A day to remember, a "red letter" day indeed. Sunday was for the members of the Nottingham Castle Bicycle Club. Some time since Lord St. Vincent who, like his brother, the Hon. Cecil Leonard Jervis, is an ardent cyclist, gave an invitation, through the captain of the club, Mr. J. Scothern, and Mr. J. H. Newham the hon. Secretary, both most esteemed officers to the members of the Castle Club, to visit him at his country seat, at Norton Disney. Let both Thursday and Saturday members have a chance, said his genial lordship, and make the visit on some Sunday. "But there are a hundred and fifty of us, your lordship," urged the two officers mentioned. "Oh the more the merrier," said the generous friend of the club. So Sunday morning found the members of the Nottingham Castle Club- or as many of them as were able to devote the day to the outing- assemble at Trent Bridge at nine o'clock. Here under the direction of Mr. Albert Osbourne, the captain of the day the cyclists formed up, and at half past nine in the presence of a very large crowd of spectators, a start was made, the riders pairing off as they turned the Bridge corner into Gamston lane. Amongst those present and taking part in the day's pleasure were R. Francklin, C. Caborn, J. Hudson, R. W. Bailey, F. Garrett, W. E. Conway, G. Martin, S. Thompson, T. F. Martin, J. Sewell, J. Wood, T. Callan, G. E. Osbourne (hon. Sports secretary), J. Savage, C. Perry (official handicapper to the N.C.U.), W. Gongh, Geo Kaye, Geo. Pugh, J. Wignall, G. Tweltridge, P. Nilles, T. J. Biggs, H. Wilson, J. A. Selby, T. Gregg, H. Munroe, A. Dexter, C. Richardson, J. Gaskin, jun. H. Trickett (Newark) B. Tyler, J. Salisbury, J. W. Fletcher, and J. Mackenzie (Liverpool St. Hellen's) and some hundred or more other members. Assisting Mr. Osborne in his by no means easy duties were Messrs. E. C. Billyeald, J. Butler, and H. Thornton, as marshals, and these in turn had under command sub-officers, by means of whom clear communication was constantly kept up with the head of the column. The tremendous army of cyclists awoke great interest, both in the Meadows and Bridgford district, and the riders passed out on to the Radcliffe road between lines of spectators. Very complete arrangements had been made for the long ride-about 28 miles-to Norton Disney. The pace never exceeded 12 miles per hour, and for the most of the distance it did not average more than 10, thus enabling even the slowest riders to keep their places in the regiment. Naturally some inconvenience was caused by the dust, the wind being end on, and the riders being thus accompanied were more or less throughout the journey enveloped by a "pillar of cloud." Various devices, such as veils and "goggles" were adopted, but were only modified successes. Passing through the neat little village of Radcliffe, the long cyclade brought all the inhabitants to their doors. The residents of Radcliffe-on-Trent are pretty well used to wheelmen and wheelwomen, but the sight of nearly 150 young men speeding silently through the long street of the village aroused a curiosity and excitement quite unusual. Fleeting on up Saxondale hill to the bend into the fosse-road, swept the wheel brigade, the fresh morning air being melodious with the song of birds, and still quite pleasantly cool, for the early morning had been overcast, and the sun had not yet gained power. The first stopping place was the Red Lodge, where Mr. and Mrs. Young, on a tandem, had preceded the big company, and had made excellent arrangements for refreshment-a pretty extensive affair with such a brigade. Here the party was joined by the Hon. Cecil Jervis, an enthusiastic member of the club, and a very ardent cyclist, whom Mr. J. Scothern (the captain of the club) and Mr. J. H. Newham (the hon. Secretary) had accompanied from Bulcote Manor. Up to this point not a single puncture had occurred, and the services of the repairing corps (under the command of Messrs. G. Kaye and Gongh) had not been required. The distance between the Red Lodge-name well known to cyclists-and Newark, covered at a slightly more rapid pace, was equally free from misadventure, and by eleven o'clock the hundred and twenty or more wheelmen were entering Newark in single file, the unusual and extraordinarily long procession bringing many of the inhabitants of the town to witness the spectacle. A halt was called at the club's head-quarters (Mr. H. Tricket's Royal Oak, Castlegate) where a contingent of Mansfield members joined in. Between lanes of curious spectators, the noiseless line of cyclists wheeled steadily out on to the straight Fosse-road for Lincoln. Our worthy ancestors, or rather Roman predecessors of sixteen or seventeen hundred years ago, were most unpicturesquely direct in their road-making methods, and they turned neither to the left nor to the right. The monotonous directness of the road between Newark and Lincoln is like nothing so much as a pale cicatrix on the face of nature, and neither this nor some other roads in Lincolnshire are easy traveling for cyclists, the surface being very loose. But the little village of Norton Disney, and the seat of the hospitable nobleman whose invitation the host of Nottingham wheelmen were hastening to accept, was eventually reached. Turning off the main road, a long carriage drive of something over a mile brought the members direct on to the lawn in front of the comfortable but entirely unpretentious residence of Lord St. Vincent. Here the numerous party was warmly welcomed by his lordship. Tables of refreshments were lavishly spread under the cool shade of sweeping apple trees, and House Maids, in cool-looking garments dispensed most attractive liquids. The short space between the arrival and the signal to dine was spent by the dusty travelers in making themselves more presentable, and then under his lordships presidency a hundred and twenty seven wheelmen with the keen appetite of a twenty-eight miles ride, sat down to a bountiful repast, Mr. Smith of the Saracen's Head Newark, being the caterer. Before rising, Mr. J. Scothern, the captain of the Castle Club on behalf of the members, expressed to Lord St. Vincent the feelings of delight which their host's cordial and generous invitation to visit him had aroused in the club, and Mr. Scothern expressed nothing but the enthusiastic sentiments of all the cyclists present in his warmly appreciative enlogy of the bountiful hospitality so quietly and gracefully shown by his lordship. A manly and warm-hearted response by Lord St. Vincent touched everyone, and then the throng of visitors bestowed themselves over the extensive estate grounds or in the various apartments of the pleasant residence as fancy directed-the house and grounds being absolutely and entirely at the disposal of the visitors for their pleasure. Under the courteous kindness of the Hon. Cecil Jervis, many of the cyclists visited the extensive pleasant rearing and preserving sections, where during the day the most careful watch is kept to preserve the birds from their inveterate enemy the fox-reynard abounds in the vicinity-while during the night a cordon of ships lamps acts as a deterrent. On the pretty lake fronting the residence others found their amusement, and in various ways time was passed so pleasantly that tea arrived all too quickly. The atmosphere had cooled somewhat by this time, and the leaves of the big trees rustled gently in the breeze as the happy guests sat down again in company with their host, from whom the time of leave-taking was all too close. Before leaving the scene of such graceful entertainment the 130 guests gave his lordship three resounding cheers and then wheeled quietly down the long avenue into the main road to Newark. The staid villagers paused in their steps to the quaint old church (where repose the remains of the De Isneys, and possibly of some of the monks of Thornholm, one of whose priors built the ancient edifice) to admire the centipedal procession, and rustic lovers found a topic for a month of Sundays in the strange spectacle of the flying host. On to Newark, where a halt was made, and then quietly back along the Fosse-road, with the evening sun's fiery eye lighting up the landscape with a red splendor, the crimson rays glinting on machine and rider as they flitted silently but happily over the fair road, so back to old Nottingham lighting lamps at Radcliffe, and dotting the road for a mile with glowworm lights. It was a glorious day and the amiable and generous host of the Castle Club will have the satisfaction of knowing that an occasion unique in the history of Midland cycling will remain long as a dear and treasured memory in the hearts of every one of the delighted visitors to Norton Disney.           


July 22^nd 1896