Over the recent Bank Holiday and one of the hottest weekends of the year, 20 cyclists once again followed the 200-mile route of the 12 Eleanor Crosses in the 2019 Queen Eleanor Cycle Ride. Very tanned and extremely hot, they arrived at Westminster Abbey on Bank Holiday Monday for the traditional ceremony by Eleanor’s grave. Money is still coming in, but the total raised to support the work of the Connection through the Friends is expected to reach at least £11,000, and quite possibly considerably more.

Highlights of the weekend included being greeted by the Mayor of Broxbourne at Waltham Cross to mark the opening of a new Queen Eleanor Square just by the Cross, which is one of only three original crosses that still survive. The cyclists were once again escorted into Geddington, the site of another of the remaining crosses, by the 1953 Queen Eleanor Fire Engine. The third surviving cross at Hardingstone, Northampton is currently shrouded in scaffolding to allow a major restoration programme. ‘A brilliant weekend’ commented one tired cyclist. Anyone interested in taking party in 2020 should contact Charles Woodd on 07962 213494, or email queeneleanorcycle@gmail.com

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