Edenbridge

First ride today since last Sunday due to family commitments,weather cold but dry so I decide on the Van Nicholas Yukon with triple chainring. I also fit my Garmin 800 gps for a trial run.
Arriving at Three Bridges Station, Richard is already waiting and shouts snap as he spots my Garmin - the same model as the one nestling on his bike. Peter and Marion then arrive closely followed by J.V. We set off through the back streets then through the Industrial estate cycle path and finally out onto the Balcombe road near the Black Corner garage where I drool over the BMW's for sale. Turning right at the next roundabout we hammer over the motorway and make good progress down to Burstow village. It's always nice to hit this lane after the busy roads around Gatwick.

Getting too far ahead, I slow down at the Smallfield road and trundle through Horne till I arrive at the A22, a short section of A22 is unavoidable before turning left onto the back road to Godstone. Before Tilburstow Hill looms into sight we turn right at the pub cross the A22 again and arrive at Broadham Green where we stop for a drink and remember this place as my first ride with J.V. on my retirement from work all of six years ago. Setting off again we zig-zag through Oxted where Al Fayeds son Dodi is buried in the grounds of Oxted mansion Barrow Green Court. Al Fayed only flys in by helicopter and the gates are locked so you cant see anything. Also, Ronnie Biggs went to school here and Adam Faith still lives in or near Oxted.
Skirting Pains Hill we said goodbye to Richard and arrive at Edenbridge High Street just on opening time. The King and Queen, a 16th century pub near the Eden river looked inviting so in we went. Britains oldest brewery (Shepherd Neame) supplies this establishment and very nice the beer tasted too and together with the bar food we had an enjoyable hour or so.

We returned to Crawley via Lingfield Hospital school and Horne. Total mileage today 39.
J.C.

Morning Ride

I spent Saturday afternoon cleaning and lubricating my bike as it hadn't received any attention since the soaking it received on last weeks ride. I had to pay particular attention to my saddle - it's about 8 years old now and showing it's age, so after getting wet the leather looks dull and worn and needs a good polish. Unfortunately I forgot to clean my wheel rims and when I pulled up at Three Bridges Station for the start of todays ride the brakes squealed and screamed in a most alarming manner. There were already five riders there (Pete S, Marian, Anton, Barbara and a new rider, Charlie) and they were waiting for Roz to arrive from East Grinstead. Pete was leading and had decided to use the Worth Way/Forest Way to get to Forest Row. I decided I'd prefer to tackle it using my knobbly tyres, so I arranged to go back home to 'change' and then rejoin the group at Worth Church.

Ten minutes or so later I was just approaching the Church when I met up with John V. He'd arrived at Three Bridges just after me and then popped back home to swap to a more suitable bike for the ride. A couple of minutes later everyone else rolled up, giving us a total of seven bikes and eight riders (Pete and Marian were on their tandem).

As we rode along we noticed that the path was very busy today with many walkers, joggers and cyclists. It was also a bit soft and muddy underwheel, so I was glad I'd swapped my tyres. Anton was on his mountain bike today and looking good. When we got to the little shortcut I use near Rowfant, Anton headed straight up it although I thought he might have grabbed too low a gear. I shot up it as well, shifting my weight to keep the front wheel tracking effectively .. but .. Anton had hit a tree stump and fallen off in front of me. I was too busy laughing to ride past him and he was lying there grinning like a Cheshire Cat. He'd just discovered that it's a lot less painful falling off in mud and shrubbery than on a hard, unforgiving road.

Riding on, we next passed through Crawley Down and headed on towards East Grinstead. There seems to have been a lot of maintenance work along this stretch and we soon came across a group of people in bright reflective jackets cutting back the scrub and burning the waste. On the back of one of the jackets I noticed the words "Community Payback". At the railway station, no-one rode over the bridge and down the steps - after all, what mud-besplattered oik would do that?

On reaching the High Street we turned right as usual but then at the traffic lights we turned left and used a couple of back streets to avoid the roadworks further up the High Street. As we went past Chequers Mead Hall I spotted a tower that looked like it had lost the rest of its church. Anton told me that it was in fact part of Sackville College. A couple of hundred yards later we turned back offroad onto the Forest Way and straight down a 'no-brakes' hill. When I say 'no-brakes' I'm referring to my habit of trying to use my brakes as little as possible - though I had to use them at the bottom as the trail crosses a road.

On the next section Anton went pressing ahead so I sped off to try and catch him, but after a few hundred yards he stopped - the temperature seemed to have dropped a couple of degrees and Anton needed to add another layer to keep warm. I kept going and then I noticed some tracks and wooden constructions in the woods to the right - it was a 'North Shore' style mountain bike course. This type of course uses boarding to get over boggy patches and sometimes the boarding goes up off the ground a few feet - you need a good head for heights when riding it and a very good sense of balance.

Shortly after crossing the A22 we arrived at the Riverview Cafe in Forest Row and we all sat down to tea/coffee and cake. All except me that is - as usual I was running without mudguards and covered in mud so I stood in the door area where there was a large doormat so as not to make a mess. Reading the noticeboard I noticed that the cafe stages a Classic Car meeting on the second Sunday of every month - curious, I asked what constituted a "classic" car. Apparently the current definition is any car built before 1983 although some younger cars can lay a claim to being classic. If you're interested in seeing what cars turn up, the next meeting is on March 13th.

The return trip started with Anton and me using a rough track to the left of the Forest Way. As it climbed up the embankment it was very muddy and slippy and we had to concentrate to maintain traction and forward motion. It was hard work but I was entertained to hear Anton laughing whilst he struggled to control his squirming bike. As this singletrack detour ran back down to the main route it became muddier and featured a small drop-off - I dealt with it by shifting my weight backwards and leaving the brakes alone and swept back onto the level. Anton adopted the same approach but was thwarted by a dog that stood in the middle of the track and refused to budge! Regaining the main track we got a good pedal cadence going and soon caught up with the rest of the group on the long gradient back to East Grinstead.

At the station, some muddy oaf rode up the steps and insisted on climbing the muddy bank out of the carpark not once but twice.

Next stop was Crawley Down where Anton struck off south to head back home. Not long after that we were back in Crawley and all heading home in our own directions. It was omly a short ride but we had a good turnout and an enjoyable time.

Next weeks ride also starts from Three Bridges Station at 10:00hrs. John C will be leading us over to Edenbridge and back with a possible tea stop at Lingfield. This will be a relatively easy 40 mile ride.

The Green Man

I was doing better this week – I’d got up on time, I’d eaten my breakfast and watched United on the repeat of Match of the Day (great goal by Mr Rooney). I’d even remembered to put a skinny spare tube in my barbag, filled my waterbottle (and put it on my bike), but could I find my bike lock? No I couldn’t! I turned my bike stuff upside down but the lock still didn’t materialise. Ah well, best not be late, so it was on with the waterproofs and off, out into the rain.

Thirty-five uneventful minutes later I arrived at Horsham Park Pavilions and was met by Norman – back on his bike after several weeks off through injury (non-bike related I must point out). Norman locked our bikes together and we went into the cafe for a coffee.

A few minutes later Pete E joined us and then Anton materialised as well. A few minutes of chat and then we decided it was time to hit the road. Pete wouldn’t be riding today and had just come to the start for a coffee and a chat.

We travelled through Horsham using Depot Road and turning onto Comptons Lane I considered using Hampers Lane, but decided not to as it would also have meant using an unsurfaced bridleway and in the wet it would have been pretty messy. Instead we carried on down to Hammerpond Lane and headed east past a busy Horsham RUFC ground – I wanted to shout out an ironic “Who’d be silly enough to be out in the rain?” but resisted the temptation. The short sharp climb past Roosthole car park was hard work as was the one up to Grouse Road. At this point Norman, whose leg was feeling the strain, decided to head for home via Colgate. The ride was living up to the usual Bob trademark of being hilly and yes, straight after Grouse Road and a brief downhill, there was another short sharp shock for Anton and me.

Carrying on east and over the crossroads at Plummers Plain we soon arrived at Slaugham where the church bells were going full tilt. Shortly after we went under the A23 and Anton pointed out a car at the side of the road with it’s window wide open in the rain – he’d seen it an hour or so earlier on his way over to Horsham. As it was in the middle of nowhere, we phoned up the police non-emergency line and brought it their attention.

On reaching Staplefield we headed south on Staplefield Lane then took Mallions Lane which brought us out onto the B2115 which we then followed into Whitemans Green. Here we turned right(ish) at the mini-roundabout before turning left onto Ardingly Road (which becomes Hanlye Road). These roads were all quite busy and I was quite glad there were only two of us for me to worry about. At the end we headed downhill, past the entrance to Borde Hill Garden and up the steep little climb before turning right onto Copyhold Lane. As we approached the far end of this lane Anton asked which way we’d be turning at the end – apparently if we turned right there’d be another steep hill – guess what? Yup, that was the way we were going. As it happens, when I’d planned the route using Google Maps, my route avoided this hill by heading east along a road called Finches Lane. Unfortunately, the lane was disguised as a farm entrance and I missed it! So up the hill we went. Technically we were now lost as we weren’t on my route list and I didn’t have a map, but I knew we had to head east and I was sure we’d pick up a road I was familiar with sooner or later. We took a road with the strange name of “By Sunte” and then a road called “Finches Park Road” – I reckoned that must be near the Finches Lane on my list and sure enough we popped out onto Hickmans Lane which was the next road on my list. This road emerged on Lindfield High street where we turned left and headed north past the church and the interesting collection of houses just past it.

Our next turn took us onto Park Lane, a road I’ve never cycled on before and another uphill slog. As we came to a crest just before a bend, Anton shouted something over his shoulder that sounded like “That’s it”. That wasn’t too bad I thought, went round the bend and saw the road leap steeper up! As I ground my way up the gradient I realised that Anton had actually shouted “That’s not it”. After the road levelled out we turned left onto Keysford Lane which took us down and under the Bluebell Railway – I was hoping a train would pass but no luck. Up the other side and half a mile later we’d arrived at Horsted Keynes. We had to shelter from the wind and rain in the porch of the pub for a good twenty-odd minutes as we’d arrived too early and they don’t open their doors until bang-on midday.

As we were the first customers in the pub, we bagged the comfy chairs right by the inglenook fire and arranged our gloves and jackets out to dry. Once again the beer was really good and the food equally so. We chatted about work, the club, the Paris-Brest-Paris ride that Anton will be tackling in August and the uses for the various pieces of horse tack that were displayed around the pub. I made Anton laugh by likening the shape of the fireplace to a Puritans hat, but there was no putting it off, we had to go back out into the rain.

Anton headed south, down Lewes Road and back to Haywards Heath, whilst I headed north, past Hosted Keynes station – two hills and two miles from the village – up another hill and into Ardingly. I didn’t fancy the reservoir route with its big climb the other side, so stayed on the B-road up to Turners Hill (a gradual climb) before enjoying the mainly downhill thrash back towards Crawley. I took a shortcut along part of the Worth Way and sprayed mud all over myself before arriving in Worth. By cutting through Maidenbower I avoided any more hills and arrived back home at about 14:45 with a mere 35 miles on my speedo. I spent the next 15 mins washing the bike down and spraying a thin oil over it before putting it away.

Next weeks ride starts from Three Bridges Station at 10:00hrs and is a Morning Ride aimed at less-experienced riders. Members and non-members are welcome. We will be Home in time for lunch or there will be the option of a Crawley area lunch.

Victory!

For only the second time this year, I managed to get out on my bike for one of our Sunday rides. Good job too - it was my turn to lead!
Arriving at Three Bridges Station I was greeted by Pete and Marian, Barbara and Roz. I briefly ran through my intended route and, just as we were about to go, we were very pleased to be joined by John V.

Todays ride would take us East and South of Crawley, so off we headed, up through Pound Hill and out on the Turners Hill Road. The wind was fairly strong but thankfully on our rear quarter as we made our way up the long but not steep ascent to Turners Hill. Opposite the church we stopped to regroup and get our breath back and have a little chat about various recent events. But, when we set off again, I'd only gone two yards before a big hiss announced that I'd picked up a puncture. Doh! I was dismayed to find that I only had a fat spare tube in my bag and not the skinny one I needed, so I had to do a puncture repair. I'm a bit of a traditionalist and still use the old style glue and patch method. Mind you, it worked. Even though things were a little damp, the patch stuck first time and with Pete and Marians assistance I was soon back on the road.
Leading everyone South from the crossroads I decided to cut out part of the ride as we'd lost time. So, instead of heading to West Hoathly and then using Cob Lane (complete with the incredibly steep climb at its end) to get to Ardingly, we just sped straight down the B road. Normally this mainly downhill road can be freewheeled most of the way, but now the wind was on our front quarter we had to pedal it. It wasn't too arduous though and we were soon past the Showground and into the village.

Noting that the café was open, but without enough time to stop, we headed on West out through the village, past the church and down the bumpy hill to cross the reservoir. The grind up the other side got my lungs going and I decided that it was time granny earnt her keep - easing slightly I clicked the lever and …… granny came into play as smooth as you like. I love it when my bike is working properly.

John crested first with me not far behind and the two us "warmed down" as far as the next junction. Waiting there for the others however, we were starting to get cold. Wondering if something had happened, we were about to retrace our steps when around the corner came Pete, wobbling all over the place and obviously not riding the tandem we were expecting. "Where's Marian, you've lost her!" and "Whose bike have you nicked?" we shouted as he approached. He was actually on Roz's bike and was trying to cure a gear change problem for her - having recently had a new cassette fitted, Roz was now unable to get onto the largest two or three rear cogs and consequently was finding the hills a bit of a struggle. We tried a little bit of adjusting but to no avail - I suspect the cable had stretched a bit (or the clamp had slipped slightly) but Roz was going to take it back to the bike shop that had fitted the cassette, so I didn't poke my nose in.

At this point we said goodbye to John who was now going to head north and straight back to Crawley. We however continued West and downhill to cross the second arm of the reservoir. As it was now midday (our normal pub arrival time), I gave everyone the chance of trying the pub in Balcombe or even the tearoom there, but no, all of them wanted to plough on to lunch at Staplefield - I'd bribed them with the claim that there was only one slight hill up and then a two-mile downhill to the pub. The "slight hill up" had me breathing hard by the top, but the wind made sure I soon got my lungs full of air again. Brantridge Lane was good fun and the lack of foliage on the trees meant we could easily see Ditton Place through the trees. Formerly owned by the Inner London Education Authority it has in recent years been converted into luxury apartments I believe.

Arriving at the pub, I was concerned to see the car park full - I hadn't booked a table - but the landlady managed to spirit together enough tables and chairs to accommodate us. Add to that the fact that the beer was excellent and the food even more so, and you can understand that we had a very pleasant lunch.

When we came to set off again, we noted that the wind hadn't let up at all, but that it was still relatively mild. We were now heading mainly into the wind but along a relatively sheltered road which took us under the A23, through Slaugham and past Slaugham pond.
We next passed my standby lunch halt, the Wheatsheaf at Plummers Plain, and used Hammerponds Road as far as Grouse Road. Roz was slightly surprised by the number of ponds we'd gone past today and hopefully I didn't bore her too much with my explanations of the Hammerponds and the industry they were associated with in the past.

Barbara accompanied us all the way to the top of Grouse Road before turning left and doing the run back to Horsham, whereas we turned right and followed the usual Old Brighton Road, steps, Pease Pottage Hill, K2, Tilgate and Furnace Green route home. Saying goodbye, I left (delegated?) Pete and Marian to escort Roz back to the Worth Way. Roz was todays hard rider - not only did she have the extra 20 miles of an out and back to East Grinstead on the Worth Way, but she'd had to tackle all those hills without the two or three cogs that make them easiest! Well done Roz.

Next weeks ride will likely use some of the same roads - but I do have some others up my sleeve! Leaving Horsham Pavilions in the Park at 09:30 we will be heading East to enjoy lunch at The Green Man in Horsted Keynes - last time we visited we really enoyed the food and beer there - what more excuse do you need? If we get there at the right time, we may be able to bag the comfy chairs in front of the large open fire. The round trip will be about 40 miles and I would rate it as a Medium ride with a likely finish time around 15:30hrs.