Ros led us on a very nice ride through Forest Row and up onto Ashdown Forest and Nuthurst for lunch at Fletching. Great views, great weather, great company.
Showing posts with label East Grinstead. Show all posts
Showing posts with label East Grinstead. Show all posts
Sunday, 27 September 2015
East Sussex Mystery Ride
A quick thrash along The Worth Way to East Grinstead for Ken, Malcolm and Bob before meeting up with Ros, Pete, Rachel, Paul, Annie and Denis.
Ros led us on a very nice ride through Forest Row and up onto Ashdown Forest and Nuthurst for lunch at Fletching. Great views, great weather, great company.
Ros led us on a very nice ride through Forest Row and up onto Ashdown Forest and Nuthurst for lunch at Fletching. Great views, great weather, great company.
Sunday, 12 July 2015
Beginners Ride - Tracks and trails
Second Sunday of the month, Beginners Ride, good turnout.
In spite (or because?) of the ride being advertised as "Tracks and Trails" there were eight of us milling around at Three Bridges Station waiting for Gordon to lead us away. Gordon, Jacqui, Corinne, Anne, Christine, Michael, Kevin and myself. Once everyone was happy that they were on the right bike and that their saddle was correctly adjusted, we set off.
Firstly we used the Worth Way, encountering a couple of large horses on the way. Gordon worked us over to Worth Abbey and then we took the bridleway past Whiteways Lodge before crossing the Balcombe Road and blasting down through the woods to the railway bridge and the end of Parish Lane. Here we turned right into Tilgate Forest and enjoyed some lumpy singletrack whilst reminiscing about Gordon's pile-driver crash the other year! Crossing over the M23, we sped down through the golf course before crossing a couple of fairways and reaching the clubhouse. From here we ran up to and along the dam before heading west almost to K2.
Now Gordon lead us into the woods again and we enjoyed some singletrack all the way up to the M23 which we crossed on the second bridge. More singletrack and firetrack fun ensued before we emerged on Parish Lane. We headed east on the tarmac for a short while before heading south then west through a couple of large fields and into some woodland around the back fence of Billy Bridges scrapyard.
Next we crossed the A23 on the bridge and headed into Pease Pottage. From here it was but a short ride to Gordon and Jacqui's for lunch.
Having drunk all their champagne and ate all their food, everyone headed off home. I led Anne, Corinne and Kevin back into Tilgate Forest to enjoy some more singletrack before stopping at the mansion for a breather. Corinne headed off home from here, leaving the rest of us to head back across the dam and past the clubhouse into Furnace Green.
Back home, I'd only clocked up 15 miles but I'd enjoyed them all.
Our next ride is a big one (if you want it to be). It's the Horsham 100 and starts from Horsham Pavilions in the Park at 07:00hrs. There will be a tea-stop at 09:30 in the Old Barn Garden Centre at Dial Post just off the A24. Lunch will be 12:30 at The Conservatory Café in Horsham Park. Afternoon tea will be 16:00hrs at Capel church. with a target finish sometime near 19:00hrs back at Horsham.
If you don't want to do 100 miles, why not just do the morning or afternoon loop? Alternatively, why not ride a direct route to/from one of the tea stops. I believe a couple of folk are planning on driving to the Old Barn, riding back to Horsham (then driving back to the Old Barn to pick up the first car).
Who knows, the weather might actually be good on Sunday!!
In spite (or because?) of the ride being advertised as "Tracks and Trails" there were eight of us milling around at Three Bridges Station waiting for Gordon to lead us away. Gordon, Jacqui, Corinne, Anne, Christine, Michael, Kevin and myself. Once everyone was happy that they were on the right bike and that their saddle was correctly adjusted, we set off.
Firstly we used the Worth Way, encountering a couple of large horses on the way. Gordon worked us over to Worth Abbey and then we took the bridleway past Whiteways Lodge before crossing the Balcombe Road and blasting down through the woods to the railway bridge and the end of Parish Lane. Here we turned right into Tilgate Forest and enjoyed some lumpy singletrack whilst reminiscing about Gordon's pile-driver crash the other year! Crossing over the M23, we sped down through the golf course before crossing a couple of fairways and reaching the clubhouse. From here we ran up to and along the dam before heading west almost to K2.
Now Gordon lead us into the woods again and we enjoyed some singletrack all the way up to the M23 which we crossed on the second bridge. More singletrack and firetrack fun ensued before we emerged on Parish Lane. We headed east on the tarmac for a short while before heading south then west through a couple of large fields and into some woodland around the back fence of Billy Bridges scrapyard.
Next we crossed the A23 on the bridge and headed into Pease Pottage. From here it was but a short ride to Gordon and Jacqui's for lunch.
Having drunk all their champagne and ate all their food, everyone headed off home. I led Anne, Corinne and Kevin back into Tilgate Forest to enjoy some more singletrack before stopping at the mansion for a breather. Corinne headed off home from here, leaving the rest of us to head back across the dam and past the clubhouse into Furnace Green.
Back home, I'd only clocked up 15 miles but I'd enjoyed them all.
Our next ride is a big one (if you want it to be). It's the Horsham 100 and starts from Horsham Pavilions in the Park at 07:00hrs. There will be a tea-stop at 09:30 in the Old Barn Garden Centre at Dial Post just off the A24. Lunch will be 12:30 at The Conservatory Café in Horsham Park. Afternoon tea will be 16:00hrs at Capel church. with a target finish sometime near 19:00hrs back at Horsham.
If you don't want to do 100 miles, why not just do the morning or afternoon loop? Alternatively, why not ride a direct route to/from one of the tea stops. I believe a couple of folk are planning on driving to the Old Barn, riding back to Horsham (then driving back to the Old Barn to pick up the first car).
Who knows, the weather might actually be good on Sunday!!
Saturday, 20 June 2015
Crawley Family Bike Ride
As ride leader I was pretty nervous about this event - an unknown number of riders with an unknown range of cycling abilities and an unknown number of helpers to marshal it. I'd tried to think of the potential problems and how I was going to deal with them but in spite of the preparation, I was still worried as we gathered outside Oriel School. However, the weather conspired against a large turnout by raining at just the right time to discourage potential riders. One thing I hadn't planned for was that one of the cyclists was on a very low-slung hand-cycle, but after a few minutes thought and discussion with him, we'd identified the potential hazard points and had a plan to deal with them.
The numbers slowly built up to 21 until it was time to go. I gave a quick introduction and description of the route, Gordon kindly did the safety briefing and then it was time for a group photo before we headed off through Maidenbower and up to The Worth Way. With the best part of fifty years age difference in the group, I took it nice and steady with frequent stops to regroup and point out things of interest. I had plenty of experienced riders to help marshal us and keep us safe - we even tried a little bit of bicycle maintenance at times as we tried to cure a squeaky disc brake on one of the bikes.
The rain had given up before we set off and the route was really quite dry, so we made steady progress with the marshals doing a good job at the few road crossings we had to negotiate. On the roads of Crawley Down we kept together fairly well and after a breather by the pond, we all carried on towards East Grinstead.
I was hoping we would arrive in time to see a steam engine run in over the viaduct but we just missed it and only the first few riders managed to see the loco whilst it was in the station. We parked the bikes in the car park where the old High-level railway station was and then walked down, past the modern station and on to the Bluebell Railway Station. Here most of the riders enjoyed refreshments in the café located in an old railway carriage. There was plenty of happy conversation and enthusiasm amongst the riders. Thanks must go to Malcolm and Anton for staying with the bikes and ensuring they would be safely there for our return trip.
Heading back from East Grinstead meant that the route was slightly downhill and everyone was enjoying themselves and travelling at a pretty good pace. We were in several small groups, each of which was chatting as they rode along and all was right with the world.
Then we had the only incident of the day as an experienced rider (no names) managed a slowmotion fall. A quick check revealed no injury - not even a scratch or bruise and it certainly amused the rest of us!
Arriving back at Oriel School I accounted for everybody and wished them all a safe journey home before heading home myself to a nice relaxing cup of tea and slice of cake.
The rain had given up before we set off and the route was really quite dry, so we made steady progress with the marshals doing a good job at the few road crossings we had to negotiate. On the roads of Crawley Down we kept together fairly well and after a breather by the pond, we all carried on towards East Grinstead.
I was hoping we would arrive in time to see a steam engine run in over the viaduct but we just missed it and only the first few riders managed to see the loco whilst it was in the station. We parked the bikes in the car park where the old High-level railway station was and then walked down, past the modern station and on to the Bluebell Railway Station. Here most of the riders enjoyed refreshments in the café located in an old railway carriage. There was plenty of happy conversation and enthusiasm amongst the riders. Thanks must go to Malcolm and Anton for staying with the bikes and ensuring they would be safely there for our return trip.
Heading back from East Grinstead meant that the route was slightly downhill and everyone was enjoying themselves and travelling at a pretty good pace. We were in several small groups, each of which was chatting as they rode along and all was right with the world.
Then we had the only incident of the day as an experienced rider (no names) managed a slowmotion fall. A quick check revealed no injury - not even a scratch or bruise and it certainly amused the rest of us!
Arriving back at Oriel School I accounted for everybody and wished them all a safe journey home before heading home myself to a nice relaxing cup of tea and slice of cake.
Sunday, 24 May 2015
Chiddingstone Castle
Worth way to East Grinstead.
Coffee at Ros's.
A very enjoyable route on some lovely lanes.
A smashing lunch at Chiddingstone.
A pleasant return ride.
Coffee at Ros's.
A very enjoyable route on some lovely lanes.
A smashing lunch at Chiddingstone.
A pleasant return ride.
Sunday, 10 May 2015
Beginners Ride
This month I decided to use the Beginners Ride as a run-through for the Family Bike Ride along the Worth Way that we are running as part of National Bike Week in June. Seventeen riders turned up at the start although one was on foot and just wishing us well, two were on close tolerance road bikes and didn't want to risk the Worth Way, and two others popped home and came back on their offroad bikes.
Firstly I took us to Oriel School to determine how best to negotiate the roads/roundabout there and then we made our way up through the woods to join the Worth Way at the Bower. It was all working well and we'd soon negotiated Church Road, passed Worth Church and crossed over the M23. A quick regroup at the farm and we carried on through the woods, heavy with the scent of bluebells, until we came to the road crossing by Keepers Cottage. Here a couple of members marshalled us safely across and then it was on past Rowfant and along the long straight to Crawley Down. This is the next potentially awkward bit but once again my fellow club members kept us together and on the right route.
We stopped by the pond for a breather and to check out it's suitability as a rest point, before carrying on and engaging the slight climb that the rest of the rout does up to East Grinstead. Here we all walked over the footbridge and down to the Bluebell Railway cafe. It's only a small light refreshments operation but coped very well with our numbers and we think will be able to cope (when combined with the Costa Cafe over the road) with the family bike ride - especially as we intend getting everyone to leave their bikes in the top carpark and we will provide a couple of bods to look after them there.
After enjoying our refreshments, a chat and the sights, sounds and smell of a steam engine arriving and departing, we headed back whence we came. The journey back was enjoyable (and slightly easier because it's slightly downhill) although Javier had a puncture just after the farm. Pete and Marian helped sort it out and, having all regrouped by Worth Church, we started to head off home in our various directions.
The group I was with headed back past Oriel School and then up through Tilgate Park over the golf course and along a great woodland track to the top of Pease Pottage Hill. From here it was just a short ride to Gordon and Jacqui's for lunch and the Runslist Meeting.
The draft Q3 runslist has just been emailed to members. Once I've dealt with the responses and finalised it, it will republished on our website.
Next weeks ride is a Horsham Park Pavilions start at 09:00 hrs. Mick has prepared a lovely ride called The Three Counties Ride. It's only 35 miles and I believe is rated as Medium (although Mick tells me that he can add a 22 mile Hard option for the afternoon if you really want!! Lunch will be at the Strawberry Fields Cafe on the Old Horsham Road near Roffey.
Firstly I took us to Oriel School to determine how best to negotiate the roads/roundabout there and then we made our way up through the woods to join the Worth Way at the Bower. It was all working well and we'd soon negotiated Church Road, passed Worth Church and crossed over the M23. A quick regroup at the farm and we carried on through the woods, heavy with the scent of bluebells, until we came to the road crossing by Keepers Cottage. Here a couple of members marshalled us safely across and then it was on past Rowfant and along the long straight to Crawley Down. This is the next potentially awkward bit but once again my fellow club members kept us together and on the right route.
We stopped by the pond for a breather and to check out it's suitability as a rest point, before carrying on and engaging the slight climb that the rest of the rout does up to East Grinstead. Here we all walked over the footbridge and down to the Bluebell Railway cafe. It's only a small light refreshments operation but coped very well with our numbers and we think will be able to cope (when combined with the Costa Cafe over the road) with the family bike ride - especially as we intend getting everyone to leave their bikes in the top carpark and we will provide a couple of bods to look after them there.
After enjoying our refreshments, a chat and the sights, sounds and smell of a steam engine arriving and departing, we headed back whence we came. The journey back was enjoyable (and slightly easier because it's slightly downhill) although Javier had a puncture just after the farm. Pete and Marian helped sort it out and, having all regrouped by Worth Church, we started to head off home in our various directions.
The group I was with headed back past Oriel School and then up through Tilgate Park over the golf course and along a great woodland track to the top of Pease Pottage Hill. From here it was just a short ride to Gordon and Jacqui's for lunch and the Runslist Meeting.
The draft Q3 runslist has just been emailed to members. Once I've dealt with the responses and finalised it, it will republished on our website.
Next weeks ride is a Horsham Park Pavilions start at 09:00 hrs. Mick has prepared a lovely ride called The Three Counties Ride. It's only 35 miles and I believe is rated as Medium (although Mick tells me that he can add a 22 mile Hard option for the afternoon if you really want!! Lunch will be at the Strawberry Fields Cafe on the Old Horsham Road near Roffey.
Saturday, 2 May 2015
Fun and frolics at Deers Leap
May bank holiday weekend - three days off work, let's have a couple of days out on our bikes. I thought a bit of off-road fun at Dears Leap would appeal to a few people. In the end there were just four of us - Corinne, Carol, Narinder and myself, Bob.
Deers Leap is basically an area of fields and woodland with farm tracks around the fields and single track through the woodland. The single track isn't difficult as it winds through the various patches of woodland but it does help improve ones bike handling skills. There are rooty sections, ups and downs and rickety wooden bridges to negotiate.
Facial expressions ranged from worried frowns, through tongue out concentration to big broad smiles as we twisted and turned through the woodland trails.
Having explored the southern section of the park, we headed back to the cafe for some refreshments and a chat about what we'd been doing and what we were learning. Then it was back out and climbing through the woods to tackle the northern section of the park.
Here there were some new sections of track and a couple of nice swoopy descents before we headed through the woods again, redid the first couple of southern tracks and finally did the first one in reverse before we called it a day and headed back to the cafe. Carol and Narinder went off to visit Standen whilst Corinne and I decided another snack at the cafe was in order.
Getting back home from Deers Leap is quite easy - I just road north, over the crossroads into Imberhorne Lane and then picked up the Worth Way all the way back to Crawley.
We may schedule another Deers Leap visit sometime soon - keep you eyes peeled, or better still let me know date(s) that suit you.
Facial expressions ranged from worried frowns, through tongue out concentration to big broad smiles as we twisted and turned through the woodland trails.
Having explored the southern section of the park, we headed back to the cafe for some refreshments and a chat about what we'd been doing and what we were learning. Then it was back out and climbing through the woods to tackle the northern section of the park.
Here there were some new sections of track and a couple of nice swoopy descents before we headed through the woods again, redid the first couple of southern tracks and finally did the first one in reverse before we called it a day and headed back to the cafe. Carol and Narinder went off to visit Standen whilst Corinne and I decided another snack at the cafe was in order.
Getting back home from Deers Leap is quite easy - I just road north, over the crossroads into Imberhorne Lane and then picked up the Worth Way all the way back to Crawley.
We may schedule another Deers Leap visit sometime soon - keep you eyes peeled, or better still let me know date(s) that suit you.
Sunday, 22 March 2015
The Green Man at Horsted Keynes
I didn't beat about the bush with my description of this ride - I rated it medium because it was fairly low mileage (less than 30) but with several hills in it. Seven hardy souls joined me at the start and we were kept entertained by the usual displays of inept driving on and around the station forecourt as we waited for Norman to finish his breakfast snack.
Todays attendees were Michael, Malcolm, Frank, Pat, Norman, Frank, Gordon and myself.
The first part of todays route went up through Pound Hill and out over the motorway on the Turners Hill Road. Stopping to regroup at Keepers Cottage revealed that Michael had had to turn back because of a puncture, so we were now down to seven - no matter, once we reached Turners Hill we were joined by Anton and John V.
I didn't hang about there because I knew a steam train was due to cross our route shortly, so sped off down the road to meet it.
We all gathered at the side of the road and had a good view of the train, high up on the embankment. It was the 'wrong' way round unfortunately (travelling tender first). Here's a quick video:
https://youtu.be/waVDc1nfUbU
We carried on, up to the crossroads where we turned right towards Saint Hill Green. Next we passed Deers Leap Park where we'll be having some fun on Saturday May 2nd. Then it was down the twisty-turny hill to the tail of Weirwood Reservoir - no matter how hard I try, I always have to use my brakes to get around the second bend (otherwise I'd end up in the bushes).
We regrouped at the bottom and then carried on along Legsheath Lane. This lane starts off all nice and level but then turns away from the water and climbs up to the heights of Ashdown Forest. The climb is worth it as the scenery becomes more open and there are good vistas to the north. A quick breather at the crossroads then straight on for half a mile before turning right onto Twyford Lane. Here's a video showing what a delight this downhill portion of the route is:
https://youtu.be/gaZbLOG-qS0
From here we just had a short sharp climb up onto a ridge and then travelled along the road into Horsted Keynes for lunch at The Green man. I was really pleased to see that Michael had joined us and even more pleased with the welcome from the pub staff and the quality of their food and drinks.
Consequently we must have spent about an hour and a half in the pub before venturing out to tackle the hills on the route home. I gave people a choice of routes and was hoping they'd opt for the Sharpthorne route back but no, they all wanted Ardingly. Once we got to Ardingly we split into two groups, pretty much on the basis of bike type - the road bike riders carried on up past Wakehurst Place and on to Turners Hill whilst the mtb'ers took the reservoir route and on to Worth Abbey.
As far as I'm aware, everyone made it home safely - if anyone knows any different, let me know!
The next ride is a 10:00hrs start from Horsham Pavilions in the Park with Pete E leading an easy ride which will have a lunch stop at Tanhouse Farm Shop. Don't forget, the clocks Spring forward one hour on Saturday night.
Todays attendees were Michael, Malcolm, Frank, Pat, Norman, Frank, Gordon and myself.
The first part of todays route went up through Pound Hill and out over the motorway on the Turners Hill Road. Stopping to regroup at Keepers Cottage revealed that Michael had had to turn back because of a puncture, so we were now down to seven - no matter, once we reached Turners Hill we were joined by Anton and John V.
I didn't hang about there because I knew a steam train was due to cross our route shortly, so sped off down the road to meet it.
We all gathered at the side of the road and had a good view of the train, high up on the embankment. It was the 'wrong' way round unfortunately (travelling tender first). Here's a quick video:
https://youtu.be/waVDc1nfUbU
We carried on, up to the crossroads where we turned right towards Saint Hill Green. Next we passed Deers Leap Park where we'll be having some fun on Saturday May 2nd. Then it was down the twisty-turny hill to the tail of Weirwood Reservoir - no matter how hard I try, I always have to use my brakes to get around the second bend (otherwise I'd end up in the bushes).
We regrouped at the bottom and then carried on along Legsheath Lane. This lane starts off all nice and level but then turns away from the water and climbs up to the heights of Ashdown Forest. The climb is worth it as the scenery becomes more open and there are good vistas to the north. A quick breather at the crossroads then straight on for half a mile before turning right onto Twyford Lane. Here's a video showing what a delight this downhill portion of the route is:
https://youtu.be/gaZbLOG-qS0
From here we just had a short sharp climb up onto a ridge and then travelled along the road into Horsted Keynes for lunch at The Green man. I was really pleased to see that Michael had joined us and even more pleased with the welcome from the pub staff and the quality of their food and drinks.
Consequently we must have spent about an hour and a half in the pub before venturing out to tackle the hills on the route home. I gave people a choice of routes and was hoping they'd opt for the Sharpthorne route back but no, they all wanted Ardingly. Once we got to Ardingly we split into two groups, pretty much on the basis of bike type - the road bike riders carried on up past Wakehurst Place and on to Turners Hill whilst the mtb'ers took the reservoir route and on to Worth Abbey.
As far as I'm aware, everyone made it home safely - if anyone knows any different, let me know!
The next ride is a 10:00hrs start from Horsham Pavilions in the Park with Pete E leading an easy ride which will have a lunch stop at Tanhouse Farm Shop. Don't forget, the clocks Spring forward one hour on Saturday night.
Sunday, 18 January 2015
Muddy ride with Gordon
Want a complete cycling experience? Come out on one of Gordons Rides.
The day started with breakfast at Gordon and Jacqui's before an enjoyable warm up ride along Parish Lane and down through Tilgate Forest. Gordon, Ken and I did a bit of exploring through Furnace green and sued the northern tunnel under the railway - recently extended and refurbished with excellent lighting and a good smooth surface, this tunnel offers an excellent and (in some instances) shorter alternate link between NCN20 and NCN21. However, we were on our way to Three Bridges Station so we turned left onto Billington Drive and rode past a long stream of waiting traffic to arrive at the station for 10:00hrs. Here we were joined by Michael and Malcolm, then Mike, an acquaintance of mine.
Gordon led us back up Billington Drive and onto the Worth Way. Conditions were muddy but grip was good and I soon had a splattering of mud over me. Someone suggested that the Irish called the weather conditions "Soft" - an excellent description - the clouds were indistinguishable from each other and seemed to reach the ground without quite making things foggy, the vegetation looked somehow soft - even the branches and with big fat knobblies on my bike, the ride was pretty plush as well.
We were riding at an easy pace and I was having fun along the way, practicing hops, taking detours up banks. At Crawley Down we took the slope up to the B road and then used it up to Turners Hill. Never an easy hill, I realized that none of the cyclists waiting near the top had actually ridden the entire hill (all the way to the crossroads) - so I told them so, and claimed King of the Hill for myself!!
From Turners Hill we headed west along the ridge through Worth Abbey to Back Lane. Here Mick decided to head for home (via the Cowdray Arms I think), having assured me he knew where he was and how to get back to Crawley.
Meanwhile the rest of us enjoyed the long glide south and west before the short, sharp climb into Balcombe. Gordon had recce'd the route a few days earlier and was in the process of telling us about some ice he'd encountered when, as I shot down a tiny lane he'd led us to, I realised there was ice all the way across it!! Not a problem though, I didn't need to turn or lean or brake or accelerate and just floated uneventfully across it, shouting out a warning as I did so.
Other features of this lane were: (i) the smooth, new tarmac (ii) a conversation with some chickens and (iii) a couple of hills (granny gear for the use of).
A right turn onto a busier road took us up to Cuckfield where we headed West then north to Staplefield and a quick visit to The Victory. What a great pub - warm welcome, warm fire, good beer (we went for the Wilmington Brewery Long Man) and good food. Actually, the good food observation was based on previous visits, as today we were going to lunch at Gordons, so it was time to get back out in the cold.
From Staplefield we carried on west, under the revamped A23, to Slaugham and thence the bridleway up to Handcross. As we were starting to feel hungry, we took the shortest route back to Gordons where he and Jacqui treated us to a delicious lunch. An hour or so later, after some good discussions about life, the universe and the CTC, we all headed off home.
Next weeks ride starts from Horsham Park Pavilions at 10:00hrs and will be a fairly easy loop to the south of Horsham led by me - unless anyone else wants to volunteer? - with a lunch stop at The Bax Castle.
The day started with breakfast at Gordon and Jacqui's before an enjoyable warm up ride along Parish Lane and down through Tilgate Forest. Gordon, Ken and I did a bit of exploring through Furnace green and sued the northern tunnel under the railway - recently extended and refurbished with excellent lighting and a good smooth surface, this tunnel offers an excellent and (in some instances) shorter alternate link between NCN20 and NCN21. However, we were on our way to Three Bridges Station so we turned left onto Billington Drive and rode past a long stream of waiting traffic to arrive at the station for 10:00hrs. Here we were joined by Michael and Malcolm, then Mike, an acquaintance of mine.
Gordon led us back up Billington Drive and onto the Worth Way. Conditions were muddy but grip was good and I soon had a splattering of mud over me. Someone suggested that the Irish called the weather conditions "Soft" - an excellent description - the clouds were indistinguishable from each other and seemed to reach the ground without quite making things foggy, the vegetation looked somehow soft - even the branches and with big fat knobblies on my bike, the ride was pretty plush as well.
We were riding at an easy pace and I was having fun along the way, practicing hops, taking detours up banks. At Crawley Down we took the slope up to the B road and then used it up to Turners Hill. Never an easy hill, I realized that none of the cyclists waiting near the top had actually ridden the entire hill (all the way to the crossroads) - so I told them so, and claimed King of the Hill for myself!!
From Turners Hill we headed west along the ridge through Worth Abbey to Back Lane. Here Mick decided to head for home (via the Cowdray Arms I think), having assured me he knew where he was and how to get back to Crawley.
Meanwhile the rest of us enjoyed the long glide south and west before the short, sharp climb into Balcombe. Gordon had recce'd the route a few days earlier and was in the process of telling us about some ice he'd encountered when, as I shot down a tiny lane he'd led us to, I realised there was ice all the way across it!! Not a problem though, I didn't need to turn or lean or brake or accelerate and just floated uneventfully across it, shouting out a warning as I did so.
Other features of this lane were: (i) the smooth, new tarmac (ii) a conversation with some chickens and (iii) a couple of hills (granny gear for the use of).
A right turn onto a busier road took us up to Cuckfield where we headed West then north to Staplefield and a quick visit to The Victory. What a great pub - warm welcome, warm fire, good beer (we went for the Wilmington Brewery Long Man) and good food. Actually, the good food observation was based on previous visits, as today we were going to lunch at Gordons, so it was time to get back out in the cold.
From Staplefield we carried on west, under the revamped A23, to Slaugham and thence the bridleway up to Handcross. As we were starting to feel hungry, we took the shortest route back to Gordons where he and Jacqui treated us to a delicious lunch. An hour or so later, after some good discussions about life, the universe and the CTC, we all headed off home.
Next weeks ride starts from Horsham Park Pavilions at 10:00hrs and will be a fairly easy loop to the south of Horsham led by me - unless anyone else wants to volunteer? - with a lunch stop at The Bax Castle.
Sunday, 4 January 2015
Chiddingstone
Frank normally leads the Chiddingstone Ride later in the year but I thought I would throw one in now as it's a fairly level, 35-40 mile tarmac ride on generally quiet lanes.
It was cold but not freezing as we gathered together at Three Bridges Station. Norman had ridden over from Horsham but was so cold that he'd decided to have a warm up in the station café and then just head back home. That left six of us (Frank, Pat, Eric, Malcolm, Ros, Bob) and we headed off, up through Pound Hill then down The Hollow to Copthorne. Here, Val joined us and we went via Copthorne Bank and on past Rede Hall. Next we used Cross Lane and Dowlands Lane to lead us east as did Smallfield Road and Croydonbarn Lane. A quick right then left took us further east before we had to use a short stretch of the A22.
Once again we headed east, along the Eden valley (a tributary of the Medway I believe) as far as Edenbridge where we stopped at the supermarket for a coffee (and comfort) break. Those of us who stayed outside had an energetic debate about the merits of parking and traffic regulations in the UK and Canada - we had to keep warm somehow!
Continuing on, we still headed east although we had a couple of little hills before finally pulling up at the lunch stop, the Castle Inn at Chiddingstone. The pub was really good, with wooden chairs and flooring along with a couple of real fires. Most of us had soup for lunch and we had soon all warmed up.
For the return trip, we retraced our outward route but said goodbye to Ros as she turned south for East Grinstead after a couple of miles.
Next weeks ride is an easy ride aimed at Beginners. Michael is leading it from Horsham Pavilions in the Park at 10:00hrs. It will use some gentle offroad tracks and quiet lanes - hopefully the weather won't be as bad as the forecast suggested last night!
It was cold but not freezing as we gathered together at Three Bridges Station. Norman had ridden over from Horsham but was so cold that he'd decided to have a warm up in the station café and then just head back home. That left six of us (Frank, Pat, Eric, Malcolm, Ros, Bob) and we headed off, up through Pound Hill then down The Hollow to Copthorne. Here, Val joined us and we went via Copthorne Bank and on past Rede Hall. Next we used Cross Lane and Dowlands Lane to lead us east as did Smallfield Road and Croydonbarn Lane. A quick right then left took us further east before we had to use a short stretch of the A22.
Once again we headed east, along the Eden valley (a tributary of the Medway I believe) as far as Edenbridge where we stopped at the supermarket for a coffee (and comfort) break. Those of us who stayed outside had an energetic debate about the merits of parking and traffic regulations in the UK and Canada - we had to keep warm somehow!
Continuing on, we still headed east although we had a couple of little hills before finally pulling up at the lunch stop, the Castle Inn at Chiddingstone. The pub was really good, with wooden chairs and flooring along with a couple of real fires. Most of us had soup for lunch and we had soon all warmed up.
For the return trip, we retraced our outward route but said goodbye to Ros as she turned south for East Grinstead after a couple of miles.
Next weeks ride is an easy ride aimed at Beginners. Michael is leading it from Horsham Pavilions in the Park at 10:00hrs. It will use some gentle offroad tracks and quiet lanes - hopefully the weather won't be as bad as the forecast suggested last night!
Monday, 20 October 2014
Pooh Sticks
The weather forecast for Sunday was "unseasonably warm with occasional showers". Waking up to a dull, overcast day with dampness in the air I though the forecast must be wrong and was feeling a bit glum as I waited at Three Bridges station to see if anyone else would turn up. I'd already arranged to meet up with Ros and in response to a John V text, I'd arranged to meet him at the same place, so I knew there would be three of us but then Michael emerged from the rail replacement bus laden car park. Due to the time I'd arranged to meet Ros and JV, we left Three Bridges bang on 09:30 and just a few minutes later I received a phone call from Ken asking where we were - we must have missed each other by seconds! Anyway, we all managed to find each other at Keepers Cottage and continued along the Worth Way to East Grinstead. There was a bit of splatter coming up from the surface - it didn't trouble anyone though: everyone else had mudguards and I didn't care about getting muddy!
It didn't take us long to get to East Grinstead and here we split up, more or less according to bike type. The road and hybrid riders used a road route through the town and on to Forest Row, the mountain bikers tackled the station steps, the ascent of the west face of Grinny High Street and the motorway standard bike path that is the first part of the Forest Way before arriving at the Café (by the tip) in Forest Row (ahead of the road/hybrid johnnies).
The café was 10 minutes or so from opening so we didn't hang around but carried on east with the skies starting to clear a bit and allow the sun to warm things up a touch. We seemed to fly along and it was only a short time before we were at Hartfield. We rode up through the village and on up past the Gallipot Inn (I collected some sticks and twigs on the way). As we were paused to regroup at the crossroads we had a chat with some poor bloke who'd just filled his diesel car up with petrol and was waiting for a breakdown truck to arrive (he'd already been waiting about two hours!!!).
I had to ride carefully along the bridleway/private drive as I had a whole handful of sticks ready for the coming competition. As usual, I said hello to other people as we passed them and remember doing so to an oriental couple shortly before arriving at Poohsticks Bridge - they seemed amused that I had brought my own Poohsticks.
We had a good few games of Poohsticks and also spotted a rather large crayfish in the river - although it disappeared when a large dog jumped in and started hauling an eight foot long branch through the water!
As it was now 11:45 it was time to head for the pub, so we climbed up through the woods to the car park and then enjoyed the quiet lane heading West. As I approached the ford it looked like it was really deep - at least two feet - but on closer inspection it was only about 5 inches deep so I rode backwards and forwards through it a few times, washing the mud off my wheels and demonstrating to the others that it was easily negotiable.
From the ford it was just a half mile up the lane to the pub at Colemans Hatch (not Chucks Hatch as I keep calling it). The pub was busy and full inside, but it was pleasant enough to sit outside and we quickly got our beers and food ordered. Unusually for pubs these days, this one did a good range of sandwiches on a Sunday. The beer was very good and the sandwiches (which were very nice) arrived pretty quick. We would definitely recommend this pub for cyclists (as would the other twenty odd cyclists that were also there).
I gave everyone the choice of a road route home or to use the Forest Way/Worth Way again. They all opted for the latter which pleased me as it was the one I wanted to do. The ride back to East Grinstead was very pleasant with the sun flickering through the trees and colourful leaves swirling around in the wind, which we were just beginning to notice (it was now in our faces). Arriving at East Gribnstead station we said goodbye to Ros and just before we pulled off I noticed the oriental couple we'd seen earlier just going to catch a train (I said hello again).
We made good progress back along the Worth Way with the trees sheltering us from the effects of the headwind and reaching Worth we said goodbye to first Ken then John before I left Michael to head back to the station by himself. I swooped down through Maidenbower and used the newly reopened second tunnel under the railway - it's all neatly surfaced and illuminated now. Just a couple of minutes later I was home and getting ready to head across town to a family party.
Our next ride is on Sunday 26th October and will have an 09:15 start from Horsham Pavilion in the Park (it's not early, you'll have had an extra hour in bed due to the clock change). Going via the Black Swan at Pease Pottage at 10:00hrs, Mick will lead you on a very nice, clockwise loop to the south and on to lunch at Newbridge Garden Centre. This will be a medium rated route entirely on road and about 35 miles in total.
Before then, it's our AGM. Please come along to the Dog and Bacon in Horsham on Wednesday 22nd October at 1930 - help make your club work for you.
It didn't take us long to get to East Grinstead and here we split up, more or less according to bike type. The road and hybrid riders used a road route through the town and on to Forest Row, the mountain bikers tackled the station steps, the ascent of the west face of Grinny High Street and the motorway standard bike path that is the first part of the Forest Way before arriving at the Café (by the tip) in Forest Row (ahead of the road/hybrid johnnies).
The café was 10 minutes or so from opening so we didn't hang around but carried on east with the skies starting to clear a bit and allow the sun to warm things up a touch. We seemed to fly along and it was only a short time before we were at Hartfield. We rode up through the village and on up past the Gallipot Inn (I collected some sticks and twigs on the way). As we were paused to regroup at the crossroads we had a chat with some poor bloke who'd just filled his diesel car up with petrol and was waiting for a breakdown truck to arrive (he'd already been waiting about two hours!!!).
I had to ride carefully along the bridleway/private drive as I had a whole handful of sticks ready for the coming competition. As usual, I said hello to other people as we passed them and remember doing so to an oriental couple shortly before arriving at Poohsticks Bridge - they seemed amused that I had brought my own Poohsticks.
We had a good few games of Poohsticks and also spotted a rather large crayfish in the river - although it disappeared when a large dog jumped in and started hauling an eight foot long branch through the water!
As it was now 11:45 it was time to head for the pub, so we climbed up through the woods to the car park and then enjoyed the quiet lane heading West. As I approached the ford it looked like it was really deep - at least two feet - but on closer inspection it was only about 5 inches deep so I rode backwards and forwards through it a few times, washing the mud off my wheels and demonstrating to the others that it was easily negotiable.
From the ford it was just a half mile up the lane to the pub at Colemans Hatch (not Chucks Hatch as I keep calling it). The pub was busy and full inside, but it was pleasant enough to sit outside and we quickly got our beers and food ordered. Unusually for pubs these days, this one did a good range of sandwiches on a Sunday. The beer was very good and the sandwiches (which were very nice) arrived pretty quick. We would definitely recommend this pub for cyclists (as would the other twenty odd cyclists that were also there).
I gave everyone the choice of a road route home or to use the Forest Way/Worth Way again. They all opted for the latter which pleased me as it was the one I wanted to do. The ride back to East Grinstead was very pleasant with the sun flickering through the trees and colourful leaves swirling around in the wind, which we were just beginning to notice (it was now in our faces). Arriving at East Gribnstead station we said goodbye to Ros and just before we pulled off I noticed the oriental couple we'd seen earlier just going to catch a train (I said hello again).
We made good progress back along the Worth Way with the trees sheltering us from the effects of the headwind and reaching Worth we said goodbye to first Ken then John before I left Michael to head back to the station by himself. I swooped down through Maidenbower and used the newly reopened second tunnel under the railway - it's all neatly surfaced and illuminated now. Just a couple of minutes later I was home and getting ready to head across town to a family party.
Our next ride is on Sunday 26th October and will have an 09:15 start from Horsham Pavilion in the Park (it's not early, you'll have had an extra hour in bed due to the clock change). Going via the Black Swan at Pease Pottage at 10:00hrs, Mick will lead you on a very nice, clockwise loop to the south and on to lunch at Newbridge Garden Centre. This will be a medium rated route entirely on road and about 35 miles in total.
Before then, it's our AGM. Please come along to the Dog and Bacon in Horsham on Wednesday 22nd October at 1930 - help make your club work for you.
Sunday, 24 August 2014
Chiddingstone Castle
Frank led us on a pleasant 20 mile route to Chiddingstone today. The snack van at Three Bridges was doing good business this morning as several of us arrived early and partook of some refreshment. The weather was looking quite good, cloudy but no hint of rain and blue bits poking through. Norman, Anton, Michael, Corinne, Malcolm, Frank, Pat and myself headed east and met Val by the Felbridge Hotel roundabout. We headed along the busy A264 then over to Lingfield and on to Edenbridge where we stopped for a coffee break:
Next weekend sees a ride on both Saturday and Sunday as we tackle the whole of The Downs Link: on Saturday we have a 9:30 start from Horsham Pavilions in the Park before going across to the Downs Link and riding the northern section up to Guildford and back. Then on Sunday another 9:30 start from Horsham Pavilions in the Park and we hit the southern section of the Downs Link - we'll ride down to Shoreham and then spend a couple of hours over lunch whilst we watch the aerial displays for Shoreham Airshow. Mountain bikes or strong touring bikes are recommended for both days.
So far we'd only had one hill to climb, near Haxted Mill (which is up for sale) but now we were on some smaller lanes there were a couple more. The lanes were very pleasant and the sun was shining, what more could we want? A beer! Bang on cue, the pub swam around the corner and we dismounted and locked our bikes. We needn't have rushed - the pub wasn't open for another 15 minutes. Not to worry, we could take a short walk through the grounds of Chiddingstone Castle:
Frank, Pat, Corinne and Michael decided to have their lunch at the cafe and the rest of us headed back to the pub. We settled down in a sunny corner of the back garden and enjoyed a nice hour of eating, drinking and chatting.
Eventually it was time to head for home and we retraced our outward route but with the addition of my doing some hands free cycling (well I was concentrating on taking a selfie!!).
Next weekend sees a ride on both Saturday and Sunday as we tackle the whole of The Downs Link: on Saturday we have a 9:30 start from Horsham Pavilions in the Park before going across to the Downs Link and riding the northern section up to Guildford and back. Then on Sunday another 9:30 start from Horsham Pavilions in the Park and we hit the southern section of the Downs Link - we'll ride down to Shoreham and then spend a couple of hours over lunch whilst we watch the aerial displays for Shoreham Airshow. Mountain bikes or strong touring bikes are recommended for both days.
Sunday, 17 August 2014
The Cutty Sark Ride 2014
The timing of this weeks ride was determined by three factors - normally we run it in early Autumn, but I wanted to make it more of a Summer ride; we needed to be able to get to London by train (so we had to avoid engineering works - such as the closure of London Bridge Station); we had to avoid other London cycling events (so we would be able to get on the train with our bikes). This Sunday ticked all those boxes, so it was just a case of hoping the weather would be good.
My day seemed to be running smoothly - I was up and about in plenty of time, my bike and all my gear was ready, I'd pre-booked my rail ticket - but I still managed to miss my train (by seconds). Fortunately the next one would get me to London on time but I had to wait 40 minutes before it would come. After a while I was joined by Michael and when the train arrived, he and I got in the second carriage. I then received a text from Anton to say he was in the fifth carriage, so there were three of us that disembarked at London Bridge and made our way to the rendezvous point outside Evans Cycles. Michaels son, Eric, met us there, then Ros arrived and finally Pete S (he'd just spent some time in a coffee shop having successfully caught the train I missed). As it was a little bit chilly and I knew that there were no more trains arriving from Sussex until gone 10:00 hrs, we started riding off along Jamaica Road.
Here's a video of the start and end of this section (click me)
This was the second rendezvous point and within a minute or so of pulling up we were joined by Norman. A couple of us popped into a nearby coffee shop for a bit of breakfast and as I was mid way through my coffee and pain-au-chocolate my phone rang. It was Ken. Still at London Bridge he had missed us and didn't know the way to the Cutty Sark - I told him the route to follow and Anton rode back along it to meet him.
Once Ken had arrived and had some refreshment, we took a team photo or two:
And then we were off,
As you can see, the route mainly follows a couple of rivers (hence it's called the Waterlink Way) and most of the time it doesn't feel as though you are riding through the London suburbs. As you approach Croydon it starts to get a little hilly but then, all of a sudden you are in the countryside and pulling up at the pub for lunch.
Our timing was almost perfect and we enjoyed our food and drink outside on the patio before popping inside the pub for s second drink just as it started raining! By the time we'd finished supping and were ready to ride, the rain had cleared, so we didn't even need to put on waterproofs.
The afternoon section of the ride goes straight into a tough little off road section and it was here that we said goodbye to Ros who wanted to stay on the road and would head across to Warlingham station for a train back to East Grinstead. The rest of us bounced downhill on a bridleway and then most (not all) of us had to push our bikes up the second part of it before enjoying a nice ride through the woods. A couple of roads later and we turn onto another bridleway for one of my favourite bits - the downhill blast out onto Warlingham golf course. Here it is at normal speed:
My day seemed to be running smoothly - I was up and about in plenty of time, my bike and all my gear was ready, I'd pre-booked my rail ticket - but I still managed to miss my train (by seconds). Fortunately the next one would get me to London on time but I had to wait 40 minutes before it would come. After a while I was joined by Michael and when the train arrived, he and I got in the second carriage. I then received a text from Anton to say he was in the fifth carriage, so there were three of us that disembarked at London Bridge and made our way to the rendezvous point outside Evans Cycles. Michaels son, Eric, met us there, then Ros arrived and finally Pete S (he'd just spent some time in a coffee shop having successfully caught the train I missed). As it was a little bit chilly and I knew that there were no more trains arriving from Sussex until gone 10:00 hrs, we started riding off along Jamaica Road.
Here's a video of the start and end of this section (click me)
This was the second rendezvous point and within a minute or so of pulling up we were joined by Norman. A couple of us popped into a nearby coffee shop for a bit of breakfast and as I was mid way through my coffee and pain-au-chocolate my phone rang. It was Ken. Still at London Bridge he had missed us and didn't know the way to the Cutty Sark - I told him the route to follow and Anton rode back along it to meet him.
Once Ken had arrived and had some refreshment, we took a team photo or two:
As you can see, the route mainly follows a couple of rivers (hence it's called the Waterlink Way) and most of the time it doesn't feel as though you are riding through the London suburbs. As you approach Croydon it starts to get a little hilly but then, all of a sudden you are in the countryside and pulling up at the pub for lunch.
Our timing was almost perfect and we enjoyed our food and drink outside on the patio before popping inside the pub for s second drink just as it started raining! By the time we'd finished supping and were ready to ride, the rain had cleared, so we didn't even need to put on waterproofs.
The afternoon section of the ride goes straight into a tough little off road section and it was here that we said goodbye to Ros who wanted to stay on the road and would head across to Warlingham station for a train back to East Grinstead. The rest of us bounced downhill on a bridleway and then most (not all) of us had to push our bikes up the second part of it before enjoying a nice ride through the woods. A couple of roads later and we turn onto another bridleway for one of my favourite bits - the downhill blast out onto Warlingham golf course. Here it is at normal speed:
I enjoyed that!
We were now deep in the heart of the North Downs and we headed up through Warlingham School and then onto Quarry Road before turning right onto a horrible little bridleway climb up through some woodland. Next we crossed over the A22 and climbed higher on a couple of lanes until we reached the viewpoint at Gravelly Hill. Here we stopped for a short while to look out over the Weald and watch aircraft as they made their final approaches to Gatwick.
Eric left us at this point, to head north, down the dip slope, to the station and a train back to his North London home. For the rest of us it was off-road time again and a nice fast descent through some scrubby woodland and under the M25.
NCN21 zig zags its way westwards using a combination of minor roads and bridleways until it pops us out in the middle of Redhill. From here it uses a couple of residential roads, skirts by East Surrey hospital and tries to lose us in a housing estate. But, being the seasoned campaigners we are, we know the route and that the housing estate hides a shop that opens seven days a week. We stopped there for cold drinks and/or ice creams before launching ourselves into the easy last few miles of the ride.
First there are a couple of enjoyable single track bridleways and then into the flatlands of Horley. Gatwick whistled past, the smell of aviation fuel bringing memories of plane spotting there as a kid, and then we were into the Industrial Estate where we decided to leave the NCN21 and use Tinsley Lane instead. Not far now - over the footbridge, down behind Tesco's and then St Mary's Drive all the way to Haslett Avenue and Three Bridges Station. All done, with less than 50 miles on my speedo (Ken had almost double that as he had ridden from Crawley to the Cutty Sark at the start of the day!!!).
If you've got nearly 40 minutes to spare, here's a video of the afternoon section of the ride - I speeded up the action and cut out most of the stoppages, but it should give a good flavour of what the route is like:
Click on this for 40 minutes of "action"
Our next ride is led by Frank and takes us to the Castle Inn at Chiidingstone - a very nice, National Trust owned village not too far away. The ride is rated easy/Medium and will be about 40 miles long. Meet at Three Bridges Station at 09:30 hrs.
Eric left us at this point, to head north, down the dip slope, to the station and a train back to his North London home. For the rest of us it was off-road time again and a nice fast descent through some scrubby woodland and under the M25.
NCN21 zig zags its way westwards using a combination of minor roads and bridleways until it pops us out in the middle of Redhill. From here it uses a couple of residential roads, skirts by East Surrey hospital and tries to lose us in a housing estate. But, being the seasoned campaigners we are, we know the route and that the housing estate hides a shop that opens seven days a week. We stopped there for cold drinks and/or ice creams before launching ourselves into the easy last few miles of the ride.
First there are a couple of enjoyable single track bridleways and then into the flatlands of Horley. Gatwick whistled past, the smell of aviation fuel bringing memories of plane spotting there as a kid, and then we were into the Industrial Estate where we decided to leave the NCN21 and use Tinsley Lane instead. Not far now - over the footbridge, down behind Tesco's and then St Mary's Drive all the way to Haslett Avenue and Three Bridges Station. All done, with less than 50 miles on my speedo (Ken had almost double that as he had ridden from Crawley to the Cutty Sark at the start of the day!!!).
If you've got nearly 40 minutes to spare, here's a video of the afternoon section of the ride - I speeded up the action and cut out most of the stoppages, but it should give a good flavour of what the route is like:
Click on this for 40 minutes of "action"
Our next ride is led by Frank and takes us to the Castle Inn at Chiidingstone - a very nice, National Trust owned village not too far away. The ride is rated easy/Medium and will be about 40 miles long. Meet at Three Bridges Station at 09:30 hrs.
Sunday, 1 June 2014
Gordon's B-Ride
This was a very enjoyable day, thanks Gordon.
It's takes me ages to write blogs these days, so I've cheated and padded out my words with some moving pictures.
I arrived at Gordons expecting to see a gaggle of freeloaders taking up his breakfast offer, but no, I was the only freeloader! So, after rather nice bacon sandwich and a cuppa, Gordon and I headed for Pease Pottage.
Outside The Black Swan we met Val, Corinne, Michael and Malcolm. From here, Gordon led us out along Parish Lane and then down through the Forest on NCN20 to cross over the M23, through the golf course and out to Oriel School where we met up with John C and John V.
Next we acquired NCN21(The Worth Way) and headed east, over the M23 and on to Rowfant.
This video shows the journey so far:
The weather was very pleasant and the Worth Way was in good condition, so all was right in the world - except for my rear tyre that is - it kept going down, but I couldn't find a puncture. At the first stop I'd just pumped air in as I thought it was a slow puncture. After a second stop, three of us checked the inside of the tyre for thorns or any other sharp intrusion (none found) and I fitted a new tube, but within a few miles the tyre seemed to have deflated again. When I got home I checked both tubes and found NO punctures using both a visual inspection and a water bath - the valves seemed OK as well. As we speak both tubes are fully inflated in my shed and seem to be holding onto their contents. So what was the problem? I suspect a puncture repair I'd done on the first tube shortly before setting off had not set properly and caused the first problems but that when I'd subsequently removed all the air and rolled the tube up tightly to stuff it away in my bumbag, the patch had properly taken. The second tube is a mystery and my only guess is that the pumps I'd been using out on the trail just weren't getting enough air in. I pumped it up with a track pump when I got home and it's stayed fully inflated since....
Anyway, back to the ride. We left the Worth Way at Imberhorne Lane and headed north until we reached the bridleway taking us back west to Gullege. From here we retraced our Worth Way steps as far as Crawley Down where we hit the road going south and endured the steep little climb into Turners Hill. At the top we regrouped and regained our breath before heading west, through Worth Abbey to a refreshment halt at The Cowdray Arms.
At Staplefield I had to reinflate my rear tyre (again) and then we headed across to Sluagham and then north on the bridleway through the Slaugham estate to Handcross.
We only briefly entered the western edge of Handcross as Gordon now took us west along the B road before diving to the right onto a farm track bridleway that would take us across a valley and then on up to Plummers Plain and out onto Grouse Road.
From here we only had a mile or so to go back to Gordons House where more refreshments were on offer - Corinne was most impressed, although we had to point out that Gordon is an exception - the rest of us don't lay on such a good spread!
It's takes me ages to write blogs these days, so I've cheated and padded out my words with some moving pictures.
I arrived at Gordons expecting to see a gaggle of freeloaders taking up his breakfast offer, but no, I was the only freeloader! So, after rather nice bacon sandwich and a cuppa, Gordon and I headed for Pease Pottage.
Outside The Black Swan we met Val, Corinne, Michael and Malcolm. From here, Gordon led us out along Parish Lane and then down through the Forest on NCN20 to cross over the M23, through the golf course and out to Oriel School where we met up with John C and John V.
Next we acquired NCN21(The Worth Way) and headed east, over the M23 and on to Rowfant.
This video shows the journey so far:
The weather was very pleasant and the Worth Way was in good condition, so all was right in the world - except for my rear tyre that is - it kept going down, but I couldn't find a puncture. At the first stop I'd just pumped air in as I thought it was a slow puncture. After a second stop, three of us checked the inside of the tyre for thorns or any other sharp intrusion (none found) and I fitted a new tube, but within a few miles the tyre seemed to have deflated again. When I got home I checked both tubes and found NO punctures using both a visual inspection and a water bath - the valves seemed OK as well. As we speak both tubes are fully inflated in my shed and seem to be holding onto their contents. So what was the problem? I suspect a puncture repair I'd done on the first tube shortly before setting off had not set properly and caused the first problems but that when I'd subsequently removed all the air and rolled the tube up tightly to stuff it away in my bumbag, the patch had properly taken. The second tube is a mystery and my only guess is that the pumps I'd been using out on the trail just weren't getting enough air in. I pumped it up with a track pump when I got home and it's stayed fully inflated since....
Anyway, back to the ride. We left the Worth Way at Imberhorne Lane and headed north until we reached the bridleway taking us back west to Gullege. From here we retraced our Worth Way steps as far as Crawley Down where we hit the road going south and endured the steep little climb into Turners Hill. At the top we regrouped and regained our breath before heading west, through Worth Abbey to a refreshment halt at The Cowdray Arms.
After a fairly short stop we carried on along the Handcross Road before turning left into Brantridge Lane - it was a lovely ride down this lane as this video shows:
We only briefly entered the western edge of Handcross as Gordon now took us west along the B road before diving to the right onto a farm track bridleway that would take us across a valley and then on up to Plummers Plain and out onto Grouse Road.
From here we only had a mile or so to go back to Gordons House where more refreshments were on offer - Corinne was most impressed, although we had to point out that Gordon is an exception - the rest of us don't lay on such a good spread!
Sunday, 25 May 2014
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.
Sunday, 27 April 2014
North East of Crawley
Anton reports:
Having reviewed the route and gone over it the previous weekend I decided that an easy/medium ride it was not, and therefore asked Bob to communicate the fact to the members. Barbara informed me that a new member, who had previously done our morning rides, was interested. Unfortunately Mike (sorry if I've got the name wrong) was out late Saturday and never got the message.
With a number of riders away, the harder ride and forecast for heavy showers, I was not expecting many at the start. Running late myself I drove to TBR, only to be later owing to a flat front wheel which I managed to repair quickly. At least I had the track pump in the car...
Mike was waiting when I finally arrived at the start, and explained that he'd not heard my voicemail, but was willing to give the ride a try, although he explained that he was only just getting back into cycling. I decided that I would curtail the hilly part of the ride and see how things went.
Leaving TBR and going towards Worth we soon left the main road to descend Old Hollow and head towards Copthorne and Copthorne Bank towards Smallfield. For once the traffic lights on the B2037 were in our favour and we were approaching Smallfields, before turning onto the narrow Cross Lane. At the cross roads with Plough Road we turned right and headed through Horne, after which the first and only shower of the day occurred. Thankfully by the time I had got my rain top out it stopped. (It was only on driving home after the ride that the heavens opened).
After Horne we headed towards Blindley Heath and the first real climb of the day; Tilburstow Hill Road. Luckily it was not the whole hill since we turned right part way up, before descending and crossing the A22.
Once across the A22 we headed towards Tandridge and Hurst Green. We arrived at the alternative pub stop before 11:00, so pressed on past Hurst Green station and the start of the hills. However I decided to see if we could get back to Lingfield to eat, so continued East along the base of the sandstone ridge until Pains Hill, where we turned South through Merle Common on Grants Lane. This is a very pleasant area to cycle. Arriving at Haxted Road near the Mill, we turned West towards Lingfield and food. Having tried the first pub we encountered only to find it not yet open and only serving three course meals anyway, we carried on to the centre of Lingfield and the welcome sight of The Greyhound - a friendly pub we have used before. Mike certainly enjoyed his bangers and mash there.
After lunch we continued towards Blindley Heath and the A22. After a short ride South on the A22 we soon turned right and started retracing our outward journey to Copthorne, Old Hollow and Worth and a diversion through Maidenbower where Mike left the ride and I continued to TBR.
Total distance 59km or 36.9miles
Hopefully Mike enjoyed the route and wasn't too traumatised............
Thanks Anton, sounds like it was a nice ride and certainly drier than many of us expected.
Next weeks ride is Very Easy: we meet at Three Bridges Station at 09:30 to ride the short distance to Broadfield Stadium and see the Historic Commercial Vehicles make a pitstop there on their annual London to Brighton Run. Having inspected the variety of vehicles on display and perhaps indulged in some light refreshments, we will then perhaps slipstream a fire engine, charabanc or lorry up Pease Pottage Hill and go for a short ride afterwards.
At 13:00hrs we will have the Q3 Runslist Meeting at Gordons House. Here we will work out which rides we will be doing in July, August and September. All members are welcome, so come along and get your favourite ride on the list or volunteer to lead someone else's or suggest something we haven't done before - make your club work for you. It's usually good fun and Gordon is a wonderful host who keeps us well fed and watered - all for just a small donation to charity.
Having reviewed the route and gone over it the previous weekend I decided that an easy/medium ride it was not, and therefore asked Bob to communicate the fact to the members. Barbara informed me that a new member, who had previously done our morning rides, was interested. Unfortunately Mike (sorry if I've got the name wrong) was out late Saturday and never got the message.
With a number of riders away, the harder ride and forecast for heavy showers, I was not expecting many at the start. Running late myself I drove to TBR, only to be later owing to a flat front wheel which I managed to repair quickly. At least I had the track pump in the car...
Mike was waiting when I finally arrived at the start, and explained that he'd not heard my voicemail, but was willing to give the ride a try, although he explained that he was only just getting back into cycling. I decided that I would curtail the hilly part of the ride and see how things went.
Leaving TBR and going towards Worth we soon left the main road to descend Old Hollow and head towards Copthorne and Copthorne Bank towards Smallfield. For once the traffic lights on the B2037 were in our favour and we were approaching Smallfields, before turning onto the narrow Cross Lane. At the cross roads with Plough Road we turned right and headed through Horne, after which the first and only shower of the day occurred. Thankfully by the time I had got my rain top out it stopped. (It was only on driving home after the ride that the heavens opened).
After Horne we headed towards Blindley Heath and the first real climb of the day; Tilburstow Hill Road. Luckily it was not the whole hill since we turned right part way up, before descending and crossing the A22.
Once across the A22 we headed towards Tandridge and Hurst Green. We arrived at the alternative pub stop before 11:00, so pressed on past Hurst Green station and the start of the hills. However I decided to see if we could get back to Lingfield to eat, so continued East along the base of the sandstone ridge until Pains Hill, where we turned South through Merle Common on Grants Lane. This is a very pleasant area to cycle. Arriving at Haxted Road near the Mill, we turned West towards Lingfield and food. Having tried the first pub we encountered only to find it not yet open and only serving three course meals anyway, we carried on to the centre of Lingfield and the welcome sight of The Greyhound - a friendly pub we have used before. Mike certainly enjoyed his bangers and mash there.
After lunch we continued towards Blindley Heath and the A22. After a short ride South on the A22 we soon turned right and started retracing our outward journey to Copthorne, Old Hollow and Worth and a diversion through Maidenbower where Mike left the ride and I continued to TBR.
Total distance 59km or 36.9miles
Hopefully Mike enjoyed the route and wasn't too traumatised............
Thanks Anton, sounds like it was a nice ride and certainly drier than many of us expected.
Next weeks ride is Very Easy: we meet at Three Bridges Station at 09:30 to ride the short distance to Broadfield Stadium and see the Historic Commercial Vehicles make a pitstop there on their annual London to Brighton Run. Having inspected the variety of vehicles on display and perhaps indulged in some light refreshments, we will then perhaps slipstream a fire engine, charabanc or lorry up Pease Pottage Hill and go for a short ride afterwards.
At 13:00hrs we will have the Q3 Runslist Meeting at Gordons House. Here we will work out which rides we will be doing in July, August and September. All members are welcome, so come along and get your favourite ride on the list or volunteer to lead someone else's or suggest something we haven't done before - make your club work for you. It's usually good fun and Gordon is a wonderful host who keeps us well fed and watered - all for just a small donation to charity.
Sunday, 13 April 2014
Worth Way
Pete was unable to lead this months easy ride so I stepped in. I fancied putting the knobbly tyres on my bike and riding the Worth Way, so that's what we did.
The weather was nice and I ventured out in shorts for the first time this year. I was joined at Three Bridges station by John C, Val and Malcolm before we set off along Billington Way and onto the track. Spring had arrived and the Worth Way was lined with Bluebells, Wood Anemone, Celandine and lots of Blackthorn blossom.
The ride out to East Grinstead was really pleasant and it was good to see lots of families out on their bikes.
Here's a video of the ride through East Grinstead and out on the Forest Way:
We stopped to nip up to a viewpoint and look across to Weirwood reservoir, but now that apple trees have been planted in the field up there the view has gone. Once we got riding again, I took a little detour on some single track and then we all took another to view Brambletye House before carrying on into Forest Row.
As you can see, we headed through the back of Forest Row and past a gathering of car enthusiasts before pulling up at the Java and Jazz cafe.
After a pleasant lunch (chocolate milkshake and a toasted sandwich for me), we headed back.
It was a really nice ride, pleasant and completely uneventful.......
It was a really nice ride, pleasant and completely uneventful.......
Sunday, 23 February 2014
Edenbridge - well Lingfield, actually!
I could get used to this - another Sunday, another ride and I'm not leading it! Doesn't stop me from running late though :-(
I arrived at Three Bridges station to a barrage of friendly banter and time-keeping based punditry from a mixed bag of boys and girls all waiting to get going on their bikes. Anton was leading Norman, Val, Malcolm, Pete, Marian, Ros and myself, firstly on NCN21 out through the north of Crawley and on to Gatwick. There was quite strong wind from the southwest, so it would be behind us until at least the lunch stop. In spite of the wind, it wasn't that cold and even the full cloud cover didn't stop the day from feeling quite bright. Scaffolders were working on the terminal building and we had to wait for them to move their lorry out of the away before we could get past. Unlike last week, the underpass wasn't flooded, then when we emerged back on the roads, Anton surprised us by turning right where we normally turn left. Oh; hang on, wait a minute!, rewind a bit......... tfel nrut yllamron ew erehw thgir gninrut yb su desirprus notnA ,sdaor eht no kcal degreme ew nehw neht ....... I missed something: SOMEONE fell off her bike! I won't mention names but I saw her valiantly claw at Malcolm's leg as she toppled slowly, some would say gracefully, to the ground. We were stopped at the time and it was the fall that everyone using clipless pedals has at some point - you lose your balance and can't unclip quick enough. Anyway, no damage done except for a bruised bum!
Anyway, to continue, Anton surprised us by turning right where we normally turn left. This brought us out in exactly the same place as usual - near the station, from where we crossed the railway and carried on East over the traffic light junction along Smallfield Road. Just before the motorway we turned left onto Hathersham Lane and further on, avoided turning into the wind by going up New House Lane. Axes Lane took us east, over the motorway before we passed the Dog and Duck pub (a major stopping point on the London to Brighton Bike Ride) and headed to Outwood along Brickfield Road.
At Outwood windmill we regrouped and Ros, who was out riding for the first time since a minor fall off her Brompton the other week, decided to take a shorter route to the lunch stop and meet us there. As she had a map I assumed she'd got some clever route worked out and rode off with the others, along Gayhouse Lane and down Hornecourt Hill having promised to phone when we reached the lunch stop.
After just a few more miles cycling, including a short foray along a very smooth A22, we arrived in Lingfield and settled on The GreyHound pub as our lunch stop. I phoned Ros to find out where she was only to find that she had taken a much more circuitous route and was on her way down from Bletchingly! The result was that Ros had ridden almost twice as far as we had and we'd almost finished our lunch before she arrived at the pub. Never mind, that meant I could have a second pint whilst Ros ate her lunch :-)
As the wind had been pretty much behind us all morning, we knew it was going to be mainly in our faces all the way home. Anton countered this to some extent by his choice of route which firstly took us via Felcourt into East Grinstead where he took us on short cut through some quiet residential streets before we said goodbye to East Grinstead resident Ros. The A22 was busy but slow-moving until we turned off at Felbridge and took the Crawley Down fork. As we went up the hill a rather nice Scooby went by - gimme! After Crawley Down we went via Rowfant and then used a short stretch of the Worth Way before splitting into two groups - Pete, Marian and myself using the Worth Way back to Maidenbower and Furnace Green, everyone else using the road back to Three Bridges station.
All in all, quite a short ride of just over 30 miles but very enjoyable, especially as Anton tends to find roads we haven't used much before, thanks Anton.
Next weeks ride is a Horsham Pavilion in the Park start at 10:00hrs and will be led by me. It will be a Pootle to Partridge Green and will celebrate the anniversary of the club.
At Outwood windmill we regrouped and Ros, who was out riding for the first time since a minor fall off her Brompton the other week, decided to take a shorter route to the lunch stop and meet us there. As she had a map I assumed she'd got some clever route worked out and rode off with the others, along Gayhouse Lane and down Hornecourt Hill having promised to phone when we reached the lunch stop.
After just a few more miles cycling, including a short foray along a very smooth A22, we arrived in Lingfield and settled on The GreyHound pub as our lunch stop. I phoned Ros to find out where she was only to find that she had taken a much more circuitous route and was on her way down from Bletchingly! The result was that Ros had ridden almost twice as far as we had and we'd almost finished our lunch before she arrived at the pub. Never mind, that meant I could have a second pint whilst Ros ate her lunch :-)
As the wind had been pretty much behind us all morning, we knew it was going to be mainly in our faces all the way home. Anton countered this to some extent by his choice of route which firstly took us via Felcourt into East Grinstead where he took us on short cut through some quiet residential streets before we said goodbye to East Grinstead resident Ros. The A22 was busy but slow-moving until we turned off at Felbridge and took the Crawley Down fork. As we went up the hill a rather nice Scooby went by - gimme! After Crawley Down we went via Rowfant and then used a short stretch of the Worth Way before splitting into two groups - Pete, Marian and myself using the Worth Way back to Maidenbower and Furnace Green, everyone else using the road back to Three Bridges station.
All in all, quite a short ride of just over 30 miles but very enjoyable, especially as Anton tends to find roads we haven't used much before, thanks Anton.
Next weeks ride is a Horsham Pavilion in the Park start at 10:00hrs and will be led by me. It will be a Pootle to Partridge Green and will celebrate the anniversary of the club.
Sunday, 2 February 2014
Balcombe Tea Room
Late, late, late again! As I approached the Roffey traffic lights my phone rang. It was Anton, politely enquiring whether I would be taking part in his ride. Having confirmed I was, he let me know which route out of Horsham he would be using and therefore where I could intercept him. Sure enough, as I approached the roundabout, I spotted everyone and joined up with them (in spite of John C heading off in the wrong direction). Anton took us along Depot Road, out to Doomsday Green and south on Sedgwick Lane. It was nice and sunny although fairly cool and, apart from the occasional puddle or stream let crossing the road, relatively dry. We went on through Copsale and Maplehurst then up Newell's Lane to Lower Beeding. Anton kept us on the B-road as far as The Wheatsheaf, thereby avoiding a couple of hills and then we turned right to go past Slaugham pond and through Slaugham to Staplefield. Here we took Brantridge Lane all the way up to the water tower before turning right onto Redbridge Lane. It was a nice fast descent pretty much all the way to Balcombe.
The cafe was quite quiet - until we arrived!. Anton, Michael, John C, Pete E, John V and myself. Minutes later, Pat and Frank arrived having ridden down from Crawley, then Val popped in (she'd driven over). We all had a good chat and quaffed our teas and coffees before heading back off outside.
We used the most direct route back - up Redbridge Lane and on to Handcross, then Pease Pottage. The Horsham contingent headed back along the Forest Road whilst us Crawleyites were pretty much home already.
Sunday, 20 October 2013
The Bluebell Railway
Looking forward to today's ride, I opened the curtains to be confronted by a torrential downpour. Hmmmmmm. Do I still want to go for a bike ride? Well.... I had washed and re proofed my waterproofs during the week, so maybe here was an opportunity to test out my handiwork?
As usual I was late arriving at the start - this week my excuse was the length of time it took me to fit my rear rack and associated mudguard, my front mudguard and pull on my nice, clean waterproofs, but - the rain had stopped!
Waiting at Three Bridges were Pete E, Michael, Norman and Narinder. A quick text conversation with Ros and we'd arranged to meet her at East Grinstead, another text conversation confirmed that Gordon would not be falling off joining up with us this week.
The Worth Way provided a firm and reliable surface, although a lot of muddy water was getting picked up and sprayed around by our tyres. We sped along through Rowfant and Crawley Down until we arrived at East Grinstead station where we met Ros and Carol in the railway carriage cafe:
After this brief encounter there were now seven of us and we headed up the High Street and onto The Forest Way for the quick sprint down to Forest Row (Ros used the road in order to avoid getting as besmattered as we were).
From Forest Row we used Priory Road to climb up into Ashdown Forest. It was a stiffer climb than I was anticipating and we stopped at the crossroads to get our breath back before turning left and then right onto Twyford Lane. This is one of my favourite lanes and I freewheeled down it at about thirty mph. Towards the bottom of the hill it gets a bit bendier, steeper and narrower but today it was also muddier and slippier. I splashed through the ford which was disappointingly shallow, and waited for the others with my video camera running all the way:
He didn't even stop once we got on the train! Ros may well have had enough though, for she decided to cycle back to East Grinstead.
The journey up the line was however most memorable for the fact that the heavens opened and it absolutely poured with rain - we'd avoided getting wet whilst cycling and now we were warm and dry in our own compartment as the train splashed through the torrential downpour (we did think about Ros though - has she dried out yet??).
Bang on cue, the sun came back out just as the train pulled into our stop at East Grinstead - timing!
Here's the magnificent loco that was pulling our train - it's a Class 9F, the last class of steam locomotive built for British Rail. Ask Norman what the wheel arrangement is...
The ride back to Three Bridges along the Worth Way was uneventful but once more splattered us in muddy water. We didn't mind, we'd had a really nice day out (in spite of the weather).
Next weeks ride is hopefully timed just right - it goes to Winkworth Arboretum, a National Trust garden that has spectacular autumn colours, so bring your NT card if you've got one. There is a cafe there (it's just outside the garden so you don't need to pay entry/show your card if you just want some refreshments). The start will be from Horsham Park Pavilion at 09:30 hrs for a ride of about 30-35 miles and I would rate it as easy-medium. Don't forget, the clocks will have gone back on Saturday night/Sunday morning, so it will be brighter in the morning.
Sunday, 22 September 2013
The Seaside Ride
I was impressed with the sheer number of cyclists waiting at Three Bridges station but slightly dismayed to find that half of them were not on our ride but on what looked to be a ladies only ride along the Worth Way. Ah well, there would still be 9 of us heading to the coast. Pete and Marian were leading on their tandem with Barbara, Val, Michael, Richard, Norman and Ros following. I was the "Lanterne Rouge" for the day and accordingly I switched my nice bright rear light on to keep the tin-box jockeys at bay.
We travelled at a fair old pace down through Ardingly and we were pretty stretched out by the time we got to Lindfield, so needed to regroup (and get our breath back). Slugwash Lane stretched us out again and the run over Ditchling Common had a lot of traffic (some of it passing slightly too close to us).
We had a refuelling stop at the cafe in Ditchling and talked about a lot of things as we scoffed our teacakes/carrot cake/croissants and drank our tea/coffees. There was lots of material I could put onto this blog but unfortunately (as I pointed out at the time), my memory is so bad that I can't remember any of it - apart from renaming Marian to Bloody Mary and Norman to Marilyn.
Having settled my bill and bought a small cake "for later" I joined the others back outside and we remounted to head for The Hill. I led as far as Underhill Lane but I then waited for everyone else to go past me so that I could get film footage as they all started up Ditchling Beacon. Anyone familiar with the Beacon knows that it kicks up immediately after the crossroads with Underhill Lane and that just when you think you've got the measure of the hill and have a pedal rhythm that works, it takes a left turn and ramps up even steeper. If you can conquer that initial assault on your calf muscles then it just becomes a case of endurance with several little humps thrown in to upset your cadence. Assuming you manage to keep going, the next thing to worry about is all the traffic that hovers about behind you, slipping their clutches and over-revving as they seek to pass in the face of the occasional vehicle coming the other way - vehicles that look like they're going to jump onto your side of the road at any one of those humps I just mentioned, as they are all located on slight bends! Perseverence brings its reward and when you finally see the "Beware Horse and Rider" sign, you know there's only a hundred yards to go and your legs feel the gradient start to ease - time to compose yourself, up the tempo a bit and look like The Hill was no great effort to you. For me, this means wearing a big smile, trying to stop my chest heaving, putting in a bit of a sprint to ride right over the top and into the car park to pull up next to the ice-cream van. Another 99 ice-cream but only if I've ridden all the way up the hill. So far I've had one EVERY time I've attempted The Beacon. Today it didn't feel too hard, I must be fitter than I think :-)
Most of our riders managed to ride the whole Hill - see if you can spot them in Pete's picture:
Marian managed it but as Pete is not in the picture I'm not so sure about him!
The ride across to Old Boat Corner was nice and fast as usual and then we had the last climb up past the golfcourse at Hollingbury. Speeding down Ditchling Road we were soon in the heart of Brighton and having dealt with the traffic we arrived at the prom. A short walk with our bikes brought us to our lunch stop at Jack and Linda Mills Smoked Fish Shop.
I had grilled kippers in a roll - it was delicious and was accompanied by a really good cup of tea. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their fresh fish lunch as well - so much so, that some were too engrossed in it to look up when I took their picture:
I doctored the picture a bit - here's the original:
All too soon it was time for us to start our return journey. Five of us decided (sensibly) to catch the train, Richard (hardcore) was going to ride home via Lewes, with the remaining three (nuts) opting to ride the NCN20 back north.
I was one of the nuts and led my little group up through Brighton on the A23 and then up through Mid-Sussex close to the A23 as far as the Bolney Stage where we felt the urge for some liquid refreshment.
After a couple of beers it was time to get going again.
Reaching the Warninglid flyover, we left NCN20 and headed into Warninglid before heading north once more to Slaugham Pond. Next we used the familiar route past The Wheatsheaf and onto Hammerpond Road. We said goodbye to Norman at Bucks Head as he continued on towards Horsham and we turned right onto Grouse Road. Michael had discovered the energy sapping effect beer sometimes has on the legs but we manfully rode on and were soon at the top in Pease Pottage. A quick blast down to K2 and an easy ride through Tilgate followed before I pointed Michael in the direction of Three Bridges Station and peeled off to arrive home myself.
I later found out that Richard (hardcore) had eschewed the joys of Lewes and had in fact used a slightly more direct route home - although by the time he finished he had still clocked up some 72 miles compared to the 55 I'd got on my speedo.
Next weeks ride should have been the reorganised Cutty Sark to Crawley ride but we've decided to cancel it and wait until next year as services using London Bridge Station will be severely disrupted by engineering works that day.
Instead we will have an Easy ride from Horsham Pavilion in the Park, starting at 10:00 hrs with a lunch stop at a cafe somewhere.
We had a refuelling stop at the cafe in Ditchling and talked about a lot of things as we scoffed our teacakes/carrot cake/croissants and drank our tea/coffees. There was lots of material I could put onto this blog but unfortunately (as I pointed out at the time), my memory is so bad that I can't remember any of it - apart from renaming Marian to Bloody Mary and Norman to Marilyn.
Having settled my bill and bought a small cake "for later" I joined the others back outside and we remounted to head for The Hill. I led as far as Underhill Lane but I then waited for everyone else to go past me so that I could get film footage as they all started up Ditchling Beacon. Anyone familiar with the Beacon knows that it kicks up immediately after the crossroads with Underhill Lane and that just when you think you've got the measure of the hill and have a pedal rhythm that works, it takes a left turn and ramps up even steeper. If you can conquer that initial assault on your calf muscles then it just becomes a case of endurance with several little humps thrown in to upset your cadence. Assuming you manage to keep going, the next thing to worry about is all the traffic that hovers about behind you, slipping their clutches and over-revving as they seek to pass in the face of the occasional vehicle coming the other way - vehicles that look like they're going to jump onto your side of the road at any one of those humps I just mentioned, as they are all located on slight bends! Perseverence brings its reward and when you finally see the "Beware Horse and Rider" sign, you know there's only a hundred yards to go and your legs feel the gradient start to ease - time to compose yourself, up the tempo a bit and look like The Hill was no great effort to you. For me, this means wearing a big smile, trying to stop my chest heaving, putting in a bit of a sprint to ride right over the top and into the car park to pull up next to the ice-cream van. Another 99 ice-cream but only if I've ridden all the way up the hill. So far I've had one EVERY time I've attempted The Beacon. Today it didn't feel too hard, I must be fitter than I think :-)
Most of our riders managed to ride the whole Hill - see if you can spot them in Pete's picture:
Marian managed it but as Pete is not in the picture I'm not so sure about him!
The ride across to Old Boat Corner was nice and fast as usual and then we had the last climb up past the golfcourse at Hollingbury. Speeding down Ditchling Road we were soon in the heart of Brighton and having dealt with the traffic we arrived at the prom. A short walk with our bikes brought us to our lunch stop at Jack and Linda Mills Smoked Fish Shop.
I had grilled kippers in a roll - it was delicious and was accompanied by a really good cup of tea. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their fresh fish lunch as well - so much so, that some were too engrossed in it to look up when I took their picture:
I was one of the nuts and led my little group up through Brighton on the A23 and then up through Mid-Sussex close to the A23 as far as the Bolney Stage where we felt the urge for some liquid refreshment.
After a couple of beers it was time to get going again.
Reaching the Warninglid flyover, we left NCN20 and headed into Warninglid before heading north once more to Slaugham Pond. Next we used the familiar route past The Wheatsheaf and onto Hammerpond Road. We said goodbye to Norman at Bucks Head as he continued on towards Horsham and we turned right onto Grouse Road. Michael had discovered the energy sapping effect beer sometimes has on the legs but we manfully rode on and were soon at the top in Pease Pottage. A quick blast down to K2 and an easy ride through Tilgate followed before I pointed Michael in the direction of Three Bridges Station and peeled off to arrive home myself.
I later found out that Richard (hardcore) had eschewed the joys of Lewes and had in fact used a slightly more direct route home - although by the time he finished he had still clocked up some 72 miles compared to the 55 I'd got on my speedo.
Next weeks ride should have been the reorganised Cutty Sark to Crawley ride but we've decided to cancel it and wait until next year as services using London Bridge Station will be severely disrupted by engineering works that day.
Instead we will have an Easy ride from Horsham Pavilion in the Park, starting at 10:00 hrs with a lunch stop at a cafe somewhere.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
