29th May 2021 - Haddenham (and not Aldreth)

 Introduction

A fine day with little wind. We set off up the B1049 through Histon, Cottenham to Wilburton where we turned left on to the  A1123 for about 2km to Haddenham for the 102nd sign. We cycled south to Aldreth which is a hamlet but has a photograph of a village sign on the internet here. We did not spot it and I cycled back through the village and discovered the concrete base by the village hall.

We cycled down the Aldreth Causeway, which was fine in spite of recent rain, to Willingham and on through Over to The Nook at Swavesey for lunch. Home via the busway - 53km (33 miles)

Haddenham

Double sided with different image on each side. Farmer ploughing with horse plough, farmer with wheatsheaf, church and water tower.

East side faded badly. Fruit picking, cows and windmill.

Plaque on base "Made by local crafts people and donated by the village to the Parish Council April 1983"

102 signs in 33 rides. Our Eddington number for 2021 is now 24 and our Eddington number since 2018 has finally reached 30. The nearest village to visit next is Streatham which is 15.9km from our home.

23rd May 2021 - Chrishall (Essex) and Great Chishill - passed 100 signs

 Introduction

A climb to the highest point in Cambridgeshire at Great Chishill. A S/SW wind and the downhill helped us home. We went up Coploe Hill and then across to Elmdon in Essex which did not have a village sign. A short run to Chrishall in Essex which did have a sign the 100th - we had sandwiches there. Along the ridge and up to Great Chishill for number 101. Downhill with the wind behind us on the journey home. Heydon did not have a village sign. We continued down to Newton where the Queens Head was open for a couple of pints of Adnams Ghostship and the village sign is still just a post. 

Elmdon, Essex

No village sign but a fine signpost and closed pub sign in the centre of the village.

Chrishall, Essex

Double sided with same on both sides. Church with medieval religious couple with money and bible. Cottage with man sitting on barrel with tankard. Traction engine, pump, stream with bird, mallard and great crested newt. Farm labourer with wheatsheaf.

Plaque on post: "Given by people of Chrishall as a memorial to Roy William Loveday 1926-1996 in gratitude for devoted service to the village" 

Great Chishill

Highest point in Cambridgeshire

Single sided - windmill

Heydon

No village sign

101 signs in 32 cycle rides. 

19th May 2021 - Houghton and Wyton, Hartford, Godmanchester, Hemingford Abbot and Hemingford Grey

 Introduction

66km (41 miles) north west. Out on the busway to St Ives and on to Houghton and Wyton villages which have a combined sign. We passed the unexpected sign for Hartford on the side of the road into Huntingdon. I had decided that it was a part of Huntingdon although it is on my list of villages. Huntingdon is a town but there are images of a village style sign on the internet here - this sign is no longer there as the road junction has been modified. It might be elsewhere but none of the locals we asked could help. Godmanchester also a town has a sign. Back through the two Hemingfords. A bacon roll and coffee at our favourite cafe at Swavesey before being blown home along the cycle path along the A1307.

Houghton and Wyton

Double sided with the same image on both sides. WWII aeroplane (Bristol Belnheim?) for RAF Wyton, Houghton Mill, church and bus shelter (?) building in Houghton. Fish, flower and insect.

Plaque on post: 'This sign has been erected from the proceeds of "Houghton and Wyton" by Philip G.M.Dickinson and unveiled by his grandson Duncan J.D. Smith on 9th July 1989. The revised book was a result of the work of a group of villagers assisted by a donation from the Parish Council. Carved by Harry Lee with carpentry by Derek Steer'.

Hartford

Single sided. Church, house, tree and cows. 12 petal flower below.

Huntingdon

No town sign in the style of village signs found (see above) but new signs like this which I am not counting as a village sign.

Godmanchester

Strictly a town but the sign is in the village sign style.

Double sided with same image on both sides. Footbridge over the river, church, Roman soldier, ploughing with a horse drawn plough, Viking longboat.  

DUROVIGUTUM GUMECESTRE

SIGILLAM GUMECESTRE COMMUNE

Plaque on post: "To mark the 800th anniversary of the granting of the Town Charter by King John, this sign was unveiled by His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester KG, GCVO on 13th September 2012"

There are two other plaques with details about the sign - the headings are:

St Mary's Church, Rural Godmanchester, Chinese Bridges, Town Seal, The Town Sign (text of charter) Roman Godmanchester, Danish Godmanchester.

Hemingford Abbots

Double sided with different sides. Bishops mitre, sheaf of wheat, horn, fish in water.

Shield qith three rams heads (?)

Hemingford Grey

Double sided with the same image on each side. River image with punt, swans, boat

 house, swans, cows, church and flowers.

99 village signs so far in 31 rides. Our Eddington number for 2021 is now up to 23 miles. (23 rides of 23 miles or more)

16th May 2021 - Earith, Colne, Bluntisham, (Needingworth cum Holywell)

 Introduction

An early start with rain forecast. New territory for cycling if not for walking. We cycled up the busway, turning off for Rampton then on to Willingham before venturing up the long straight B1050 to Earith. Not too busy on a Sunday. From Earith we went north to Colne and visited the old church. South to Bluntisham for the third sign. Fortunately there is a cycle path from here into St Ives along the A1123. We went to Needlingworth and detoured to Holywell although I knew that they shared a sign. Back to Needingworth to discover that the sign was "REMOVED FOR REFURBISHMENT". We went into St Ives for refreshment and back to Cambridge via the busway.

Earith

Single sided. River, boat, ice skaters, fish and eels. 

Plaque on post: "Donated to the Parish of Earith by Mr & Mrs F.W.Carrington in appreciation of their many years of happy association with the village"

Colne

Single sided. Church, Roman centurian, apple tree with fruit picker and baskets of fruit.

Bluntisham

Single sided painting under glass. Difficult to photograph because of the reflection. Church, war memorial, ice skaters and monument with road sign. The painting is very poor condition and has cracked badly. 

Holywell

A separate village on my list - but has a combined sign as Needingworth cum Holywell. Just to prove we went there:

Needingworth cum Holywell

Disappointingly "VILLAGE SIGN REMOVED FOR REFURBISHMENT"

94 village signs in 30 rides. We have now visited all villages within 15.5km of our home. The next village is Haddenham at 15.6km followed by Stretham at 15.9km which is difficult to cycle to without using the A10. Little Thetford at 18.3km is the next nearest after these.

9th May 2021 - Meldreth, Whaddon, Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth

 Introduction

A fine warm day in prospect. We set off over Chapel Hill through Barrington to Shepreth. We found an excellent cafe The Teacake where we had coffee, scone and flapjack. We cycled on to Meldreth having missed the sign on our last visit. From there we went to Whaddon and then down Ermine Street the A1198 to Kneesworth which is now combined with Bassingbourn. We cycled into the centre of Bassingbourn for the village sign and back through Meldreth, Melbourn and back down the A10 cycleway. A 53k (33 mile) morning ride. 

Meldreth

Easy to miss. The least obvious of all the signs we have seen do far. A roadsign like wooden sign. Just the name MELDRETH and 1952EIIR1977 above.

Whaddon

Single sided. Church, oak leaf and acorn, dinosaur and village pump.

Plaque on post: "In Grateful Memory of Mr Jim Law 3rd June 1912 - 16th September 1993 For His Life Long and Dedicated Service to Whaddon"

Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth

Double sided with the same image on each side. Wellington bomber, church, lampost, trees, grey heron, old car, flowers including I think the tudor rose. On the left under the main picture are tools and black blobs (which I think might be coprolite which is fossilised faeces of animals that lived millions of years ago). The right image shows two pigs possibly saddleback breed.

Further information on the sign in this PDF which states that the car is a taxi which were made in the village. The rose is the Lancaster rose not the Tudor one. The tool is a plough found in the church during renovation work. 

91 signs so far in 29 rides. Bassingbourn and Kneesworth are treated as separate villages in my list. 

7th May 2021 - Papworth Everard, Yelling, Eltisley, Gamlingay, Arrington

Introduction

A full day ride to revisit Gransden and Waresley Wood bluebells. We took a longer route on the way there to include our first visit to Papworth Everard. We walked our bicycles along a footpath out of Papworth to avoid the A1198. Yelling was a there and back detour of ups and downs. After Eltisley we arrived at The Chequers in Little Gransden for beer and lunch - 40km (about 25 miles). We stopped at the bluebells which were much better than a fortnight ago. Waresley does not have a sign but it does have a village lamp. On to Gamlingay for the 4th sign and then turn east with a following wind. Hatley St George, East Hatley and Croydon did not have a village sign. Arrington was the 5th and last sign of the day. We stopped at Wimpole Hall for coffee and cake before a quick detour to Wimpole village to confirm the absence of a village sign. Straight home down the A 603 - about 75km (46 miles) our longest ride since 2018 when I started recording rides and calculating our Eddington number.

Papworth Everard 

Double sided with the same image on both sides left-right reversed. A red dragon with a quill, church, bluebells and primroses, village hall, heart (used to be the home Papworth Hospital specialising in heart treatment). From the internet this would appear to be a recent replacement sign.

Yelling

A wood sign. Church, cricket match, farmer on tractor, horse, woodworking tools, oak leaves and acorns.

Plaque on the sign: "The village sign is dedicated to the memory of Kenneth Marnes Johnson 15th Jan 1931 - 7th Jan 1986"

Eltisley

Double sided. Trees and cricket match. WI and lightning.

Church and female Christian saint. 1984 WI

Plaque on post: "This replica of the original village sign was unveiled on 25th April 2004"

Waresley

No sign but is does have a village lamp which erected in 1897 to commemorate the 60th year of Queen Victoria's reign. It was converted to electricity to commemorate the silver jubilee of King George and Queen Mary in 1935. A third stone carving in the base was added in 2012 to commemorate the 60th year the reign  of Queen Elizabeth II.

Gamlingay

Double sided wood sign. Church and pub, oak leaves and acorn, swallow. Wheat and horse with harness.

Village hall (?) and church, oak leaves and acorns. Wheat and game bird.

Hatley St George, East Hatley and Croydon

No village sign

Arrington

Church and Roman figure in toga with scroll. Arrington is on Ermine Street the Roman Road from London to York. Creat, anvil and wheat.

Wimpole

No village sign

We have now photographed 88 village signs in 28 cycle rides. We have visited all the villages on my list up to 15km from my home. Gamlingay is the furthest one at 23.4km.