Autumn Colours

The weatherman had promised a clear and dry day but with lower temperatures starting to become a feature - he wasn't wrong and I chose the right things to wear with two layers on top, leggings below and a pair of long-finger gloves. For the first few minutes I pondered stopping to put a hat on under my helmet but, by the time I crested Pease pottage Hill I was plenty warm enough. The Forest Road was a bit chilly in the shade and the odd pocket of mist also took the temperature down but made for photogenic countryside:

I arrived at Horsham Pavilions in the Park on time but none of the bikes were familiar. I was mentally planning a slightly different route for what looked like being a solo ride when I noticed a cyclist approaching - I didn't recognise him but he was looking for me. "Horsham CTC?" he asked. "Yes, good morning" I replied. Johnny had found us on the internet and wanting to join us on our Cutty Sark ride had decided to check us out on this ride beforehand.

We had a chat for a few minutes during which time I reckoned he would easily be able to cope with my planned route and having checked he was OK with it, we set off.

We went across a misty golf course and then through Broadbridge Heath and thence to Itchingfield. Visibility was good but there was still a certain mistiness that the sun hadn't yet broken through. At Barns Green we headed over the railway crossing (after waiting for a train to pass) and carried on south to Dragons Green.

I styled this ride "Autumn Colours" but I forgot to take any pictures as we rode around, so I've included some pictures I've taken on a previous autumn.

From Dragons Green we crossed (carefully) over the A272 and then went past The Countryman Inn with Shipley Windmill invisible in the mist to our left and then crossed the A24 at the garden centre.

Now I thought I would be adventurous and turned left onto the bridleway through The Lock Estate. A few hundred yards further and there were several young cattle just hanging around on the path - Johnny was really surprised that, though I had been scared by a labrador dog that came bounding up to us earlier, I wasn't at all fazed by these much larger animals. I think it's that I find a hulking vegetarian a lot less frightening than any size of toothy carnivore!

I was following this part of the route by memory and it's about ten years since I last rode it, but I remembered the first couple of junctions correctly. However, when we came to the part that I thought went diagonally across a large concrete apron and then left onto a concrete track, the fingerposts didn't seem to back it up and the concrete track had all but disappeared! I trusted my memory though and a Bridleway fingerpost confirmed we were still legal. It looks like there has been some rerouting of rights of way and closure/removal of old/creation of new tracks around here (a quick look at the satellite view when I got home confirmed this). We emerged back onto the public roads at Partridge Green and from here we headed east then turned south onto the A281.

Just before the River, we turned left onto the bridleway taking us past Shermanbury Church. At first this is a broad, tree-lined avenue but on reaching the Church it becomes a fairly narrow bridleway, albeit with a good surface. Eventually we emerged back on the road at Wineham where we headed north, past The Royal Oak before turning right onto Bob Lane.

This lane goes past a major National Grid substation. If you look on an OS map, it's possible to see no fewer than seven different Electricity Transmission Lines converging on this substation - all but two of which go to ground some way off from it (the furthest would appear to be just west of Crabtree).

After Bob Lane we headed north on Bolney Chapel Lane and after waiting several minutes before being able to cross the A272 headed up Foxhole Lane and then Colwood Lane up to Warninglid. From here it was but a short ride up to Slaugham Pond and then along Hampshire Hill to the lunch stop - The Wheatsheaf at Plummers Plain.

Over a pint of Sussex and some very tasty (and promptly served) food, I had a chat with Johnny about Norway (where he's from) and about our club and the riding available in our neck of the woods.

He intends meeting up with us next week (at the Cutty Sark) for our Greenwich to Crawley ride.

It was nice and sunny in the shelter of the pub garden but eventually we decided it was time to head for home. As both of us live in Crawley, we took the sensible route over the B2110 onto Hammerpond Road and then up Grouse Road to Pease Pottage. From there it was just a mile and bit to arrive home just after 14:00hrs. Looking at the speedo, it was reading only 46 miles, but they were very pleasant and I found myself wondering if that would be the last dry ride of the year?

The plethora of berries on the Holly trees and other bushes gives hint to a hard winter according to the Old Wives Tales, so I thought I would finish off with this little fella:

Next weeks ride is the Greenwich to Crawley NCN20 ride.

Make your own way to London and meet either at Cafe Ritazza in Victoria Station at 09:00 hrs or on the west side of The Cutty Sark at 10:15hrs. Pete S will be leading this day long ride of approximately 60 miles. The morning is lamost all tarmac, the afternoon has a fair amount of mainly stone dressed off-road. Touring bikes will be more than capable.

Latest Train service news is that trains will not be running from Horsham this Sunday. the service from Three Bridges is unaffected.