We are a group of cyclists in the Horsham and Crawley area belonging to the national Cyclists Touring Club (CTC). We meet every Sunday to cycle along the quiet lanes of West Sussex and Surrey and occasionally have days or weekends away to explore new areas.
Each ride we try to produce a report on what we did and where we rode. This can give a good idea of the pleasure of riding in this beautiful part of the country as well as how easy it is to get around it by bike.
Today’s
ride started at HPP at 9 but there were no takers so I headed off to the
alternate start at Pease Pottage. Fortunately there were some takers, 10 in
all.
Once assembled most of us headed off for the next start point. One attendee was
running late so four waited and caught up with the main group at the next start
point near Horsham. Three others met us there so we had 15 attendees in all.
Once assembled we headed off towards Southwater where Pat left us. A slow
puncture held us up for a few moments as we headed off towards Shipley,
Ashington and Ashurst. Arriving at Stan’s Bike Shack at just after noon. 30.6
miles.
After lunch four of us headed off for the afternoon section of the ride.
Off we headed off through Henfield just after which the slow puncture needed
fixing. Next it was Blackstone, Sayers Common, Hickstead and Slaugham. This was
undulating to say the least!
The remaining four split here, two headed for Crawley and two for
Horsham.
Got home feeling a bit tired but I had done 56 miles with 2500' of climbing!
I'm on time for a change - a nice bright morning and I was out and about and bang on schedule. I pulled up at HPP and sat waiting to see who would turn up.
Half past nine came round and I was starting to think about doing the ride all by myself, then Nat and David rolled up. As we were doing the introductions Ken arrived so we had a nice compact group as we headed out through Horsham and onto the Pedlars Way. Surprisingly we found Pedlars Way to be quite wet - the river even looked like it had broken its banks at some point overnight. The climb up through the woods was as hard as usual but Nat and David managed it well. Then we had the comfort of the lanes down to Copsale before gaining the Downs Link.
The surface was good and we were averaging about 10mph so it wasn't long before we reached Partridge Green and stopped for refreshments at Stans Shack. Glancing at my phone I realised I'd missed a call and voicemail from John C. He and John V were somewhere behind us on the track, so I let them know that we would wait at Stans for them. After finishing my coffee and cake I looked up just in time to see the two Johns arrive. Now there were six of us and we carried on at a fairly good pace, chatting as we rode along. We soon passed Henfield and it wasn't long before we had to leave the rail bed and head up that tough climb along the edge of the field - it's not steep but it's always hard work.
We had a breather at the top of the field before enjoying the brisk descent along the stony track. Passing the sewage plant we were now in Bramber and just past the roundabout we came across a new bit of routing for the Downs Link. Rather than using that awkward crossing over the A road, the new route carries on south to the river, goes under the A road before heading north and west to rejoin the original route. The remaining few miles alongside the river always take longer than you think they should. But as I was riding along I had a very good view of a parachute display team - I'm hoping I've got some of their display on my bikecam.
Reaching our lunch stop, the Red Lion, just opposite the old Shoreham footbridge. We queued up for our drinks and queued up for our burgers whilst Nat and David managed to blag a table for us to sit at. The air display restarted after its lunch break with an aerobatic display featuring a propellor driven stunt plane and what looked like a radio controlled model version of the same plane. I found it well choreographed but really wanted to see (and hear) a jet plane. Next up was a Hawker Hunter - immaculately painted in camouflage colours it sped past us, turned, came back, climbed up and into a loop. As it came out I commented that it looked like it wouldn't make it - I hoped I was wrong but it disappeared behind some trees and failed to reappear. Moments later two big clouds of black smoke told what had happened
I don't remember hearing the impact, but I did notice how quiet everyone was as they realised that the plane had come down. Someone said that it had come down in an empty car park but, not having heard or seen the ejector seat go off, I feared the pilot had been lost.
We decided that it was time to start for home and split into two groups - the two Johns headed back up the Downs Link to Christs Hospital where they'd parked their car, the rest of us headed for Brighton.
As we rode along it was noticeable that traffic was backed up for about a mile into Shoreham. We crossed the harbour lock gates just in front of a large ship that only had a foot or so of space on each side in the lock and pressed on into the headwind.
Reaching Hove Lawns, Nat and David said goodbye as they were going to enjoy some time at the seaside before catching the train home. this left Ken and I to cycle onwards as far as Madeira Drive where we stopped for an ice cream.
Refreshed, we rode up the A23 and then gained the NCN20 at Patcham. It's not a bad route but the constant noise from the traffic is very wearying. I was tiring and the hill at Bolney was really hard work so I insisted on a stop at the Bolney Stage. We found a table in the shade of a tree and knocked back a pint or so of water each.
Ken had suggested that we use the Slaugham Bridleway rather than a frontal ascent of Handcross Hill and I reckon this was a good idea - it was shaded from the blazing sun and although rougher than the new tarmac I'm sure it took less of a physical toll. From there on the route was either level or down and it wasn't too long before I was home having clocked up some 60 odd miles.
Sitting at home I felt overwhelmed with sadness as I realised that the plane crash was far worse than I had initially imagined. There was also the worry that apart from my fellow riders, several people I knew - family and friends - had been in the vicinity, thankfully all safe.
Now, several days later, I want to express my sympathy for all the people directly and indirectly affected by the accident but just cannot find any form of words that seem worth putting down in writing.
A slightly damp start to the day probably reduced the numbers slightly but didn't stop a trio of hardcore riders making early starts to tick off the loops.
Anton and Robert both (individually) started at about 6am I believe and Ray started at about 8am.
Barbara, Pete and I set up the control point at about 09:30 and other riders started arriving.
After all the preparation Pete had put in to create this event, it was a little disappointing that with the wet weather and lack of entrants we decided to just have a short ride rather than run the Treasure Hunt.
The ride was enjoyable and the rain mainly held off as we made our way to Smock Alley for lunch at the Five Bells. This was my first visit to the Five Bells and I found it to be a lovely pub.
The return ride was very pleasant and Pete will keep all his route and questions to use in next years I-Spy.
I woke up this morning to persistent light rain and hoped it wouldn't deter people from coming out on today's ride. Fortunately it had cleared up by 10.00 am and six riders assembled at HPP - Norman, Malcolm, Rachel, Adam, myself and Val who was attempting her first club ride for some time. Just as we were leaving Ann arrived but couldn't find anywhere to park due to an event being held in the sports centre. Norman offered to wait behind for her so I gave him the route and the rest of us set off at a gentle pace to allow Norman and Ann to catch us up.
We set off along via Doomsday Green and Sedgwick before getting warmed up on the short but sharp climb on Colstaple Lane. No sign of Norman and Ann so we carried on towards Southwater stopping to watch a buzzard and look at some horses. Not having Norman with us to guide us through Southwater we took the main road turning into Church Lane and enjoyed the descent of Bonfire hill. At the bottom Ann and Norman caught up with us but Val decided to return back to Horsham.
Admiring the bluebells which seem to have appeared this week, we carried on via Dragons Green and Shipley to Dial Post. After crossing the A24 surprisingly easily, at Norman's request we departed from the planned route and took the bridleways through the Knepp estate. We then cycled through Partridge Green and Littleworth up a few more climbs and reached Maplehurst by 12.15 - earlier than I expected after the slow start and numerous hills.
After a pleasant lunch, a few pub games and discussion of the first single we had bought we set off along Park Lane and Newells Lane before taking the A281 and B2110 to Lower Beeding before turning off along Hammerpond Road and a few more hills with Malcolm leaving us to take Grouse Road back to Crawley and the rest of us returning to Horsham.
In all the ride was 31 miles and we ascended 2677 feet - 40 more than last week's ride to Leith Hill!
This coming Bank Holiday weekend sees the club having two rides planned - on Saturday, go to Deers Leap for some offroad fun - meet there at 11:00, then on Sunday we have an HPP start at 09:30 for a medium rated ride led by Michael. This will take us down to Amberley for lunch at The Sportsman Inn.
Today's ride was simple - leave Horsham Pavilions in the Park at 9:00, get to Pulborough Village Centre by 10:30. My ride over had started off slowly but I'd got into my stride by Roffey and arrived at the start with 10 minutes to spare. Ken rolled up a few minutes later having used the same route over. Next we were joined by Norman and new member, Frank.
I led us out of Horsham over the golf course, down through Broadbridge Heath and on to Bashurst Hill. The skies were mainly blue with a light wind and the temperature was quite balmy for November.
We were all enjoying the ride and we're having a good old chat as the road took us South. Crossing the A272 was event less and we carried on through Broadford Bridge and up Woods Hill to West Chiltington. After zigzagging down the hill we turned into Stream Lane which lived up to its nam with water running along it for some distance. With no mudguards on my bike I was trying to keep my speed down and bunny hop the worst bits but I still ended up with a damp behind!
I didn't have time to dry out before we were pulling up at Pulborough Village Centre - we'd arrived with 10 minutes to spare and enjoyed some tea, biscuits and a chat before the meeting started.
The meeting was pretty much the same as usual, friendly and business-like. Oh - we won a couple of trophies as well!! There was a well observed two minute silence at 11:00 and the meeting wound up at about 11:45.
Along with Barbara we made straight for the pub - the Oddfellows Arms and settled down for lunch. Shortly after we were joined by Dave and Louise Galley and then another five DA folk turned up and we had a nice lunchtime drinking, eating and discussing all manner of things.
The weather was still pleasant as we made our way back but this time via Barns Green, Bax Castle and Tower Hill. Back in Horsham there were now just two of us left to ride along to Crawley.
Next weeks ride is an Easy Ride suitable for beginners, starting at Three Bridges Station at 10:00hrs.
Wiston Tea Rooms or, more accurately Wiston Granary, is only about 11 miles or so south of Horsham but we managed to spin it out to over 34 today…… Pete E had revised the route he'd used the previous time for this ride and completely avoided using Hammerpond Lane. The only trouble was that this added about six miles to the distance and wasn't exactly flat. The three horrible Hammerpond hills were bypassed but the extra miles as we went via Copsale, Maplehurst and Lower Beeding were accompanied by their own lumpy bits! I was struggling a bit as we approached Warninglid but the weather was nice and as we turned to a more southerly direction we had the benefit of a tailwind. One more climb took us over the last Forest Ridge and we fairly shot down to Shaves Thatch corner. Soon after, the South Downs were blocking our path and we turned to the west at Fulking.
The scenery was beautiful and made even better by the iridescent blue sky. By now it was past midday and we were all feeling hungry so we kept to the most direct route (also the most level route) through Bramber, by-passed Steyning and shortly after took the right turn to Wiston. We sat in the garden but with the sun increasingly being obscured by cloud it wasn't quite warm enough to be perfect - the garden was really pleasant, the food and drink was just right and delivered with a smile, but when the sun was hidden the wind was sending ripples of goosebumps over bare legs and arms. The route back to Horsham was exactly what appeared on the runslist - as short as we could make it and we arrived safely back at HPP bang on 15:30 hrs with a nice round 45 miles on the speedo. Next weeks ride is a plain and simple ride to The Plough at Leigh. Meet at Three Bridges Station at 09:30 and Anton will take us on an easy, relatively hill-free journey to this cosy pub and back with a total mileage of only about 30 miles, all on generally quiet lanes and tarmac cyclepaths.
This is usually a popular ride and this year we had eleven riders turn up.
Pete S led Marian, Anton, Val, Norman, Malcolm, John V, Ken, Christine, Michael and myself off towards Turners Hill. However, halfway through Pound Hill Malcolm had to turn for home as his rear wheel had broken another spoke (making five in total) and was looking likely to collapse.
The drag up to Turners Hill was a pain as usual and Val was all for turning for home but a bit of gentle persuasion from the rest of us changed her mind. We sped down the B-road, past a less than busy Wakehurst Place and on through Ardingly. The weather was just right for cycling and we were soon on Lindfield. I popped in to the Co-Op there and bought some chocolate bars, everyone else was talking about what to do in light of the fact that there were no trains running from Brighton. The decision was made to carry on to the teashop at Ditchling and then work out what to do. We got there using Slugwash Lane and Ditchling Common Road.
The garden at the teashop was sheltered and sunny and we settled down to eat, drink and chat. Val took this picture of three monkeys:
Talk had turned to what shape the rest of the ride would take and consensus was that we would head for Haywards Heath Railway station along a quiet route, point Norman in the direction of Horsham and anyone left over would ride back to Crawley. However, seeing Antons film had made me pine for the climb - it was silly to be so close and not do it! I set off and just a couple of minutes later I was gritting my teeth and getting stuck into the hill. The first part of Ditchling Beacon is always the hardest for me and I was soon down to about my 5th lowest gear ratio. I was determined not hit granny so each time the road bucked up I rose from the saddle and stomped on up. In a perverse way I was quite enjoying the climb, helped by going past a resting roadie and enjoying the views of the Weald, and I was surprised when the horse and rider sign swam into view to announce the top was imminent. I did the usual and rode on into the car park, right up to the ice-cream van and got my usual, a '99'.
I needed a breather so we stopped and sat on a bench in the middle of Ardingly. Then we spotted a tandem going past - it was Pete and Marian! They stopped and joined us before we all got going again and carried on past the showground and on up to Selsfield Common. We were really quick into Turners Hill but as I climbed up towards the crossroads, my chain got jammed and I had to stop and clear it. It seems that I spend so much time working on other peoples bikes that mine just doesn't get any attention!
The others were waiting for me at the top, but I had no recurrence of the problem and just a few minutes later we were back in Crawley.
Next weeks ride is a Horsham Pavilions in the Park start at 09:30. Pete E will lead us on a nice roundabout route to the south and east before turning west for lunch at the Wiston Tea Rooms. The return to Horsham will be pretty much the shortest route back. The ride is rated as Medium and will be about 40 miles long. We did it in the wet last year and enjoyed it in spite of the weather, so if the sun is shining it will be even better. See you there!!
Up early again, ride over to Horsham again, arrive at Horsham Pavilions in the Park early again! Yes, I know, EARLY, AGAIN!! It didn't go unnoticed nor without comment - thanks folks.......
Norman was already there and we were soon joined by Pete E, Val and Malcolm. Nine thirty passed without anyone else arriving, so it was time to get going. As yesterday, we were heading for Slinfold but this time once we got to Broadbridge Heath, Pete led us along some quiet roads, through the underpass and then along some new cycle paths through the building development and back onto the road at Newbridge. Arriving at Slinfold we took the gate that was at the end of yesterday's video (and Norman was happy).
Once again, the surface of the Downslink was just right and the weather looked like it was going to be the same. We were enjoying the ride and had soon passed Christs Hospital and the Bax Castle before arriving at Southwater Country Park and having a quick comfort break. Next it was under the A24 and through Copsale out into the country.
Partridge Green was next and we noticed a new cafe just south of the village as the route leaves the main road opposite the Lock Estate. We were travelling at a fairly brisk pace but needed a bit of a break when we reached Henfield. I had the urge to eat a Mars bar and conveniently there's a convenience store on the road just opposite the Cat and Canary.
In spite of our progress, we were running slightly behind time and the drag away from the line of the old railway seemed to take forever. My camera battery gave up on the rough stone track just after that - it always seems to run out just there. So I still haven't got any footage of my death defying style down that hill on the stones!
Now we just had to get through Bramber and cross the Shoreham Road - doh! We were stuck there for ages as there seemed to be an endless steam of traffic in both directions. The stretch along the riverbank was very pleasant and easier than last time as the vegetation has been cut back. It wasn't long after that we pulled up at the Red Lion for lunch.
The pub was packed but amazingly, just as we were looking for somewhere to sit, an entire bench became free and we settled down to eat, drink and watch the Airshow. As it happens, that was just the time that all the flying stopped for lunch! However, we can always keep ourselves entertained and we had a good hour of chatting before the ear-shattering sound of a Eurofighter announced the air displays were restarting. As last year, the Eurofighter (also known as Typhoon) was my favourite, but I also enjoyed the two historic trios of WWII RAF planes that followed - firstly the Gloster Gladiator / Spitfire / Hurricane:
and then the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Spitfire / Hurricane / Lancaster):
We remounted and headed back north with the bright sunshine on our backs. Stopping every now and again for a breather, we didn't seem to be making very good progress - I think the wind was slightly in our faces. When we got to Partridge Green we stopped at the new cafe. It's called Stans Bike Shack Cafe and we would recommend it highly - good coffee, great cakes and reasonably priced. I noticed a track pump available for use and there was also a work stand there suggesting that a bike mechanic was available.
We carried on but I was now running late and had to meet up with my wife in Horsham so I said goodbye to everyone at Christs Hospital and raced off.
Meantime, Val was feeling the pace a bit and whilst stopping for a breather realised she had a puncture as well. Norman fixed the puncture and eventually everyone made it back to Horsham.
Our next ride is the final DA Event of the year, the Arun Crossings. it will start from Pulborough railway station at 09:30 hrs. Lunch will be at the Onslow Arms in Loxwood. I would recommend using a mountain bike or at the very least a strong touring bike for this event.
First Sunday in July? It must be The Two Weald Ride.
After the glorious weather of the previous weekend, I'd rather forgotten about rain, so the deluge we had on Saturday took me by surprise. Waking up on Sunday morning to thick cloud and a dampness in the air, I was initially worried that we wouldn't have many takers for this, the third DA Event of the year. However, as I travelled down to Wisborough Green I noticed that the roads were all bone-dry and that the cloud was noticeably thinning. Pulling up, I saw Frank and Pat just manoeuvring their camper van into place and my fellow H&C committee members, Pete and Barbara getting their bikes ready.
Within minutes, several others had arrived and we had a group of ten riders set off to ride the North loop. We left Frank at the camper van complete with home made cakes and tea/coffee, ready to welcome any further entrants. By 11:00, four others had turned up and had all set out on the North loop (although one of them, Ray, had already completed the East loop having set off independently at 09:00).
Here's a 3.8 minute video of the North loop:
After a fairly quick lunch, and a natter with all the other riders, four of us set off on the South loop, followed about half an hour later by another couple - one of whom was Ray, hard man of the day, clocking up his third loop.
Here's a 3.9 minute video of the South loop:
We arrived back at Wisborough Green just after 16:00hrs and a quick check revealed that there were just two riders still out - Richard and Ray. They pulled up at 16:30 and after a last cup of tea and slice of cake it was time for us to pack up. We presented Pat and Frank with a bottle of wine as a thankyou for using their camper van as our base and then it was time to head home.
Our next ride is a "combination" ride. There will be an 09:30 start from Three Bridges Station which will use the Crawley Horsham Cycle Route from Crawley to Horsham (some non-tarmac sections). Then, at 11:00 hrs we will all join up with a Beginners Ride from Horsham Pavilions in the Park. This will take us on an easy loop out to The Bax Castle for a brief refreshment stop and then continue back to Horsham. There will be some non-tarmac sections in this ride, but it will be suitable for all but the most delicate of bikes.
Back in February, we got together to create the runs list for the 2nd quarter of the year and Val (our "keep it flat and not too long" expert) suggested a ride out on the Downs Link to Shoreham and then along the coast to Brighton. Everyone at the meeting seemed quite keen, so in it went: a ride leader was determined, a route and itinerary worked out and the details published in The Pedaller (as well as our august webpages). No going back then even though it was pouring with rain on the Saturday and 8 o'clock seemed way too early and cold to be getting on a bike. Nervous communications on Saturday evening suggested maybe four people would turn up but, lo and behold, there were 7 of us at Horsham Pavilions in the Park (Anton, Barbara, Bob, Ken, Malcolm, Pete E and Val) and we picked up 2 more from Horsham station (Corinne and John V).
Anton was ride leader but he let Pete E guide us through Horsham and out on Pedlars Way. In spite of Saturdays downpour, the trail wasn't muddy, just slightly soft, and the lanes were nice and dry. At Copsale we noted that the sign for The Bridge Inn has been kept but now reads "Bridge House" - another pub gone. How many old King and Barnes pubs have disappeared since the Hall and Woodhouse takeover?
The clouds were starting to break up now and the temperature was just about perfect for cycling with just a hint of a tailwind. The Downs Link surface was about as good as it could be although a feature of todays ride would be how much the vegetation was encroaching on each side of the path.
It didn't take us long to get to Partridge Green, then shortly after we noticed that they've put a surfaced path across the grassy field - previously there was(were?) just a couple of muddy grooves to follow, now there is a nice, raised pressed stone path.
The following video starts from the gate entering the field and includes a lot of the Downs Link to Shoreham (at four times normal speed).....
In Shoreham we emerged on the roundabout in the town centre and used the A259 for a while before turning right to pick up NCN 2 and cross the lock gates for the east harbour. The cycle path was really quite busy and by now the sun was blazing above.
We stopped for a quick loo break before continuing on along NCN 2. Shoreham Harbour amy not be the most picturesque (or sweet smelling), but I enjoyed riding through it and the road wasn't too busy. At Hove Lagoon, NCN 2 becomes a shared use path on the south side of the A259 and is a really fast and pleasant way to travel along the front - so long as you take account of other users and pedestrians. The further east we went, the busier the seafront became and so, when we got to Hove lawns cafe we decided to stop for lunch as we were worried that eating places may be too busy for 9 of us if travelled further on and closer to midday....
We pushed a couple of tables together, made our orders and were eating and drinking within just a few minutes. It was very pleasant sitting there in the sun I can tell you, although I had to put my neck scarf over my head to ensure I didn't start to look like a swan vestas match!!
After about an hour or so, we decided to move on and our little party shed three of our number - Corinne was heading into Brighton of an afternoon of being a tourist, Barbara and John headed to Brighton station for a train back north and the rest of us headed back the way we came (I did think of suggesting an alternate route involving a climb up to Devils Dyke, a fast off road descent and a few miles of upsy downsy small lanes as far as Henfield, but thought better of it).
At some point there will be a video here showing various parts of the return journey - but it's not ready yet.....
We retraced our steps to Shoreham harbour and over the lock gates but then we followed the proper NCN 2 routing over the A259 and along some quiet back streets before taking the signposted cut through to the Downs Link which we rejoined by the Red Lion. The ride back was pleasant with the sun on our backs although the headwind and ever so slight upward trend did make it a bit harder than the morning. That seemed like a very good excuse too stop at the Cat and Canary in Henfield for lashings of ginger beer (well actually most of us had cider).
Partridge Green and West Grinstead were soon behind us and at Copsale we decided to continue to Southwater Country Park where we had another stop - might as well have an ice cream this time :-)
We tried to use Normans "back streets of Southwater" route but missed one turn and ended up on the Old Horsham Road for about a mile before heading across to Newfoundout and then back on Pedlars Way into Horsham and the end of the ride.
The end of the ride for all of us that is apart from Ken who was todays Hard Man. He'd ridden over from Crawley first thing and now proceeded to ride back. He was so quick that my chauffeur only caught up with Ken when he was but a couple of hundred yards from home!
Thanks everyone for taking part - judging by your chatter and smiling faces, I reckon you all enjoyed the ride. Well done Val for suggesting it in the first place (and well done for completing what was nearly a 60 mile ride).
Next week sees the next DA Event. This is the second of the DA Events that we organise and is The Two Weald Ride. Based at Wisborough Green (TQ048259), riders will be there from all three Member Groups within the West Sussex CTC and there will be a choice of four different 25 mile loops available to ride. Your committee will be there with refreshments between 10:00 hrs and 16:00hrs (thanks again to Frank and Pat with their camper van) - bring along home made cakes or biscuits for us to sell to raise funds for our club.
The route instructions and the overview map are available here , so if you want to get started before we've set up the refreshments, be your own boss. Why not try and do all four loops in one day??
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.
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.
Pete E had a lovely route for us this week and it was a shame that as soon as we started cycling, the heavens opened! There were four of us mad enough to brave the forecasted rain - Pete E, Ken, Anton and myself. We headed out through Doomsday Green and on along Hammerpond Road. At Slaugham Pond we turned right and headed south to Warninglid. There we headed east for a while then turned south again through Colwood and on to Twineham. We carried on south onto Truslers Hill Lane down to Shaves Thatch where we turned right onto the A281 for a couple of hundred yards before turning south again onto Clappers Lane. It was raining really heavily now and water was coursing down the road surface - carrying with it lots of grit and other debris - a sudden hiss and a rotating, bubbling sound told me I'd got a puncture. We couldn't find anywhere to shelter so I just pulled up at the side of the road in order to fit a new inner tube. They didn't need to, but I'm pleased to say that all my colleagues stayed with me whilst I whipped the tyre off, removed the flint flake causing the problem and put a nice new tube in. Anton had his pump out ready and it wasn't long before we were all back on the road again. On reaching Fulking we turned right and headed west along the foot of the mist shrouded Downs and on into Bramber.
Pete had planned to take us through Steyning and along Mouse Lane to go past Wiston House but we decided to go the quicker route and use the Steyning bypass/Washington Road option. The rain was tipping down but we soon reached the appropriately named Water Lane and after another couple of hundred yards arrived at the lunch stop, Wiston Tearooms. We were absolutely soaked but fortunately the Tearooms had plenty of space, a stone floor and wooden chairs, so it didn't really matter how much we dripped!
We enjoyed a nice lunch and it was noticeable that no one was particularly keen to get outside in the wet again. However, we bit the bullet, pulled on our rather wet and cold waterproofs and ventured out once more. Pete led us on the shortest route back to Horsham - Ashington, Broomers Corner, Dragons Green, Bax Castle and Two Mile Ash Road up to Tower Hill.
In spite of the weather, I have to say that the ride was very enjoyable and would have been superb on a sunny day.
Our next ride will start from Three Bridges Station at 09:30. Anton will lead what should be an easy/medium ride to Westerham. However, he tells me that there would be a couple of hills at the end of such a ride and that if people want, he will shorten the ride a little to avoid the hills and have lunch at The Haycutter in Broadham Green.
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.
August: last of the summer months, full of long sunny days just perfect for cycling.
In order to avoid a clash with the Arun Crossing DA Event, I set this ride up for a Saturday and to be honest I wasn't expecting many takers, so imagine my pleasant surprise to be met by five other riders at Horsham Park. Even so, we hung around for another 10 minutes in case any one else turned up.
It was a good mixed group with Pete and Marian on their tandem, Barbara on a tourer, Gordon and myself on MTB's, as was Norman, recently returned from a 7 week adventure in North West Pakistan.
We quickly evaded the Horsham traffic and headed out on the Pedlars Way which was in a nice firm and smooth condition. This was followed by a short stretch of road along Jackrells Lane/Polecat Lane and on to Copsale where we acquired the Downs Link which would form the bulk of our route.
The Downs Link was nice and fast, but even so we were going to be late for our rendezvous with Val at Henfield. I sent her a text to let her know and, once we got to Partridge Green, let Gordon go ahead so she wasn't sat alone waiting for us for too long. The rest of us arrived at Henfield at 11am (only half an hour late) and had a quick breather, resisting the temptation to 'pop' into the Cat and Canary for a refreshment break.
We carried on, enjoying the clear blue skies with warm sunshine and even the traverse of the field once we left the trackbed wasn't too bad - all was right with the world.
We passed Bramber Castle and followed the Adur down to the Old Bridge to pull up at The Red Lion at exactly 12:00hrs - give the ride leader major brownie points!!
We sat in the sun watching the aerial displays - some even had the comfort of deckchairs!!
Gordon had to leave us after an hour or so but the rest of us stayed until gone two o'clock - by then we'd had enough to eat and drink and were starting to get a bit sunburnt as well. We saw the Eurofighter put on a great display:
We headed home, back up the Downs Link as far as Henfield where we had a refreshment break at the Cat and Canary then said goodbye to Val as she loaded her bike onto her car.
Once we got back to Copsale, we switched to the roads and eventually used Sedgwick Lane to get us to Doomsday Green. Here, everyone else headed for Horsham whereas I turned right to pass Mannings Heath and then use Grouse Road back to Pease Pottage and then home.
Having agreed to lead this ride rather late in the day due
to Bob revelling in the delights of Ibiza and not returning to the UK until the
day before the ride, I decided to set myself a challenge of finding the easiest
(ie flattest) route to Staplefield from Horsham. A quick search on Google
revealed that Horsham has an altitude of 50m and Staplefield one of 76m so in
theory it shouldn’t be too difficult but Horsham is surrounded by hills and it
was always going to be a case of minimising the hills rather than avoiding them
altogether.
Arriving at Horsham Park Pavilions I was pleased to see that
there was a good turnout of riders: Bob (refreshed from a week of idling on
beaches), Anton, Michael, Ken, Gordon, Val and myself. Just before we set off
John V also arrived having ridden from Crawley. I had decided to leave Horsham
via Pedlar’s way and the Downslink but after the heavy rain of the night before
I was uncertain how muddy it would be. Anton, Bob, Ken, Michael and John decided to take a road route while Val,
Gordon and myself decided to brave the off road route agreeing to meet at
Copsale. When the off road group reached Coltstaple lane however we found the
others waiting for us. Bob had got confused and used Kerves Lane instead of
Sedgwick lane and decided to join us along Jackrell’s Lane. At Copsale we again
parted company with the roadies going via Maplehurst and up a couple of hills
while the rest of us took the Downslink to Partridge Green where we regrouped.
From there we took an undulating route via Shermanbury, High Cross and Albourne
to Hurstpierpoint. Despite being at about the same altitude as Horsham, on
turning north along Cuckfield Road we were rewarded with a long downhill
stretch on which Val recorded a new high speed record of some 26mph on her new
bike. We soon paid for this with some uphill stretches as we continued north
through Goddards Green to Ansty where we met John C who had missed the start at
Horsham. Continuing north via Deak’s
lane we encountered the worst hills of the morning before joining the B2115
Staplefield Road where Anton left us. Bearing right at Slough Green there was
another long downhill stretch to Staplefield where we stopped at the Victory
for some much needed refreshments and were amused by the notice in the window.
The two Johns left us to return to Crawley via Handcross
while the remainder of us stayed a little longer and eventually and somewhat
reluctantly decided that we must leave. We headed westwards via Slaugham and
Hammerpond Road where Bob and Gordon left us at Grouse Road leaving Val,
Michael and myself to suffer the final climbs near Mannings Heath and return to
Horsham.
My newly loaded Google Tracker app on my mobile phone
displayed the following statistics at the end of the ride.
Total Distance 32.09 miles
Average moving speed 9.1 mph
Max speed 34.57 mph
Minimum elevation 156.30 feet
Maximum elevation 525.46 feet
Elevation gain 3291.85 feet
How accurate these figures are and whether I achieved my
objective of finding the easiest route I don’t know but I think everybody
enjoyed the ride which is the most important thing.
Pete E.
Our next ride is on Sunday 4th August and is the DA Picnic. Pack a picnic in your saddlebag/bumbag/backpack/barbag/pannier and make your own way to Wisborough Green where we will rendezvous with the other West Sussex groups at about midday to sit on the village green, eat, drink and be merry! Every member that turns up earns 5 points in the DA Trophy competition.
Please note that we do NOT have an organised ride from Horsham for this event as we have no one to lead the ride - sorry. Feel free to make your own way to Wisborough Green though.
During the summer months, we have a number of events designed to bring members of Arun/Adur, Bognor/Chichester and Horsham /Crawley CTC member groups together. In July we stage the Two Weald Ride. This gives our members a choice of four different 25 mile routes looping out from Wisborough Green in the general direction of each of the four main compass points.
For this years event we had a total of 15 riders turn up. It was a gloriously sunny day and I opened up the checkpoint a little earlier than advertised and got the first rider off at 09:35, with the second following along just before 10:00. As in the last few years, Frank and Pat brought their camper van and it made a great base for everyone to congregate around and enjoy their refreshments. Frank had manoeuvred it under the tree and so we could sit in the shade to avoid getting sunburnt.
The bulk of the riders set off in two groups at about 10:15 - one group using the North loop and the other using the West loop. This left Frank and myself manning the Control but we were soon joined by John V and then Anton. We were hoping to ride as a quartet but we needed to wait for someone to take over the Control and time was slipping away, so John and Anton set off on the West loop by themselves. As I was getting hungry, I popped into the pub for lunch and got back to the van just before Pat arrived back (with John C). This meant Frank and I could set off, along with Colin - this was his second loop of the day. We'd decided on using the West loop because we think it is the nicest although it does have a couple of hills. This slide show covers all but the last mile of the entire route in a mere 6.5 minutes! If only we could ride that fast! Mind you, we'd miss the fantastic countryside that it goes through - hopefully the slide show gives some flavour, but believe me, there's no substitute for the real thing.
Arriving back at the Control bang on 16:00, all that was left to do was wave goodbye to the last of our fellow riders as they headed for home and then pack up the camper van and head for home ourselves. It had been a wonderful days cycling although the heat had probably stopped some people doing additional loops. That said, we'd collectively cycled well in excess of 400 miles taking into account those people such as John V, Anne and Colin who had all ridden to and from Wisborough Green on top of riding their loops.
Next weeks ride is a big one - it's the Horsham 100. And this being England, the 100 means miles not kilometres! It will start from Horsham Pavilions in the Park at 07:00 hrs and comprises of a 50 mile loop to the south with a tea stop at The Barn Garden Centre (Dial Post) at 09:30 and lunch at the Park Cafe in Horsham at 12:30. The afternoon 50 mile loop will head north and have a tea break at Henfold Lakes at 16:00 to finish back at Horsham Pavilions in the Park at 19:00 hrs. Feel free to do as much or as little of the ride as you want - perhaps just one 50 mile loop, or just a rendezvous at one of the refreshment stops which are both within about ten miles of Horsham. Hey, why not just meet up at lunch and give your encouragement to those trying to make it to three figures :-)
Six a.m. rendezvous at Turners Hill? Yes, of course I can make that. It sounded easy enough and I managed to get all my packing done the day before as well as wake up at 04:30. But somehow, time slipped by and I was 20 minutes late! I sent JV a text to let him know and the tone of the next hour or so was set - everyone else (John V, John C, Richard, Peter and Marian) riding along on schedule, me riding hard to try and catch up. Every hill seemed to be hard work and with the wind slightly on my front quarter I struggled to get into the twenties on the long run down past Wakehurst and through Ardingly. It was with some relief that I met up with the waiting JV just before Lindfield. He proceeded to pace me as we carried on to Slugwash Lane. I was still finding the hills a struggle but we were keeping up a good pace which meant we caught the others shortly after Wivelsfield Green. No time to stop and chat, we kept going using several small lanes heading east and south east before emerging on the A275 near Cooksbridge. We passed through Lewes as the friday morning rush hour was getting into its stride and continued south past Kingston, Rodmell, Southease and Piddinghoe to arrive at Newhaven Ferry terminal by 08:40 - 31 miles in a little over two and a half hours of cycling - not bad.
Having passed through Passport Control, we hung around the rather spartan waiting room and were surprised by just how many other cyclists arrived to use the same ferry - fortunately one of them was Barbara who had come across from Horsham by car.
I posted this bleak picture on Facebook - yes, it was as cold as it looks!!
We were soon aboard and with our bikes all huddled together in a space at the stern on deck 3, we found a table in the bar area on deck 8 and settled down for what we were anticipating would be a bumpy voyage. But no, in spite of the strong crosswind the ship provided a fairly smooth crossing and just under four hours of chatting, eating, drinking and snoozing later we were just outside Dieppe.
It was a short ride to the hotel and having checked in and unpacked, some of us had a quick wander around the town and enjoyed a quiet drink in a bar near the cathedral.
We regrouped, and set off to look for a venue for our Saturday evening meal. We soon found one and managed to book a table, after which we headed off to a bar for a couple of pre-dinner drinks.
Then it was time for something to eat, so we popped into a nearby restaurant.
Saturday morning arrived bright and breezy. We walked into the town centre to find a cafe for a coffee and croissant breakfast and enjoyed a stroll around the colourful market.
Then at 10:30 we set off, away to the southeast of Dieppe, with the wind mainly behind us. It helped as we climbed up to the plateau and on through some woodland. The sun had disappeared and it was trying to rain, but it didn't try hard enough and we didn't need to don our waterproofs. The roads were generally quiet and the motorists gave us plenty of leeway, so, coupled with the scenery the ride was very pleasant.
After twenty odd miles we enjoyed a fast, double-hairpin descent from the plateau and sped down into a town called Neufchatel-en-Bray.
We found a quiet cafe and enjoyed a very pleasant hour and a half away from the wind, eating, drinking and chatting.Thanks to the linguistic skills of Pete, JV and Barbara we even got exactly what we wanted from the menu!
For the return trip we split into two groups. The first would head back to Dieppe following the Avenue Verte - a very high quality and direct tarmac route laid on an old railway trackbed. The second group headed southwest, climbed out of the valley and visited a V1 launch site at Val-Ygot. This WWII site was well-presented and was free to visit. A memorial at the entrance was dedicated to the memory of the victims of secret weapons of WWII.
A replica doodlebug was mounted on a launch rail on a compass bearing of 336 degrees i.e. straight at London.
There were a few people around and so it was that I found myself in the middle of a French Forest at a German military site, talking to a German in a mixture of my awful schoolboy French, English and hand gestures (polite hand gestures). You try doing this without mentioning the war - I think I managed to do so and I think I got away with it! I found this historic site to be both informative and moving - for instance I hadn't realised how many launch sites there were (there were over 100 in this region of France) and Allied bombing, misfiring V1's and the use of maltreated slave labour caused many deaths.
Back on the bikes we now had a nice downhill blast into the valley before a longish draggy climb over the next ridge and past a row of wind turbines lying on their sides prior to being erected. Another nice descent was followed by a few miles of quiet lanes and picturesque villages before we too turned onto the Avenue Verte and managed a steady 16mph into the wind and all the way back to Dieppe.
We arrived back at the hotel at about 18:00 hrs having clocked up 60 odd miles for the day.
Then we all headed out to the restaurant for our celebration dinner where we were joined by Edwin and Peter.
We followed the meal up with another visit to a bar before taking a leisurely stroll back to the hotel taking in some of the sights Dieppe had to offer:
Edwin and Peter also joined us for the Sunday morning ride which was graced by nice sunny weather but with a fairly constant westerly wind. We enjoyed a twenty-four mile loop to the east of Dieppe and had a pleasant stop at a bar-tabac half way round.
Arriving back at the harbour we found a nice sheltered and sunny table at a restaurant and enjoyed what was probably the best food of the weekend.
It seemed a shame to leave but we were booked on the afternoon ferry, so we said goodbye to Edwin and Peter (their ferry wasn't until Monday), picked up our panniers from our hotel and headed to the ferry terminal.
Back on board the ferry (The Seven Sisters) we once again stored our bikes, claimed our space in the bar area and took one last look at Dieppe as we steamed back to Blighty.
The journey back dragged on and on - probably because the weather was closing in and it was getting dark but four hours after setting off we docked at Newhaven and after a long wait were finally able to disembark and rush around to the Railway Station. A few minutes later our train pulled in and we dispersed ourselves along the three carriages so as not to clog up any doorways - this meant I was all alone in the end carriage.
At Brighton we only had to walk our bikes 10 yards from one train to the next and it left almost the moment we'd all got on board. Forty minutes later we arrived at Three Bridges and just a few minutes later we were all safely home from our French weekend.
Everyone seems to have enjoyed it immensely and I'm hoping we can do a similar sort of trip next year.
Next weeks ride is the next DA Event. It starts from Sumners Ponds in Barns Green (free parking available, or Billingshurst station is about 4 miles away) at 10:00hrs. It will be a Bicycle Treasure Hunt with a set route of about 30 miles, a pub for lunch and will finish at about 16:00hrs back at Sumners Ponds. Please join in, people usually enjoy it a lot.
