Autumn Tints

I arrived at Horsham Pavilions in the Park to find John C, Jeet and Anton waiting for me. We hung around until 10:10 before setting off. When I volunteered to lead this ride (some months back) I thought “Late October? Autumn will be well underway and all the leaves will have changed colour”. Hence the ride title of Autumn Tints. However, the seasons seem a little late this year and most of the trees are still mainly green!



My plan was to do a thirty mile loop to the south and west of Horsham, so we set off along Park street and then Queen Street and the Brighton Road. After passing the Silver Wok we turned right onto Kerves Lane. This initially heads downhill before suddenly rearing up into the short sharp climb that is the wooded Hard’s Hill. Whilst still getting our breath back, we headed left onto Coltstaple Lane and then down onto Broadwater Lane. Last year some major engineering works occurred in the fields alongside this lane – I believe it was the installation of a main water pipeline. Unfortunately I’ve no idea where it was going to or from!

Emerging near the building site that was The Bridge Inn at Copsale, we turned left again and headed across to Maplehurst. From here we turned south and endured the two short and never pleasurable climbs on the way to the A272. Spurning the chance of a breather, the boys opted to carry on – we could have had a cuppa in the Bistro at the Camellia Botnar Garden Centre (open 10 til 4 on Sunday) - and a few minutes later we’d passed through Littleworth and Partridge Green to emerge on the A281 at Shermanbury. I had considered using the bridleway through the Shermanbury Estate, but looking at my fellow riders I decided to stick to the tarmac. So it was south along the A281 before heading east on the B2116. A place called Prairie Farm (or something like that) was advertising that it’s gardens were open to the public. Perhaps their gardens were full of “Autumn Tints”? Anyway, perhaps I was thinking too much about things like that because at the next junction I wandered off my planned route. We headed north up through Wineham, over the A272 and onto Spronketts Lane – I’d intended heading further east before turning north and using Bolney Chapel Road and Foxhole Lane. Both routes have some climbing to do – the one we took climbs gradually for a couple of miles before a downhill and then a small beast of a climb into Warninglid. My intended route also has ups and downs but, in keeping with the ride theme, goes through some woodland that I had hoped would be full of autumnal shades – we’ll never know!

From Warninglid we took the Cuckfield Road and crossed the A23 on the flyover before curling down to the left and taking Staplefield Road. In full sun and with a bright blue sky, this was very pleasant riding and we’d soon managed the slight gradient to emerge at Staplefield and the lunch halt, The Victory Inn. Although only two tables were occupied, there was apparently no room at the Inn, so we ordered our food and then went back outside with our beers to sit in the sunshine. The only trouble was that, now we’d stopped cycling, we could feel the wind – and it was quite keen! Still, we’re hardy fellows and we stuck it out. One of the ales on tap was called “Tea” so if stopped by a policeman I could honestly say I only drank a pint of tea with my dinner! The menu had hot meals and sandwiches available and when our sandwiches arrived they were very pleasant (served with a nice fresh salad and crisps). Anton’s bowl of chips was the best bit though – they warmed our fingers up a treat! As soon as we’d finished eating we set off again – we needed the exercise to warm us up. Shortest route home was the order of the day so I led us west across to Slaugham (loads of cars there as usual), past Slaugham pond



and on to the crossroads by the Wheatsheaf where the back garden looked a lot warmer than where we’d just been sat for an hour…..

Onto Hammerpond Road and a quick thrash down the hill and over the dam before standing on the pedals to crank up Buckshead Hill. Here we split into two – Anton and Jeet to carry on along Hammerpond Road all the way back to Horsham, John & myself to use Grouse Road up to Pease Pottage and thence Crawley.




I was back home by about 14:30 having led a very pleasant 30 mile ride (plus the 9 miles to get to the start) and by 15:30 I was having a snooze in my armchair.

Next weeks ride is a Morning Ride starting from Three Bridges Station at 10:00hrs. This ride will be suitable for ALL types of rider, members and non-members and will be led by Pete S.


Two things to note however:

1) it’s Halloween!!!!!
2) the clocks will have changed overnight – don’t get there too early!!!!

The Plough at Leigh

‘Twas the night before the bike ride and all through the house no creature was stirring, not even a mouse. . . . Whoops! I’d better work out a route for the morning…
Anton was supposed to be leading the ride but he’d sent me a text on Saturday afternoon to say that he’d had a crash and asking could I lead instead. Concerned, I quizzed him and found that, apart from a bit of road rash he was OK but he’d folded his back wheel , damaged his handlebars and scratched various other bits on his bike. His helmet had suffered abrasion but not impact damage and his head was unscathed. Apparently he’d come off towards the bottom of Cob Lane near Ardingly – just before the steep climb – and slid along the road for a good few yards!
So, at about midnight, instead of climbing into my nice comfortable bed, I was firing up Google maps and thinking up a route to take us on a 40 mile loop with The Plough at Leigh as a lunch stop. I decided I would do an anti-clockwise loop and take in a road called Haroldslea in Horley that goes past an old moat (and site of a castle I believe). I had to plot it as a walking route as a couple of parts were on cyclepaths and bridleways, but after a while I was happy and had printed off my route instructions ready for the 10 o’clock start.
Next morning, on arriving at Three Bridges Station, I was met by John C and Barbara. A minute or so later Anton arrived by car, brandishing a very bent rear wheel in one hand and a set of route instructions in the other – I hadn’t needed to be up so late knocking a route plan up. Oh bother! As he told us about his accident and explained his route to me, John V arrived so there were now seven people riding.
Anton’s route was more or less the opposite to what I’d planned and would take us in a clockwise loop. First off, we picked up NCN20 and followed it through Furnace Green. On the way my phone rang - it was Pete S asking where we were! He, Frank and Pat were all at Horsham Park Pavilion wondering when the ride leader would turn up! I arranged to meet them at Colgate and continued on through Tilgate to K2. Then it was up Pease Pottage Hill and on through Pease Pottage on the Forest Road to Colgate. The pub is still closed but the sign is still there:



Bang on cue, Pete, Frank and Pat turned up and so, taking the road opposite the pub, we sped down to and crossed the A264 into Faygate before climbing up the ridge and left onto Wimlands Lane. Wimland Road then took us nearly to Rusper where we headed south then turned west onto Green Lane. The weather was nice and sunny, as can be seen in this picture taken against the light:



Friday Street took us on past the pub and up to Muggeridge’s Hill – guess what the name of the pub is?



Reaching Capel we glided through the village and left on Vicarage Lane which becomes Misbrooks Green Road as it passes Temple Lane. I was recently reading a history of Sussex and in a chapter about the history of non-conformism in the area, it mentioned there was a Quaker meeting house down that lane – strange in that the Quakers are not into things like temples and cathedrals or even elaborate chuches. At this point we were following part of last weeks route, but at Newdigate we diverged and headed north northwest on Henfold Lane. We were heading for the furthest point on the loop, a lane that Anton assured me was really good but just two miles short of it the troops were getting restless and pointed out that we were late for lunch. I decided to take a short cut and we turned right onto Red Lane. This became Brockenhurst Lane and at the end Pete advised we needed to turn right (then first left) to get to Leigh. Most of us followed this route but the two Johns opted for a quieter but longer route to the north. Two miles later, in bright sunshine, we pulled up at The Plough in Leigh.

The car park was full of vintage sports cars – MG’s, Austin-Healeys, Sprites etc.so I was worried we’d struggle to find somewhere to sit and would wait ages to get served but, having said goodbye to the two Johns and Pete who were all heading straight back to Crawley, when I got to the bar I was served straight away and got my food order in with no bother. Barbara and I sat out in the sheltered patio area where we’d parked the bikes, soaking up the sun whilst Frank and Pat decided to find a table indoors as they were going to have a full roast dinner – roast dinners don’t really lend themselves to alfresco dining.

Our sandwiches took a while to come out – as you can see, order number 48 has not yet been delivered but I’ve already finished my pint!



Whilst waiting, I strolled around looking at some of the cars and taking pictures:

Once we’d finished our sandwiches (and a second pint), we were ready to go, however, Frank and Pat had only just been served. They were quite happy for us to go ahead of them and they could make their own way home, so off we set. We headed south along Smalls Hill Lane, then straight over the crossroad by The Fox Revived and then on down into Charlwood. From here we took the Ifield Road and, contrary to Anton’s route plan, we didn’t take Prestwood Lane, the Mount and Burntwood Lane but used Ifield Wood (Bonwycks Lane) instead. On reaching the Rusper Road, Barbara turned right to go up to Rusper and then back into Horsham. Meanwhile I turned left and went back home via Ifield and Goffs Park.

Next weeks ride starts from Horsham Pavilions in the Park at 10:00 hrs and is entitled Autumn Tints. It’s a relatively short ride of about 30 miles although there will be a couple of hills.

The Three Horseshoes

A Horsham start at 10:00hrs with me as ride leader, so I only had time for a short lie-in before changing my wheels and hitting the road. The weather was still warm enough to ride in shorts but there was sufficient chill in the air to warrant a warm top. The roads through Furnace Green and Tilgate were quiet as was the climb up Pease Pottage Hill and I was nice and relaxed as I cycled into the village. Five yards short of the sharp left hand bend there, someone in a people carrier decided to overtake me just as a contingent of Horsham Cyclists came the other way – when I say “overtake” I really mean “ignore my existence and nearly wipe me out”! Shocked, I failed to make a note of the registration and can only vaguely recall the vehicle as being dark blue and of French manufacture. This got me thinking – perhaps we could start naming and shaming bad drivers - I think there’s a West Sussex Police website for this, but it would need us to remember the registration, so I failed on that count!

It’s funny how, when you’re busy thinking about stuff, the miles can just fly by and so just a few minutes later I arrived at Horsham Pavilions in the Park. Looking at the bikes parked outside, I could only see one I recognised – Anton’s rather excellent titanium framed Enigma. A couple of minutes later Barbara and Norman arrived although Barbara would not be joining us on the ride – she was in the process of delivering the latest copy of The Pedaller to our Horsham members and was taking the opportunity to drop off the copies for the Crawley members to me.

We waited until 10 past 10 but no-one else turned up, so just the three of us set off. We used the usual route westwards out of Horsham – over the golf course, under the A24 and out onto Robin Hood Lane. We turned into Byfleet Lane then Strood Lane before a short stretch of the A281 and A29 followed by the climb up Rowhook Road. We made the usual stop outside the Chequers Inn to get our breath back before carrying on up Horsham Road and then onto Honeywood Lane. Immediately after the Punchbowl Inn we turned right, down the hill and then over the A29 and onto Weare Street. As we made our way along Weare Street, we still couldn’t see the aeroplane that’s visible on Google maps:



As we progressed up this normally quiet lane there was a veritable traffic jam – a horse and rider complete with two large dogs was going up the lane and two more horses and riders were coming down! We carefully threaded between them and carried on. Arriving at Coles Lane we turned right to go past Ockley Station and over the A24 to Capel. Not much further to go now, we headed east along Vicarage Lane, north along Misbrooks Green Lane, east along Trig Street and then Kingsland into Newdigate. From here we went past the Surrey Oaks at Parkgate, along Broad Lane and Clayhill Lane before arriving at Leigh. How do you pronounce Leigh? Lee or Lie – I go for the latter.

Heading south for short while along Smalls Hill Road we held the traffic up slightly as we went up the hill and then after the short downhill we turned left onto Dean Oak Lane. This was pleasant and easy riding on a nice, bright if slightly breezy day and we soon turned left into Ironsbottom and arrived at the Three Horseshoes Inn. This ride was originally arranged by Mick and on entering the pub they were expecting us and we were shown to a reserved table. The beer and cider was well kept and very enjoyable and there was a good choice of food which was quickly prepared, tasty and moderately priced. Although most of the tables were reserved, the pub didn’t really start filling up until about 1 pm – just as we were leaving.

We headed south, back down Ironsbottom and then turned right onto Collendean Lane which brought us to the Norwood Hill crossroads where a left turn gave us a nice downhill run with a good view of Gatwick Airport. After passing through Charlwood and heading out on the Ifield Road we had another good view of the runway at Gatwick.

Rather than take the first right onto Prestwood Lane and the climb up The Mount, we took the second onto Ifield Wood. The Rusper Road then took us past the venue for our Christmas dinner this year, The Gate, and Lambs Green Road took us past the venue for one of our previous Christmas dinners, The Lamb. Faygate Lane then took us on the climb up to Wimlands Lane which in turn took us west along the ridge. A nice fast blast down Wimland Hill was only marginally spoilt by a car coming up the hill. We then stopped by The Frog and Nightgown where we spotted this traction engine:



Here’s another shot to show the true scale:



After this we crossed the A264 and headed into Horsham via Roffey to arrive back at our start point, Horsham Pavilions in the Park.

Our next ride, on Sunday 17th October, takes us to The Plough at Leigh. It starts from Three Bridges Station at 10:00hrs and will be lead by Anton.

Members should have received the latest copy of The Pedaller by now and with it a reminder that our AGM is coming up on Thursday 21st October at Broadbridge Heath Village Centre at 20:00hrs. Please come along, it’s a friendly meeting and helps ensure your club reflects your requirements.

Beginners Ride

Well it was always going to be a long shot, but when I heard the weather forecast I wondered if anyone at all would turn up, let alone new/novice riders! But I had underestimated the hardiness of our member group and so was greeted by four smiling faces at Three Bridges at 10 - Barbara, Norman, Bob and Marian. As this was an easy ride, we elected to head north east via Old Hollow to Copthorne and then, skirting Smallfield, to Outwood via the slightly non-flat Hornecourt Hill. Some people seemed to think that a hill like this should not be included on an easy ride – well, what do they know! Passing Outwood Windmill, the oldest working windmill in Britain – not working when we passed (http://www.outwoodwindmill.co.uk/) – we crossed over alongside Outwood Common. It appears that volunteers have been clearing some of the common on the corner and I think that it will look great next spring. Then along the gentle descent past Outwood Church to turn right along Coopers hill road we reached the M23 flyover and turned left to Redhill Aerodrome and the warm welcome of its café. It is always pleasing to see lots of customers there, even though there did not appear to be any flying this Sunday, and they do good toasted tea-cakes and rock-buns. By this time the rain had decided to set in and so we set off with resolve, to follow the NCN21 through the new housing estate in Horley to Gatwick South Terminal, admiring the new surface, courtesy of Surrey County Council, on the way. Our Horsham friends caught the train from here, while the Crawley crew delivered Bob safely to his door.
Not the best weather, but a couple of hours exercise, in the fresh air, in good company – what could be better!? Do come and see for yourself at our next beginners ride on Sunday 31st October. Meet at 10.00 at Three Bridges station and home by lunchtime. (NB: clocks change night of 30/31 October).
Peter

Our next Sunday ride is October 10th and starts from Horsham Park Pavilions at 10:00hrs. It will take a 21 mile clockwise loop north and east to stop for lunch at the Three Horseshoes Inn at Ironsbottom. The return will be a more direct 16 miles south and west via Charlwood and Lambs Green. We'll be riding, whatever the weather, so come and join us.