Wiston Tea Rooms

Wiston Tea Rooms or, more accurately Wiston Granary, is only about 11 miles or so south of Horsham but we managed to spin it out to over 34 today……

Pete E had revised the route he'd used the previous time for this ride and completely avoided using Hammerpond Lane. The only trouble was that this added about six miles to the distance and wasn't exactly flat. The three horrible Hammerpond hills were bypassed but the extra miles as we went via Copsale, Maplehurst and Lower Beeding were accompanied by their own lumpy bits! I was struggling a bit as we approached Warninglid but the weather was nice and as we turned to a more southerly direction we had the benefit of a tailwind. One more climb took us over the last Forest Ridge and we fairly shot down to Shaves Thatch corner. Soon after, the South Downs were blocking our path and we turned to the west at Fulking. 

The scenery was beautiful and made even better by the iridescent blue sky. By now it was past midday and we were all feeling hungry so we kept to the most direct route (also the most level route) through Bramber, by-passed Steyning and shortly after took the right turn to Wiston.

We sat in the garden but with the sun increasingly being obscured by cloud it wasn't quite warm enough to be perfect - the garden was really pleasant, the food and drink was just right and delivered with a smile, but when the sun was hidden the wind was sending ripples of goosebumps over bare legs and arms.

The route back to Horsham was exactly what appeared on the runslist - as short as we could make it and we arrived safely back at HPP bang on 15:30 hrs with a nice round 45 miles on the speedo.

Next weeks ride is a plain and simple ride to The Plough at Leigh. Meet at Three Bridges Station at 09:30 and Anton will take us on an easy, relatively hill-free journey to this cosy pub and back with a total mileage of only about 30 miles, all on generally quiet lanes and tarmac cyclepaths.

Annual Ride to the Seaside

This is usually a popular ride and this year we had eleven riders turn up.


Pete S led Marian, Anton, Val, Norman, Malcolm, John V, Ken, Christine, Michael and myself off towards Turners Hill. However, halfway through Pound Hill Malcolm had to  turn for home as his rear wheel had broken another spoke (making five in total) and was looking likely to collapse.


The drag up to Turners Hill was a pain as usual and Val was all for turning for home but a bit of gentle persuasion from the rest of us changed her mind. We sped down the B-road, past a less than busy Wakehurst Place and on through Ardingly. The weather was just right for cycling and we were soon on Lindfield. I popped in to the Co-Op there and bought some chocolate bars, everyone else was talking about what to do in light of the fact that there were no trains running from Brighton. The decision was made to carry on to the teashop at Ditchling and then work out what to do. We got there using Slugwash Lane and Ditchling Common Road.


The garden at the teashop was sheltered and sunny and we settled down to eat, drink and chat. Val took this picture of three monkeys:

Anton had not joined us in the café but had continued riding and gone up Ditchling Beacon. When he did join us he showed me some video of the climb and his obligatory 99 cone at the top. Well done Anton.


Talk had turned to what shape the rest of the ride would take and consensus was that we would head for Haywards Heath Railway station along a quiet route, point Norman in the direction of Horsham and anyone left over would ride back to Crawley. However, seeing Antons film had made me pine for the climb - it was silly to be so close and not do it! I set off and just a couple of minutes later I was gritting my teeth and getting stuck into the hill. The first part of Ditchling Beacon is always the hardest for me and I was soon down to about my 5th lowest gear ratio. I was determined not hit granny so each time the road bucked up I rose from the saddle and stomped on up. In a perverse way I was quite enjoying the climb, helped by going past a resting roadie and enjoying the views of the Weald, and I was surprised when the horse and rider sign swam into view to announce the top was imminent. I did the usual and rode on into the car park, right up to the ice-cream van and got my usual, a '99'.


It had taken me 10 minutes to do the climb, it took just over two to get down (and I'd been slowed down by some cars). Reaching Ditchling I checked the café but everyone else had gone, so I headed east for a mile or so then turned north onto Spatham Lane. By now I had expected to have caught the others but was beginning to worry I'd taken the wrong route, so sent Anton a text. I was on the right route but they were about three miles or so ahead of me. I kept going and then, halfway up Hundred Acre Lane, I saw Anton who had come back to meet me - thanks Anton. We carried on to Wivelfield Green and then onto Slugwash Lane - it's harder going north. At the far end, Ken and John V were waiting - everyone else had continued on towards Lindfield (and then Haywards Heath). Anton left us here and we bypassed Lindield to use East Mascalls Lane and Plummenden Lane on our way up to Ardingly.


I needed a breather so we stopped and sat on a bench in the middle of Ardingly. Then we spotted a tandem going past - it was Pete and Marian! They stopped and joined us before we all got going again and carried on past the showground and on up to Selsfield Common. We were really quick into Turners Hill but as I climbed up towards the crossroads, my chain got jammed and I had to stop and clear it. It seems that I spend so much time working on other peoples bikes that mine just doesn't get any attention!


The others were waiting for me at the top, but I had no recurrence of the problem and just a few minutes later we were back in Crawley.


Next weeks ride is a Horsham Pavilions in the Park start at 09:30. Pete E will lead us on a nice roundabout route to the south and east before turning west for lunch at the Wiston Tea Rooms. The return to Horsham will be pretty much the shortest route back. The ride is rated as Medium and will be about 40 miles long. We did it in the wet last year and enjoyed it in spite of the weather, so if the sun is shining it will be even better. See you there!!

Ditchling Tearooms

On a sunny but breezy morning after a night of heavy rain, I met Anton and John Clark at Selsfield Common at 10.15. Anton had already put the miles in by cycling from his home in Haywards Heath to Three Bridges to collect the other riders – just John as it happens! This meant he could alert us to some flooding by Wakehurst Place, which had subsided a little by the time we arrived. We carried on, avoiding Lindfield down Plummerden Lane and on to Wivelsfield via Slugwash Lane. I was happy to take the unearned credit from Anton and John, for the all the neat arrow signs showing us our route! At Wivelsfield we were surprised to see a control stop and many muddy rather tired walkers. They were doing a sponsored walk from London to Brighton and had started the previous day. We chatted to some and encouraged all of them as we cycled past them, being glad that we were on our bikes. They left our route about half way down Streat Lane and I hope they had a good off-road route over the downs.

We enjoyed our wonderful view of the Downs and cycling along them, not up them, along Underhill and into Ditchling tearooms at 12ish where we enjoyed our lunch.

We then returned to the bottom of Ditchling Beacon and cycled further along the downs towards Clayton and Hurstpierpoint College. Quiet lanes to Ansty, short A road and up into Cuckfield. Here Anton being near home again decided no more miles were required of him and left us and John took the ‘fracking’ route (though after the Queen’ s speech this could sadly be anywhere and everywhere) back to Crawley to be home in time for tea.  I made my way home via Borde Hill through a horse event and Ardingly, where I enjoyed a welcome cup of tea and cake in the newly re-opened ‘Gallery Café’ there. Up Chilling Street, one of my favourite roads in this beautiful part of Sussex and home, still in lovely sunny  weather.

I had done 50 miles in total by the time I reached home but if any of you are tempted to join a similar ride in the future there are trains from Hassocks and Wivelsfield and even Cuckfield I think.

Thanks Ros, sounds like a nice ride.