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!!



In Memoriam

The freedoms we enjoy and the privileged lives we lead are down to the sacrifices and endeavours of those who have preceded us. We must carry those freedoms forward and defend them from the darkness of prejudice and ignorance. 

DA AGM

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. 

The Old Crocks Race

Let's upset the Veteran Car Club by calling their annual London to Brighton Commemorative Run the "Old Crocks Race". Why would I do that you may well ask. Well those blighters have upset me!


They took the decision to change their event and not stop on Crawley High Street this year, instead they stopped at a garage on the outskirts of the town centre. THIS WAS A RUBBISH DECISION.
It appeared to have been driven by a desire to suck up to a sponsor but was hidden by a claim that the High Street was too congested. Too congested? Well you should have seen the mess at the new location - the Veteran Cars overshot the entrance, had to cross a heavy line of oncoming traffic, had very little space to park and had to recross the line of heavy traffic on exit. Couple that with spectator viewing facilities probably less than 10% of what the High Street offers and any fool can see that whoever came up with this change shot themselves well and truly in the foot.  It upset me so much that I fully intend rattling off a complaint to the guilty parties! Crawley has always provided a good level of support to this event but if the Run "organisers" persist in taking it away from the High Street and ignoring the folk of Crawley then perhaps that level of support and accommodation of the associated traffic problems will tail off over coming years and turn what has always been a popular event into an also-ran inconvenience! As a spectator event it's been cocked up so thoroughly that I didn't take a single photograph!!


Anyway, we also had a bike ride.  We met up at Three Bridges station and rode a very zig-zaggy route through Three Bridges and Northgate before bursting into a scene of utter congestion as we neared the London Road. Cars parked left right and centre, car horns being sounded, inept traffic control by RAC tabard clad amateurs and almost no view of the (few) parked Veteran Cars. We had a natter with several disgruntled potential spectators and then decided to ride on.


We headed into the town centre and then, using the same route as the Veteran Cars, headed along a pretty much deserted Boulevard and then out along Southgate Avenue. So far the weather had been overcast but dry, however as we turned south onto the A23 and approached K2, so it started to rain. We ascended Pease Pottage hill, managing to overtake a couple of the old cars and carried on along the old Brighton Road to Handcross. Here we had hoped to stop for some light refreshments but the rain was getting more intense and so we decided to turn around and head back to Gordons a little earlier than planned.


Back at Gordons, he and Jacqui treated us to a nice warming lunch before we got down to the business of drawing up the runs list for the first three months of next year. Many thanks to everyone that turned up for the ride and the runslist meeting and a big thanks to Gordon and Jacqui for hosting.


Don't forget to send in your Christmas Dinner bookings - places are filling up fast.


Our next ride on Sunday 9th November will be a 09:00 start from Horsham Pavilions in the Park We need to get to Pulborough Village Hall for 10:30 in order to attend the  DA AGM and possibly (definitely) pick up a trophy or two. Lunch will be at The Oddfellows Arms nearby and then we'll retrace our outbound route to get back to Horsham by mid afternoon. Crawley folk may well be advised to fit their lights on just in case visibility's not too good by the time we get back......

Stooks at NewBridge

Thanks to Mick for leading what looks to have been an enjoyable ride with plenty of riders out who must have all remembered to alter their clocks!

The start was 9:15 @ HPP where I met Michael and Christine. Next was a new member, Frank from Christs Hospital. Then Norman and finally Pete. We headed off along the Forest Road to Pease Pottage where we met Pete and Marian, John C and Ken. After ringing Stooks to add two to the booking we headed for Handcross, then Slaugham and on to Lower Beeding. Turning right onto the A281 we then went left towards Maplehurst and Copsale. Right and left took us to Southwater Street then over the A24 and into Southwater itself. Bonfire Hill took us to Two Mile Ash and north to Christs Hospital. It was then a quick blast along the A264 to the lunch stop spot on 12:00!
Barbara met us there.
Lunch was good, see picture. 

After lunch Frank headed back home while the rest of headed towards Warnham. Christine couldn't manage the hill so she and Mike returned to HPP via the golf course. The rest of crossed the A24 and railway.
At the T junction Pete, Barbara and Norman turned right to Horsham.
The Crawley members were unsure on their route so I took them part of the way.
Not sure how many miles as my GPS battery died on me! 

Next weeks ride is an easy one - it's Old Crocks Day!  So we will meet up at There Bridges Station at 10:00 hrs, ride into town and see if we can spot a few veteran cars before pacing/racing/crawling along with them out as far as (perhaps) Staplefield before returning to Crawley, At 13:00 all members are invited to the Runs List meeting at Gordon's House (contact me for details) where we can determine what rides we want to go on during Q1 of next year (January, February, March 2015). Gordon and Jacqui are kindly providing refreshments once more.

Pooh Sticks

The weather forecast for Sunday was "unseasonably warm with occasional showers".  Waking up to a dull,  overcast day with dampness in the air I though the forecast must be wrong and was feeling a bit glum as I waited at Three Bridges station to see if anyone else would turn up. I'd already arranged to meet up with Ros and in response to a John V text, I'd arranged to meet him at the same place, so I knew there would be three of us but then Michael emerged from the rail replacement bus laden car park.  Due to the time I'd arranged to meet Ros and JV, we left Three Bridges bang on 09:30 and just a few minutes later I received a phone call from Ken asking where we were - we must have missed each other by seconds!  Anyway, we all managed to find each other at Keepers Cottage and continued along the Worth Way to East Grinstead. There was a bit of splatter coming up from the surface - it didn't trouble anyone though: everyone else had mudguards and I didn't care about getting muddy!


It didn't take us long to get to East Grinstead and here we split up, more or less according to bike type. The road and hybrid riders used a road route through the town and on to Forest Row, the mountain bikers tackled the station steps, the ascent of the west face of Grinny High Street and the motorway standard bike path that is the first part of the Forest Way before arriving at the Café (by the tip) in Forest Row (ahead of the road/hybrid johnnies).


The café was 10 minutes or so from opening so we didn't hang around but carried on east with the skies starting to clear a bit and allow the sun to warm things up a touch. We seemed to fly along and it was only a short time before we were at Hartfield. We rode up through the village and on up past the Gallipot Inn (I collected some sticks and twigs on the way). As we were paused to regroup at the crossroads we had a chat with some poor bloke who'd just filled his diesel car up with petrol and was waiting for a breakdown truck to arrive (he'd already been waiting about two hours!!!).


I had to ride carefully along the bridleway/private drive as I had a whole handful of sticks ready for the coming competition. As usual, I said hello to other people as we passed them and remember doing so to an oriental couple shortly before arriving at Poohsticks Bridge - they seemed amused that I had brought my own Poohsticks.


We had a good few games of Poohsticks and also spotted a rather large crayfish in the river - although it disappeared when a large dog jumped in and started hauling an eight foot long branch through the water!

As it was now 11:45 it was time to head for the pub, so we climbed up through the woods to the car park and then enjoyed the quiet lane heading West. As I approached the ford it looked like it was really deep - at least two feet - but on closer inspection it was only about 5 inches deep so I rode backwards and forwards through it a few times, washing the mud off my wheels and demonstrating to the others that it was easily negotiable.


From the ford it was just a half mile up the lane to the pub at Colemans Hatch (not Chucks Hatch as I keep calling it). The pub was busy and full inside, but it was pleasant enough to sit outside and we quickly got our beers and food ordered. Unusually for pubs these days, this one did a good range of sandwiches on a Sunday. The beer was very good and the sandwiches (which were very nice) arrived pretty quick. We would definitely recommend this pub for cyclists (as would the other twenty odd cyclists that were also there).


I gave everyone the choice of a road route home or to use the Forest Way/Worth Way again. They all opted for the latter which pleased me as it was the one I wanted to do. The ride back to East Grinstead was very pleasant with the sun flickering through the trees and colourful leaves swirling around in the wind, which we were just beginning to notice (it was now in our faces). Arriving at East Gribnstead station we said goodbye to Ros and just before we pulled off I noticed the oriental couple we'd seen earlier just going to catch a train (I said hello again).


We made good progress back along the Worth Way with the trees sheltering us from the effects of the headwind and reaching Worth we said goodbye to first Ken then John before I left Michael to head back to the station by himself.  I swooped down through Maidenbower and used the newly reopened second tunnel under the railway - it's all neatly surfaced and illuminated now. Just a couple of minutes later I was home and getting ready to head across town to a family party.


Our next ride is on Sunday 26th October and will have an 09:15 start from Horsham Pavilion in the Park (it's not early, you'll have had an extra hour in bed due to the clock change). Going via the Black Swan at Pease Pottage at 10:00hrs, Mick will lead you on a very nice, clockwise loop to the south and on to lunch at Newbridge Garden Centre. This will be a medium rated route entirely on road and about 35 miles in total.


Before then, it's our AGM.     Please come along to the Dog and Bacon in Horsham on Wednesday 22nd October at 1930 - help make your club work for you.

Rudgwick Apple Day

We tried to run a ride to Rudgwick Apple Day last year but it was raining so heavily that we only got as far as Slinfold before turning back! This year, the weather was much better - Autumnal and overcast but pleasant enough for riding a bike.

Malcolm got in touch on Saturday night and we arranged to meet up at Furnace Green shops to ride over to Horsham in the morning. I was there at the allotted time but where was Malcolm?  A quick phone call revealed that he was at Furnace Green shops in Tilgate!!  No matter, I soon joined him and off we went. For some reason my legs were feeling really good and I got a nice spin on going up Pease Pottage Hill - I couldn't quite keep my speed in double figures all the way to the top but the hill didn't seem to hurt me as much as usual. As I was about to turn right at the mini-roundabout towards Pease Pottage I was engulfed in a throng of scooterists and just managed to stay on my bike in spite of clipping the back of one of them who had insisted on riding through my outstretched, right-signalling arm!! No problem though, they were all heading south - perhaps to a date with some deckchair-hurling rockers on Brighton beach?

Arriving at Horsham Pavilion in the Park, we were met by Mick and Barbara. and after hanging around for a few minutes in case of latecomers, we headed off. We left Horsham using the glf course/Robin Hood Lane route but then headed north to Warnham. Here I opted to go past the Greets Inn and then up the quiet lane northwards - I was hoping for some autumn colour in the woodlands here, but I think we were just a couple of weeks early. We carried on north and east, passing the unusual Tower House:

Next we headed up the A29 for a mile and then across to Okewood before turning south to Ellens Green and Cox Green. As we reached Rudgwick so we turned right and headed down past the old Rudgwick Brickworks. There's a nice cafe there but we didn't stop and carried on down to the t-junction at the end. Now we only had a short 80 yard ride along the A281 before turning right into the playing field where the Apple Fair was being held.

The next few shots show the apple pressing process:

We each sampled the ciders but to be honest I thought they were all a bit rough, however, the Jerk Chicken with rice and beans that I had for lunch was superb. There were several stalls around, some selling things, others just showcasing facilities or organisations but the one I made a beeline for was the plate-smashing stall!  Six throws for a quid - it had to be done and with three direct hits I managed to render about half a dozen pots and plates down to mere fragments....

We'd been met by Michael and Christine at the Fair and we'd all sat around eating, drinking and chatting. We'd also noticed that there were a lot of red faces amongst the apple folk and we came to the conclusion there had been a lot of cider sampling going on before we'd got there!!

Eventually we remounted and headed back home. We used a fairly easy route back via the Haven, Slinfold and Broadbridge Heath. Returning along Robin Hood Lane, I took this photo of the deer in the deer park.

Mick and Barbara left us in Horsham and Malcolm and I rode back to Crawley along the Forest Road to get back not long after 3pm.

Our next ride, on Sunday 19th October is a 9:30 Three Bridges Station start. We will be going to Poohsticks Bridge in Ashdown Forest. The probable route will be Worth Way/Forest Way all the way to Hartfield, climb up the road and into Ashdown Forest, Poohsticks Bridge, The Hatch Inn at Chucks Hatch for lunch, then back either by road or returning along the Forest Way/Worth Way. I would recommend strong tourers, hybrids or mountain bikes for this ride and we'll probably clock up somewhere between 35 and 40 miles.