge on the B1052 starting from Balsham towards Dullingham. We have visited Balsham before but we have never travelled along the B1052 this way. We climbed up to about 116m in Brinkley and then our favourite downhill to Six Mile Bottom. The total distance was about 53km (33 miles).

Balsham

This sign replaced the sign whose photograph appears if you search online:  https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/745755

The sign shows a plough above and sheep below. The main part of the sign is a bishop probably Hugh de Balsham who was Bishop of Ely and possibly built the church. He founded Peterhouse College, the first college of  Cambridge University

Small plaque on post: 

"Designed and made by

Polly Neubauer

Martin Chamberlain

2014"

West Wratting

The sign shows a windmill which no longer exists. There is a Mill Road leading south from the village and Mill House is on this road after about half a mile.

Plaque on post: "Donated to the village of West Wratting by the W.I. and friends 19th July 1986"

Weston Colville

The sign is in the village named as Weston Green on the OS Map about half a mile SW of the church on the main road through Weston Colville.

Double sided: a familiar style. This side shows a tryptych with windmill, horse drawn plough and pheasant in the middle, man scything wheat on the left and cricket on the right. An Avro Lancaster from WWII flies above.

This side shows a tryptych with church, tractor and hare in the middle, fox on the left and owl on the right. An Avro Lancaster from WWII flies above.

Plaque on base: "This sign was erected to commemorate the 50th anniversary of VE & VJ days [1995]

The cost was met by public subscription. It was cast by B. Gaze and based on an original design by J. Wright. The base was provided and final erection by P. Mayfield"

Brinkley

Just off the main road on the High Street. It comes complete with a crochet basket

The sign shows bell making under a tree and has 1952 EIIR 1977 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee.

We have found 83 signs so far in 27 cycle rodes

24th April 2021 - Great Gransden, Little Gransden and Longstowe

 Introduction

A fine day so we went looking for bluebells in Gransden woods - they were not at their best yet. 52km (32 miles) raising our Eddington number for 2021 to 22. 

Caxton

Caxton was the first village but it does not have a village sign.

Great Gransden

Church and windmill with WI monogram in a crest on the post. 

Plaque on post: "This sign was carved by Harry Carter of Swaffham Norfolk and presented to the Parish Council and Villagers of Great Gransden by The Gransdens W.I. on the 17th October 1981"

Little Gransden

Not at the T junction by The Chequers as it  kept getting knocked over by cars, it was up the hill by the Village Hall.

Metal sign showing windmill.

Plaque on post: "This sign was made by Barry Keightley, Fotheringhay Forge, and was presented to the Parish Council and Villagers of Little Gransden by the Gransdens' W.I. on 17th September 1983."

Longstowe

Church, medeival farming, cricket, modern farming and a horse's head.

Plaque on the post: "Erected by the villagers of Longstowe to mark the Silver Jubilee"

79 village signs so far in 26 cycle rides. We have visited all villages on my list under 14km from my home in Cambridge apart from Wimpole which doesn't have a sign.

17th April 2021 - Wicken, Witchford and Wilburton

 Introduction

One of our longest rides from Cambridge - Ely and back. We had lunch at the Cutter Inn in Ely. It was 39km there via Upware, Wicken, Padney and Barway. Only Wicken is a village with a sign the others are hamlets. We returned via Witchford, Wilburton, Cottenham and Histon 32km. A total of about 71km or 45 miles.

Wicken

Butterfly

Plaque on post to "...was given to the village by Reggie Octavius Butcher (1901-1985)"

Witchford

The furthest sign from Cambridge so far at 19.6km (about 10 miles)

Carved wood sign - leaves, flowers and a ford.

Plaque on post: "Witchford Jubilee Crank-up 1977"

Plaque on base: "To commemorate the Silver Jubilee of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II 1952-1977 also remembering the gallant 115 and 196 R.A.F. Squadrons stationed at Witchford 1939-45 plaque presented by Witchford W.I. 1983"

Wilburton

Single sided - church with wheat, grapes, parsnip, apples and oak leaves with acorns

76 signs so far in 25 rides.

11th April 2021 - Dullingham, Stechworth, Westley Waterless and Six Mile Bottom

 Introduction

One of our favourite rides with the addition of Stechworth and our first visit to Westley Waterless. The total distance was about 52km (32 miles). Six Mile Bottom is on my list of hamlets rather than my list of villages. 

Dullingham

Double sided - church with horse rider and cricketer batting

Church with horses ploughing and cricketer bowling

Plaque on post: "Painted by Mr. M. Prater Unveiled by Mr. P.B.Taylor 27th October 1990"

Stechworth

Double sided - both sides the same. Recent varnish by the look of it.

Pheasant in front of view of church with horseshoe and dark blue flower. 2000 AD

Westley Waterless

A different style of village sign. Both sides the same - but I have inserted both pictures below.

The village church "St Mary the Less 1160AD"

Westley Waterless 975AD first settled 975AD"

The images is a 3D relief from the brasses in the church

The brasses from the church - Sir John de Creke and his first wife Alyne Clopton who died in 1325.

Six Mile Bottom

A hamlet on my list but it has a church and a pub. Part of the parish of Little Wilbraham. 

Horse racing. Grouse and hare. 

Plaque on the reverse 

"SIX MILE BOTTOM

The sign was erected by the Parish Council in 2014.

The children at Great Wilbraham Primary School produced ideas for the sign. Developed from one of the children's ideas, the proposed design for the village sign includes references to relevant historical links for the village.

Six Mile Bottom existed in name before it developed as a settlement, deriving this name from its distance from the Newmarket Racecourse, and the fact that it lies in a valley bottom. There has always been a connection with hunting and shooting in the area for many years including royal patronange.

The design of the sign refers to both of these historical activities.

Manufactured by Teversham Engineering: Artwork by Veronica Taylor"

73 village signs in 24 rides so far

9th April 2021 - Conington (south Cambridgeshire) and Hilton - A NO SIGNS DAY

 Introduction

After a few windy days we planned for coffee at Swavesey with a detour on the way for village signs at Conington and Hilton. Investigation before departure showed that the Conington sign pictures on the internet were for Conington near the A1 in Huntingdonshire. The Hilton sign showed a squirrel and was on the B1040. We cycled past an empty post - we will have to come back. The journey was about 54km (33 miles) but included excellent coffee and bacon roll at Swavesey.

Conington (South Cambridgeshire)

No village sign but this is the road sign to prove we went there:

Hilton

See https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1305470 for 2009 picture of the sign

Presumably away for restoration. 2000AD carved on a wooden plaque on the post. 

Plaque on the post: "Unveiled by Mr George Britten May 14 2000. Carved by Mr Glyn Mould. Designed by Katie Lee 7, Charlotte Pettit 9 and Tamoson Gill 13"

Still 69 signs so far after 23 rides looking for them.

4th April 2021 - Orwell, Melbourn, Shepreth

Introduction

A fine Sunday morning. We off to Haslingfield, over  Chapel Hill to Barrington and on to Orwell. WE then went to Meldreth where we did not spot the sign. We went to Melbourn and Shepreth and then rode on the A10 cycleway back to Cambridge. About 46km (28 miles).

Orwell

Double sided - A view with a quarry and spherical rocks. Well on the left and a building on the right. 

The well had moved to the right and the building to the left.

Plaque on post: "Donated and Erected by The Villages of Orwell. Unveiled by Mrs Peggy Miller 27th June 1987"

Meldreth

We missed the sign(s) in this village. From pictures on the internet there is a low wood sign like a street sign on the green by the stocks we missed this as we were looking for a sign on a post. There are also pictures of a wrought iron sign which we did not find. We will come back.

Melbourn

Double sided - both sides the same. A tree and a puritan. I am not sure what the yellow object in the upper right represents.

From the internet this sign was unvailed in 2007 replacing a previous sign The man is John Bunyan the author of The Pilgrims Progress. The tree is a chestnut tree. The yellow object may relate to the village cross.

Shepreth

A metal sign. Fish, sheep, water mill, church, wheat sheafs?, bales of straw? MMX (2010)

Plaque on post: "In memory of John H Smith (1948-2014) Past councillor and chairman of the parish"

Village sign cycle ride number 22 - a total of 69 signs so far. We have covered all villages within 14.4km of our home, except Wimpole which doesn't appear to have a sign from internet investigation. It is on the A603 with no back road approach so we may give it a miss.