Cutty Sark Ride 2015

I thought I'd organize this ride for a Bank Holiday Weekend so that it would only take up 1/3rd of peoples weekend freetime - that should guarantee a good attendance!

I met up with Michael at Three Bridges station and we caught the train to Blackfriars station. We had fun fitting ourselves and two bikes into the lift but we managed it and as we emerged onto the Southbank we were met by Eric. That was it - I'd had a few messages from people saying they couldn't make it but nonetheless we stopped at the start point outside London Bridge Station until the specified start time.

We rode over to Greenwich and took a couple of photos whilst waiting for the second start time to arrive, then we were off.

We've become very familiar with the route now and in many ways it makes the riding easier. We were chatting away and even the couple of minor route detours didn't faze us. With so few riders we weren't wasting much time stopping for regroups and we got to the lunch pub, the White Bear at Fickleshole, before 12:30.

The rain was holding off and it was warm enough to sit outside and share our lunch with a few lazy wasps.

As usual the afternoon started off  with an offroad blast downhill with soggy mud and nettles to avoid, followed by a lungbusting drag up the hill and onwards to Chelsham. My favourite part of the day was next with a nice rapid descent through the trees to Woldingham Golf Course - made a bit more exciting by the gully that has developed in the lower parts of the track! We were back in the pedalling groove as we made our way up the quiet valley past Woldingham school and then along Quarry Road - this bit is always annoying as it takes you down part of the scarp slope before forcing you to climb back up it on a rough track. It does mean however that the crossing of the A22 is safely via a bridge. The road climb just beyond required the use of granny gear but shortly after we had the usual breather at the top of Gravelly Hill. The view wasn't as good as on previous occasions - the weather was muggy and reduced the view to a vague expanse of slightly misty green hills.

Remounting, we had the fast descent through the woods and under the M25 to emerge by the sand quarries. The path zig zags between the pits and was quite peaceful - until Eric swallowed a fly and proceeded to emit the loudest coughs I have ever heard! We carried on, past a cricket match and across Nutley Marsh. Passing a gent walking his dog the damned thing jumped at me but fortunately was prevented from making contact by the owners strong grip on the lead - I  suspect his Rottweiler often tries to play with unsuspecting body parts within range!

We passed through Redhill and then past the East Surrey Hospital. I took a short cut through the housing estate and we stopped at the newsagents for a chocolate bar and drink before having a quick blast along the track and down through the woodland.. We met up with a couple of cyclists riding from the London Eye to Burgess Hill and guided them through the badlands of Horley as far as the station. Eric had a puncture so decided to catch the train down to Three Bridges leaving Michael and I to carry on, past Gatwick Airport. As we went into the industrial estate we met a German cyclist and guided him as far as Northgate Avenue where we pointed him in the direction of the town centre. We then rode on to Three Bridges Station where Michael would meet up with Eric to drive back home and I carried on up and over the final hill to get home having clocked up just over 50 miles. The actual distance from the Cutty Saek to Crawley was about 45 miles and I reckon we should rate the ride as medium rather than hard.

Next weeks ride is the last DA Event of the year - the Arun Crossings. It starts from Pulborough Station at 09:30. It involves crossing the river on tracks and bridleways so is easier on a mountain bike or strong hybrid. 

Leith Hill (the highest point in the southeast)

Ten lovely people turned up for today's ride and enjoyed a leisurely ride through Crawley, Ifield, Rusper and Ockley before gritting their teeth and climbing up to Leith Hill. The weather was sunny and clear but with a chilly northeasterly wind, so the hot drinks and cake on sale at the Tower were most welcome. 

Corinne and Norman enjoyed some of the trails through the woods on their mountain bikes as we headed east along the ridge before regrouping at Coldharbour. Then we all enjoyed the downhill blast down Anstie Lane - my parting instruction before launching myself down the hill was "Don't over cook the corners!".  Judging by the loud shout and throb of rubber on Tarmac, it would seem that Norman tackled one of the corners with the gas regulator turned up a bit high!!

Regrouping at the bottom of the hill, I was very pleased to see the monster smiles on everyone's faces - they'd all enjoyed that bit (it made up for the hard work of the climb earlier).

The Beare Green roundabout wasn't too busy and was easily negotiated, allowing us to arrive at the Six Bells in Newdigate shortly after.

We lunched indoors and, to be honest, it was quite a noisy affair with us all trying to do various finger exercises, talking about tattoos and trying to come up with a slogan for the club - I believe someone suggested Lion or Littlehampton!

Once we were back on the road, talk was mainly about having another teastop and in spite of a couple of stops to reflate a slow puncture, we were soon back in Crawley and going our separate ways.

Everyone enjoyed the ride and let's hope the same will be true of next weeks ride.  It will start from Horsham Pavilions in the Park at 10:00 hrs and Pete E will lead us all on a fairly easy loop south of Horsham to lunch at The White Horse in Maplehurst.

Reigate

Nice ride today - Ros led eight of us through Northgate and Gatwick to Horley. Then up Horse Hill to Leigh and across to Reigate where we had lunch at Morrisons. We used some lanes we've used before but also a couple of new ones. As we headed back the weather looked to be breaking and so most of us headed straight back to Crawley.

The Foresters Arms, Kirdford

Well, that worked. When I first looked out of the window there was a thin layer of snow hanging around on the shed roof and part of the lawn but by the time I'd breakfasted and completed my ablutions, all sign of snow, slush or ice had gone. There was a bitter wind from the north but the sun was manfully trying to break through and accentuate the blue bits of sky. With five layers on my upper body, a woolly hat under my helmet and two or three layers everywhere else I was feeling quite toasty as I rode up Pease Pottage Hill and headed out along the Forest Road. A couple of roadies were just in front of me going a bit slower than I wanted but I didn't overtake them as I didn't want a race on my hands. Fortunately they turned right at Colgate so I could then get up to the pace I wanted. As I arrived at Horsham Park Pavilions I spotted Norman and Anton in the car park, then Pate E and Ken in the bike park. We were then joined by Malcolm who must have been riding just behind me along the Forest Road. So six blokes out today, all fairly experienced and as the weather was still bright but cold I decided we would do the full route I'd planned.

We left Horsham via the golf course and headed west via Rowhook Hill, Ellen's Green and Cox Green. After Baynards the lane went up and then we turned right and were overtaken by a car as we were doing the turn!!  The next left took us along a quiet lane which suddenly had parked cars along both sides - Cranleigh Rugby Club would appear to have a lot of members but very few parking places. On reaching the A281 we turned left and followed it down to Alfold Crossways - here we were overtaken on the left by a right-turning Range Rover! Quality driving, not. 

From here we headed over to Dunsfold and then turned south, putting the wind behind our backs. Pete was leading us at a fair old pace now although Norman hit the front as we passed through Plaistow. Just a few miles later we were pulling up at the lunch stop, The Foresters Arms at Kirdford. We were the first people in and picked a couple of tables in the public bar where a large fireplace had a newly lit fire burning in the grate. The pub had a really good range of food on offer and three bitters on tap. Most of the chat today was about the changes we are making to the clubs online presence. Our old website has been the subject to numerous complaints in recent times due to the intrusive advertising it pushes out, so we are in the process of moving it across to be hosted on the main CTC website. In addition we are trying out running a Meetup site as a possible way of attracting more riders. Please use both of them and give us some feedback to help us further improve things.

As we were leaving the pub, so we met Richard Boulton and several other Arun/Adur colleagues. A quick chat and a photocall and we'd swapped place - they were in the warmth of the pub, we were in the cold, riding our bikes.

I wanted to get us home as quick as possible so I decided we would head for Wisborough Green and then use the A272 to and through Billingshurst. Next we headed up to New Road, then through Barns Green to Bax Castle and up to Tower Hill. Exactly as per the Runslist, we'd had a round trip off exactly 35 miles anand we said goodbye to the Horsham crew, Pete and Norman, then Anton in the car park and that just left Ken, Malcom and myself to run a chain gang back to Crawley. I eventually got home at about 15:15 and took a much needed warm shower to thaw myself out.

Next weeks ride is an easy ride aimed at beginners and will start from Three Bridges Station at 10:00hrs for a two hour loop led by Gordon.

At 13:00hrs, members can convene at Gordon's house for the Q2 Runs List Meeting - come along with idea/suggestions/opinions and we can create a set of rides for April, May and June that we all will enjoy.

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!

The Jolly Farmer

It's been a while since I produced a blog - I've missed the last two rides!


This week however, I was leader - no shirking, I had to be there....


A 10:30 start from Three Bridges station meant that I comfortably got there on time and quickly spotted Norman enjoying his breakfast by the (immobile) mobile café. I'd also received a message from Gordon and Jacqui who were in the coffee shop (along with Frank). Then Eric rocked up, followed by Pete E, then Michael and Christine. Nine riders - not bad, not bad at all. The half ten start and proximity of the pub to Crawley meant that I had selected a very easy and straightforward route. We used the NCN21 route out through Three Bridges, Northgate and the Industrial Estate to Gatwick Airport. We headed through Horley, past the Air Balloon pub and out on Meath Green Lane.


BANG!


The Sunday morning silence was broken by Michaels rear tyre blowing up - although it sounded far worse than it was. Once he'd removed the tube, all he found was a small stone sticking through the tyre and a 4mm diameter hole in the tube. Unfortunately his spare had too fat a valve but Gordon saved the day with exactly the right tube (in spite of the fact that it would have fitted neither his nor Jacqui's bike!!).


We were soon back on the road and after a couple of miles took the right turn across to Salford where we had to carefully cross the A23. Continuing eastwards, we were soon at Outwood and passing the windmill. Now we had the only hill of the day and it wasn't up!  Waahay - I just managed to match the speed limit as I freewheeled down and then we just had a short run along the lane to the pub, The Jolly Farmer.


As we locked up the bikes I was extolling the virtues of the last visit to this pub - good food, good drink, good atmosphere, good fire in the grate - so I was more than slightly crestfallen when the landlord revealed that they couldn't offer any food as their chef had recently left. Still, the beer was nice and cheap, so we had a swift quaff whilst working out Plan B.


Plan B: where's the nearest pub? A quick look at the map, coupled with a determination not to ride further away from Crawley, and we decided to head for The Plough at Smallfield. It only took a few minutes but as we pulled up I was worried that it was bit too posh and 'restauranty' for a gaggle of cyclists. However, I was pleasantly surprised as we received a very warm welcome from the staff who quickly pushed some tables together so we could sit as a group and presented us with a varied menu containing plenty of lighter meal options. The food arrived quickly and was most enjoyable. Everyone chipped in to the various conversations and the time just flew by.


As we left, Frank got us all together for a group photo - an impressive feat that I rarely manage due to the similarity groups of cyclists have with herds of cats!  You can rarely get them all in the same place, at the same time, looking the same way.......

From Smallfield I planned to head towards Shipley Bridge via Church Lane and the small bridge over the M23, but I changed my mind and used a tiny lane from Smallfield leading under the M23. A short, slightly muddy section then led us on to another small lane skirting the moat of Thunderfield Castle in Horley. At the end of the lane I had thought about turning left and following the Balcombe Road all the way back to Crawley but a dose of common sense and a nudge from Eric persuaded me to turn right, head for Horley Station and then use the NCN21 back to Gatwick. From Gatwick we retraced our steps into the Industrial Estate but with a quick detour to use the new linear park / cycle path called Crawters Brook. I've ridden through it about five times now and I don't think I've seen anyone else using it so far!

Our group now started to part ways - Gordon, Jacqui and Pete heading West to use the A23 cyclepaths to Broadfield and Horsham. Norman was next to go, heading up Northgate Avenue. The rest of us stayed together until Three Bridges where Frank, Michael and Christine headed back to their cars at the station. Meanwhile Eric and I used the newly resurfaced NCN20 into Furnace Green for me and on to Maidenbower for Eric.

Our next ride on Sunday 7th December will be an easy ride starting from Horsham Pavilions in the Park at 10:00hrs and heading for a Lunch stop at the Queens Head in Barns Green. There is the possibility that we will use some gentle offroad tracks but all but the most fragile of bikes will be able to deal with them.  Come on, come out, give yourselves some fresh air and exercise, before Christmas really kicks in!!



The Plough at Leigh

I still don't know how to correctly pronounce the name of the village, but that didn't mean that Anton couldn't lead us there.


The last Sunday in September dawned with glorious clear blue skies and on arrival at Three Bridges Station there were a couple of new faces joining us for the ride. Anton led Eric, Sebastian, Michael, Christine, John C and myself out through Three Bridges on NCN 20 and into the Industrial Estate (coincidentally, using the same route that I do on my way to work). The roads were fairly quiet and we were soon on the smooth path running alongside the River Mole towards the Airport terminal building. The lake at Horley was looking very picturesque in the sunshine and then Anton took us through the middle of Horley and over the corssroads by the Air Balloon pub. Meath Green Lane/Lonesome Lane was very smooth and we realized that we were running a long way ahead of time, so decided to fit in an extra stop.

Accordingly we pulled up at Reigate Garden Centre to have a quick drink and ablutions break...


On the road again, Anton took us on some pleasant lanes to Betchworth and past The Dolphin pub before fitting in a little extra loop to ensure we arrived at The Plough in Leigh bang on midday -  Anton scores maximum points for timing.


We sat outside in the sunshine and were met by Barbara who had ridden up from Horsham.




The beer was good, the food was good, the conversation was good but the weather eclipsed them all - a full-on summers day.

We remounted and headed west before turning south to get to Parkgate. From here it was west and south again to Newdigate and then further south to Rusper. We stopped there for a while (and some of us had an icecream) before Barbara headed off towards Horsham and the rest of us headed back to Ifield. We took advantage of the new Ifield to West Green cycle route and then used the backstreets of Southgate to get to Hawth Avenue and thence Furnace Green where I left the group. Anton carried on, under the railway to Maidenbower and then guided the last couple of riders back to Three Bridges Station.


Next weeks ride is Gordon's B-Ride - it starts from Three Bridges Station at 10:00 hrs .(or 08:00 for Breakfast at Gordons) then follows a mixed surface route out to Horsham on the NCN 288 route and back via St. Leonards Forest. Mountain bikes or strong tourers are recommended.  Why B-Ride you ask - well, it features breakfast, bacon butties, banter, bikes, bridleways, Bob(probably), bumps, bunnies(maybe), bananaskins, babies - that's enough b's! Ed.

Downslink in a Weekend - Part one - Allez Guildford

A Saturday ride - would anyone turn up?

The answer is yes, for I was joined at Horsham Pavilions in the Park by Barbara, Corinne, Norman and Ken. Pete E even popped by to see us off, but would not be riding until tomorrow.

I decided that we would head for Slinfold, so we went over the Golf Course, through Broadbridge Heath and past Newbridge. Barbara was getting worried that we'd be going up the hill in Slinfold but no, we turned onto the Downslink just beforehand. 

The weather was improving as the cloud burned off and the surface of the track was good so a nice days riding was in prospect. 

Before long we reached the double bridge and we stopped there for a breather and a spot of sightseeing. A couple of other cyclists were also there and we all had a pleasant chat standing in the sunshine. Before long, the two minute break I'd intended had become 15 minutes!! Time to get going again - especially as Michael would be meeting us somewhere near Rudgwick. 

We crossed the A281 and proceeded through Rudgwick but I could see no sign of Michael. Then he replied to the text I'd sent to tell me he was at Baynards, just north of us. A couple of minutes later, on the climb past the tunnel, we met up with him as well as son Eric and wife Christine. The climb up the ridge (the tunnel diversion) was harder than I remembered it but I enjoyed the fast run through the woods on the other side. Unfortunately Barbara had a minor off there and decided to hit the road and head back to Horsham. The rest of us headed on, back onto the Downslink (avoiding the flooded stretch near Baynards) and soon arrived at Cranleigh. Christine left us here - the call of the coffee shop on the High Street was too great. 

The next few miles were covered as we chatted about the new Icelandic volcanic eruption - Norman is waiting for a call to say "Come and view me". He's been to Iceland before an eruption and after an eruption but not during. At Bramley we paused for a few minutes (comfort break) before carrying on and then, after crossing the A281, finally leaving the route of the railway just before it merged with some still existing railways. The official Downslink had headed off to the north east and St Martha's Hill where it meets up with the north Downs Way. We were now on  part of the national Cycle Network route to Guildford. it took us alongside the A281 on and off for the next few miles before finally putting us on the tarmac for the last few hundred yards into the centre of Guildford where we crossed over the old bridge and pulled up at the White House pub for lunch.

Lunch was enjoyed sitting outside on the terrace but I have to report that we lost another one of our riders here - Corinne had seen a Duck she fancied and because she couldn't carry it on her bike had decided to head home by train. I believe she named the duck "Gillie" and I should point out that he wasn't a real duck!! Gillie is a sand filled leather duck shaped doorstop.

For the return trip, we decided to use the towpath to exit Guildford. The towpath is a "permissive" path which means cyclists are allowed but don't necessarily have a right. So, we rode along it taking our usual high standard of care. It presented a couple of minor challenges - a landslip and some building works but was very enjoyable to use. Here's a video of pretty much the entire route back from Guildford to Slinfold (I speeded it up but it's still 23 minutes long):

Just before Rudgwick we stopped off at a new cafe that's opened in the old Rudgwick brickworks. There's also a brewery there, so Norman and Eric were in their element. The rest of us enjoyed refreshments in the cafe (where we met up with Christine once more). 

That left just three of us - Ken, Norman and myself to say goodbye to Michael, Christine and Eric at Rudgwick and then have an uneventful ride back to Slinfold. From there it was but a few minutes back to Horsham where Norman peeled off as Ken and I headed to Roffey. Here, we parted - Ken prefers to use the A264 back to Crawley whereas I'm much more comfortable using the Forest Road.

Tomorrow we'll do the southern part of the Downslink - I think we'll have to start from Slinfold again as Norman has been making noises about us missing out the middle if we start from Copsale and he might have to complain to the committee! (tongue in cheek).

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:

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.

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:

 

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.

Easy Ride

Saturday was just about OK - mainly sunny but with the wind whipping up a bit towards evening.  Saturday night was wet and windy, Sunday morning, well, it looked like it might just about be OK.

It was an Easy Ride aimed at anyone new to cycling or not wanting to bite off too much of a ride, but as usual only club members turned up - six of us in total: Pete S (leading), Anton, Norman (back from his Silk Road adventure), Barbara, Malcolm and Bob. After a discussion we decided not to use the Worth Way but to head for Reigate Garden Centre.

Pete led us through Three Bridges and Northgate to the Industrial Estate using NCN21 and we stayed on it through Gatwick and into Horley where the heavens opened. Barbara and Norman decided the call of Horley Station and a nice dry train back to Horsham was too strong a call to ignore and the rest of us rode on. We used Meath Green Lane and Lonesome Lane to Reigate and then a couple of residential roads to arrive at the garden centre.

We tidied ourselves up a bit before sitting at our table in the cafe but there were soon several puddles underneath (mainly fuelled by the rainwater draining from Malcolms sodden shoes). The service was good - friendly and efficient - and after a mere half hour or so, we were heading back outside.

It had stopped raining by now and we zigzagged through the houses and out onto the A217 before turning right onto Ironsbottom. This lane kept us away from the traffic until we briefly joined the A217 again before entering Gatwick through the back door and following the NCN21 back to the Industrial Estate. This time however we used Tinsley Lane and the footbridge by the Hotel before cutting behind Tesco and passing under the railway to follow St Mary's Drive down to the traffic lights near Three Bridges Station. Now we went along Billington Drive and onto the Worth Way for a short distance before wriggling through Maidenbower to arrive at Frogshole Farm for lunch and then our Q4 Runslist Meeting.

Pete was unable to attend the meeting but our numbers were made up by a waiting Val and later, the arrival of a freshly-dried Barbara. The meeting was successful and, along with earlier e-mail contributions, we managed to produce a nicely rounded programme of rides for October / November / December.  Thanks everyone.

Our next ride is one of my favourite rides. We meet up outside Evans Cycles at London Bridge by 09:45 to ride over to The Cutty Sark at Greenwich. We leave there at 10:15 and follow NCN21 all the way back to Crawley. The morning is almost entirely on tarmac paths through the parks and countryside(!) of South London before we stop for lunch in the North Downs at a very nice pub called The Bear at Fickleshole. After lunch, the first few miles are quite hard with a lot of off road tracks and a couple of tough hills (although I believe Ros has an easier onroad route out of the Downs and over the M25 in mind) before we negotiate the flatlands of the Nutfield Marsh area, pass East Surrey Hospital and then cruise through Horley and Gatwick back to Crawley. We should finish at about 16:30/17:00.

Come on - it's a challenge and, if the weather is nice, it will be a memorable experience.

The Crawley 100

Each year we stage a 100 mile ride - as befits the name of our club we start it at either Crawley or Horsham. This year it was a Crawley start. The current route was devised by Mick a few years ago and has had just a couple of minor adjustments since

One hundred miles is a pretty intimidating distance, so in recent weeks I had been talking to fellow club members and trying to encourage participation in the event at a level people were comfortable with - ride part of it, half of it, join us at a refreshment stop, wave as we ride past - whatever suited. I was very pleased to be met by six riders (Pete S, Malcolm, Ken, Anton, Pat and Frank) as I pulled up at Three Bridges Station at the unearthly time of 7 am! Mick had intended coming over by train but due to a cancellation had to rejig and arranged to meet us at Doomsday Green.

So, we set off through Furnace Green and Tilgate to K2 and the first climb of the day, up Pease Pottage Hill. The roundabout was very busy with cars queuing to get into the car boot sale so it was very easy and a lot safer than usual to negotiate. Everyone enjoyed the fast ride down Grouse Road, although Hammerponds Lane was less well received. My timetable said that we should be at the Doomsday Green/A281 crossroads between 07:45 and 08:00 - we were just 5 minutes into the window so, having met up with Pete E, Mick and Michael, we had a couple of minutes for a breather.

The roads were not very busy and the weather was just perfect for cycling as we headed on south wards to Copsale and then eastwards to Maplehurst. Here we continued east before turning south to head towards Littleworth. Pat and Frank turned north instead as they had to head for home. after Littleworth we used the A281 towards Henfield but turned left onto the B2116 before going north to Wineham. After passing the Royal Oak we turned right onto Bob Lane and a mere couple of lanes later we popped over the A23 and pulled up at the breakfast halt - the Bolney Little Chef - bang on schedule, 09:30hrs.

Here's a string of pictures Anton took to illustrate the journey so far:

http://youtu.be/Ep2CwJKiW1g

Breakfast was enjoyable and the service was impressively quick and accurate but we were still a few minutes behind schedule setting off again and the second half of the morning 50 miles had just a few hills in store for us!

The route took us on a couple of very quiet lanes east then north, across the A272 and up to Brook Green before heading east to Whitemans Green and on to Borde Hill. Copyhold Lane took us further east and then it was north to Ardingly. Here are two views of the run down to the reservoir - I tried (but failed) to put them side by side but could only put them one after the other.

http://youtu.be/RYhklX1NTnw

After the stiff climb away from the water, we carried on north and on to Turners Hill. Now it was all downhill or level to lunch and we arrived at Stepneys cafe in Maidenbower exactly at 12:30, right on schedule.

Malcolm was suffering from a bad ankle so headed home - hope it's better now Malcolm. Pete S had to get back home for a family activity so there were just six of us sitting down for lunch. however, Pete E and Michael headed straight back to Horsham (stopping off for a pleasant beer or two at The dragon in Colgate).

This left just four of us to set off for the afternoon fifty miles. The first twenty five miles were fairly level as we used NCN21 and Lonesome Lane up to Reigate and some quiet lanes westwards in the Betchworth and Leigh areas before we passed through Newdigate and arrived at Capel Church for tea.  

The tea and cake was superb but it was time to get going again. Just a few minutes later we were enjoying a very pleasant run down Weare Street but then it was the short hill into Okewoodhill. Rowhook Hill soon followed but thankfully downhill. I was getting tired by now and even though we were in Horsham I was dreading the last few miles back to Crawley. Mick had peeled off as he was close to home, leaving just Anton, Ken and myself to endure Hammerpond Lane and Grouse Road. Looking at the map I reckoned we didn't need to do the Lambs Green loop to get the mileage right but when we finally got to Pease Pottage, Ken decided he needed to go to Handcross and back to ensure his Garmin ticked over to 100 miles. Meanwhile Anton clocked up his 100 just before we got back to Three Bridges Station (he'd put in some extra distance at lunchtime by going to his car and back) and my speedo registered 100 as I cycled home from the station. 

Thanks to everyone for taking part, hope you all recovered quickly (it took me just over a day).

The next ride is on Sunday 3rd August and is a DA Event, the Picnic. We'll start from Horsham Pavilions in the Park at 09:30 and ride to Wisborough Green for the picnic, before returning - it should be a fairly easy 35-40 mile trip. The hardest part will be packing and carrying your picnic - mine will be crammed into my bum bag so will of necessity consist of fairly firm foodstuffs like cheese, chorizo, hard boiled egg etc.   Come on, rise to the challenge, see you on Sunday.

Newbridge Garden Centre

Mick led this ride which started from Horsham Pavilions in the Park at 08:30 and was accompanied by Pete E and Michael. Mick had publicised a number of joining points but the first, at The Black Swan in Pease Pottage, had no takers. However, the second had a gaggle of riders eager to join the days cycling excitement - Malcolm, Corinne, Pete, Marian, John C, John V and Bob.

So ten of us turned into Springfield Road and for the second consecutive week the ride took us along NCN228 through Goffs Park. This time however, when we got into Gossops Green we took a right turn onto Overdene Drive and passed my old school before using the Rusper Road to get to Rusper.

From here we carried on to Capel and then took the Ockley road. A left and right over the A29 and then rounding the corner we were confronted by a Road Closed sign. Fortunately the road we wanted was open - Mole Street. This was a really nice lane that I don't think I've ridden before - I have it on video now:

At the southern end of the lane we emerged on Horsham Road in Walliswood. We carried on south and west to Ellens Green before swooping down through Rudgwick, across the A281 and on down to The Haven. Carrying on we turned left onto Stane Street for the one mile straight (actually it's probably less than half a mile) up to Hayes Lane and into Slinfold. This was the home straight now and just a few minutes later we were at the Garden Centre for lunch.

Mick had ensured they knew we were coming so that we would definitely have a table but as it happens, the cafe is so big that we had acres of space and split into an inside group and an outside group while we ate our lunches.

The  journey back took us through Broadbridge Heath up to Warnham and across to Warnham Station. We used the gated crossing rather than the subway (that saved Pete and Marian having to hoist their tandem on their shoulders).

Now our noble band split with Horsham trio turning right and the Crawley contingent turning left and up the hill past the Langhurst tip (or "recycling facility" as it is no doubt now restyled). We then took Green Lane followed by Wimland Road and Wimlands Lane to get to the Faygate Road crossroads. Here the two Johns headed north to stay on the tarmac roads and use Lambs Green to get back to Crawley whilst the rest of us were back on NCN228 and heading along the farm track atop the ridge.

After a gate the track becomes a pressed stone/mud track flashing through the woodland and down to the railway crossing into Bewbush. Crossing the tail of Ifield Mill Pond we were back in Gossops Green and heading through my childhood stomping ground back to Goffs Park. Corinne left us here, then Malcolm leaving just Pete, Marian and myself to negotiate the backstreets of Southgate and head into Furnace Green where the final split occurred and I arrived back home - ready for yet another family do!

Our next ride is our annual 100 mile ride. This year, it's our Crawley version.  It will start from Three Bridges Station at 07:00 hrs and head in an anticlockwise loop to the west and south, passing over the Doomsday Green A 281 Crossroads near Hilliers Garden Centre at about 07:45-08:00hrs. The breakfast stop will be at the Bolney Little Chef at about 09:30 hrs. From there it will head east and north to get to the lunch stop, Stepneys Cafe in Maidenbower Pavilion, Crawley, at about 12:30hrs. That will be the first 50 miles done.  The second part will start from Stepneys at about 13:30 and be another anticlockwise loop, this time to the north going through Gatwick and up to the Leigh and Brockham area before stopping for afternoon tea at Capel Church at about 16:00hrs. The final 25 miles will head west and south (taking in Weare Street) before turning east and heading back to finish at Three Bridges Station at about 19:00hrs.

Come along, even if you just want to do part of the route or share a refreshment stop. There are some wonderful lanes on the route and company always makes the riding easier.

Here are the Morning and Afternoon route maps (click on them to see full-size):

Loxwood

London to Brighton, Father’s day and perhaps the World Cup reduced our starters to 3.  Michael, Peter and Barbara.  We left Horsham by Pondtail road and headed up to Capel.  After Ockley station we headed down Weare Street and up to Oakwoood Hill.  We said cheerio to Barbara and made our way through Walliswood to Ewhurst.  By now I was developing a new style for “leading” rides.  Peter was given the next waypoint and would soon be 100 yards ahead of me but going in the right direction.  The new roundabout on the edge of Cranleigh, complete with signs directing cyclists off the road, caused some confusion.  I lost sight of Peter after this but he was waiting for me at the junction in Cranleigh.  We decided on a coffee break at Costa in the centre of Cranleigh.  After some discussion about the Canal we chose to head south from Cranleigh to Alfold Crossways.  This meant braving a short section of the A281 and passing south of the airfield to Dunsfold.  We headed through Plaistow to the Osbourne Arms in Loxwood arriving about 12.30.  The pub was busy (no sandwiches on Sunday) but we had our food served in about 20 minutes.  We headed back to my house in Rudgwick for a cup of tea. Peter was directed onto the Downs Link to find his way home.

Next Week (June 22nd) is the Crawley Family Bike Ride:  Oriel School to Nymans Gardens and back as part of Bike Week.  This ride is open to the general public and CTC members will be helping to marshall everyone safely along the route. Please arrive at Oriel School (in Maidenbower, Crawley) at about 09:45.

Henfold Lakes

When planning the rides for this quarter it seemed like a great idea to start some rides at 09:00hrs during the longer summer days. It is a great idea, the only trouble is that it means being up and ready to leave the house just after 08:00 hrs if you've got to ride over to Horsham from Crawley (or to Crawley from Horsham on alternate weeks). Amazingly enough I managed it and arrived at Horsham Pavilions in the Park on time (avid readers will know how bad my timing usually is). Mind you, the glorious weather helped.

Waiting at Horsham were Pete E (the ride leader), Val, Malcolm, Mick and Anton. We headed out over the golf course and up Byfleets Lane where we noticed several potholes in the middle of the lane - we couldn't help but notice them as someone had helpfully marked them out in orange paint! Half a mile later, we stopped to regroup but Mick and Anton were a long time joining us. When they finally arrived they told us what had delayed them: a middle-aged couple on bikes were heading down the lane, the lady had swerved to avoid the orange-painted potholes only to head straight at Mick and Anton. She'd put her brakes on but too fiercely and had gone over the handlebars with the tail end of her bike going into Anton. Although she'd suffered a cut to her face, she said she was ok and continued on her bike. Anton was ok if a little bemused.

Soon after this we rode up Rowhook Hill, surprisingly with little comment from our resident hill specialist (possibly she was too shell-shocked?). We carried on to Ellen's Green, then up to Ewhurst Green where we headed east and then turned onto a very quiet lane called Lower Breache Road. On reaching a private driveway, this lane turned left and became Lyefield Lane. I don't recall us ever using these particular lanes before. This brought us out on the Ockley Road just short of Forest Green. We carried on, eschewing the chance of a climb up Leith Hill, looming on our left. Ockley church looked very picturesque, then shortly after we ignored the joy of a downhill Weare Street and carried on to Capel. For a change we didn't turn east in Capel but carried on north up to Beare Green where Mick led us on a quick shortcut to avoid using the main road. 

At Newdigate we regrouped once more and then turned left to go past the village shop - it used to be called Bobs Shop but now seems to be unnamed. The next left took us onto Henfold Lane and we then just had a half mile or so, mainly downhill, before pulling up at Henfold Lakes fishery.

We were met there by the sight of large groups of (i) Morris Dancers (ii) Motor Bikers and (iii) Pete and Marian. Well no, Pete and Marian weren't a large group, although their tandem was the largest pushbike sat outside the clubhouse.  All these visitors meant that the queue to order food and drink was out of the door, but fair plays, the staff got our orders out to us within 15 minutes or so. Coincidentally, 15 minutes was almost exactly how long my first pint of cider lasted.

It was very pleasant sitting in the sun, looking out over the lake and chatting about this and that - so pleasant in fact that it was a real struggle for our illustrious leader to herd us back onto our bikes, but he did and off we rode.

We headed north as far as Red Lane and then headed south, through Charlwood (via Stan Hill) and on to Ifield Wood. Here, the Crawley contingent turned left back to Crawley and the Horsham contingent wen back to Horsham via Lambs Green and Wimlands.

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.

Wet, wet, WET!

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.

The Blue Ship

Here's a video of my favourite part of today's ride:

http://youtu.be/F_Jxpomgg28

Next weeks ride starts from Horsham Park Pavilion at 10:00 and Anton will lead us on a 35 mile circular trip stopping at Doves Barn Garden Centre for lunch where we will rendezvous with the Bognor/Chichester group (probably).

Reigate Garden Centre

Beautiful sunny day today, just perfect for a bike ride. I left home early and had an enjoyable ride along the Forest Road into Horsham. In fact, I was so early I had time to sit down with a coffee in the Pavilion Cafe (along with a surprised Michael - he hadn't expected me to be so early).

Having finished my coffee I went outside to be met by a crowd of riders - Barbara, Val, Michael, Mick, Norman, Pete E and new rider John, all eager to get going. Just then my phone rang - it was John C to say he was running late and would try and intercept us somewhere along the route.  

We set off and left Horsham via Wimblehurst Road, North Heath Lane, Pondtail Road and Pondtail Drive. We walked our bikes over the bypass having waited for quite a bit of traffic to go past and then headed up Langhurstwood road. The pong wasn't too bad and we were soon away from it. We carried on up to Capel where we were briefly accompanied by a small group of roadies. Mid rook Green Road took us on up to Trig Street from where we headed east to Newdigate. At this point, Barbara and John turned south to head back to Horsham whilst the rest of us carried on to Parkgate and Leigh. Although Flanchford Road was blocked with "Road Closed" signs, we went past them, reassured by the fact that several cyclists were coming from that direction. Sure enough we got through - the bridge parapet was being repaired and road narrowing bollards had been installed but bikes could easily get through. Only a mile later we arrived at Reigate Garden centre and, as I locked my bike up, John C arrived.

Although most of us were served our lunch quite promptly, Val didn't get hers even after two reminders, so remained I refreshed as we set off on the return ride. The return route retraced our steps as far as Parkgate where the Michael headed west and the rest of us went south, through Charlwood and then through Ifield Wood. On reaching the Rusper Road, Pete, Val and Norman turned right to go back to Horsham leaving just john and I to go through Ifield, West Green and the town centre to get home.

Easy Ride - suitable for Beginners

The second Sunday of the month means that our ride is an easy one suitable for anyone and everyone.

The funny thing is that we seem to have more and more of our members turn up on these rides, this week was no exception. In total there were eleven of us!! In addition we had two guests as well.

Pete S (with Marian) had the pleasure of leading Barbara, Sandra, Val, John V, Michael, Ken, Norman, Pete E and myself as well as guests Malcolm and Rob. I had hoped that we would be going for a jaunt along The Worth Way, but the consensus had leant toward winging our way to Redhill Aerodrome instead. As Pete E was still on the train, I let everyone else start riding whilst I waited for him to arrive. We were only about15 minutes behind everyone else, but cracked along at a fair pace. I thought we would catch up with the "peloton" somewhere in the Industrial Estate but, even though we streaked along the Gatwick straight in excess of 20mph, we didn't manage to make the join until the traffic lights in the middle of Horley!

As we crowded along the shared use foot/cycle path leading north through Horley, we had a minor incident where one of riders was so engrossed in looking out for motor traffic as we crossed a road that she didn't notice a bollard and rode into it! Fortunately we weren't going fast and although she came off, she wasn't hurt. We carried on and Pete made sure we avoided the bumpy bridleway and took the smooth tarmac route along Orchard Drive. The end of this road has an unusual feature insofar as, where it joins up with Cross Oak Lane, what should be a T-Junction is instead a limited access junction. For some (stupid in my opinion) reason, the road layout and signage prohibits anyone from turning right onto Cross Oak Lane. I'm guessing some combination of Surrey/Horley/Salfords road planners and local Nimby residents got their knickers in a twist about the possibility of people driving through the local lanes rather than the choked up A217. What this means for cyclists is that, rather than break the law and ignore the no-right turn signs, we have to ride past the junction then turn right onto a strip of the old road surface that takes us east along the lane in the direction we want (the A217 is no place for cyclists if they can avoid it).

From here, we just had to ride up Picketts Lane, then Masons Bridge Road before turning right onto Kings Mill lane which took us to Redhill Aerodrome and the Chef on the Road cafe for a brunch stop.

It was quite crowded but we managed to get a table outside, where we could sit, eat, drink, chat and watch the various light aircraft and helicopters that were taking off and landing.

Our return journey exactly retraced our outbound route and I would like to say that it was pretty uneventful.

Our next ride starts from Horsham Pavilion in the Park at 10:00 hrs on Sunday 16th March. Bob will lead us on a fairly easy 20 mile route to the cafe at Reigate Garden Centre and return on a shorter but just as easy route. Come along - the weather forecast is really good, I reckon it's going to be a great day out on your bike.