The ride was always intended to be a short easy morning ride, which is just what I needed having overdone things at the gym during the week.
Besides myself there was only Michael waiting at the start at Three Bridges, but we waited to see if anyone else turned up. At least the wait allowed me to put on waterproofs since it started to rain. So shortly after 10:00 we started the ride, taking the normal roads and cycle paths (Route 21) to get to Gatwick Airport and Horley. By Horley the rain we had at the start had come to nothing, so off with the boil in the bags (waterproofs) and on with the ride.
With the new housing estate, north of Horley, Route 21 now proceeds along a better road, but since I was following the route on the map (out of date) we ended up on the very rough and potted holed former track, near Great Lakes Farm. I should have been paying more attention to the road and not a number of Labradors having a great time in the stream running alongside, since soon it was a matter of trying to find the best course through the many potholes, craters, quarries, plus puddles, ponds and lakes that covered the route. Coverings of mud/sand and streams crisscrossing the “path” also added to the technical nature of the ride, but soon we were both safely on a more solid road.
At this point it was time to leave Route 21, and start the first climb of the day. (More of a long drag than a serious climb – honest). The first right took us onto Picketts Lane and beyond passed the turning for Redhill Aerodrome, but no tea stop since we continued northward passing the Hospital just to the south of Redhill / Reigate.
After a short stretch on a main A road, followed by a shortcut though a housing estate we were soon on the “silk road” leading back to Horley. Why the “silk road” you ask? Well not only was it pot hole free, but it appears to have been properly surfaced (BUILT), and not only for a short section for nearly its entire length. It goes to show that some Council’s can provide/maintain SOME decent roads. Passing a number of flooded fields and Flood Warning signs, we encountered only flood free roads, with only the occasional large puddle, but there were signs of previous flooding.
Soon back in the northern part of Horley my plan was to get round to the western side of Gatwick Airport, before returning to Crawley. The route now crossed the A217 and soon started climbing again. The last climb of the ride, but once we had arrived on the ridge and continued towards Norwood Hill it offered clears views North and South, including that of Gatwick Airport.
A left turn at Norwood Hill soon saw use both in Charlwood and the final part of the journey, which I could have continued directly into Ifield, but decided to take a slight detour towards the Rusper Road, before approaching Ifield from the West and returning to Three Bridges via Ifield Station, Southwater and Furnace Green.
Statistics:
43.4km or 28.32miles
185m of climbing
A map of the route is below along with my GPS track of the route.
Next week’s ride is an Easy / Medium 30miles South of Horsham, lunch at The Wheatsheaf, Plummers Plain. Depart HPP at 10:00am
Planned Statistics:
48.3km or 30 miles
Planned route is
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