Invitation to B Group Ride 24 June

You are invited to join the B group ride on 24 June.  We will be starting at the Egham Manor Farm Day Centre (TW20 9HR), which is not far from Egham station for those who don't want to ride all the way out. The route will take us through Windsor Great Park, Sunninghill, Ascot, Fifield and Windsor to lunch at the Waterman's Arms across the bridge in Eton.  No need to pre-order (or put on your starched Eton collars).  

The afternoon ride back is shorter and more familiar, and will include the Thames path from Staines to Chertsey, ending at Walton Marina for tea (or, as I would recommend in the warm weather, their home-made milk shakes).

Please let me know (shfhickey@gmail.com or text 0798 344 5252)  by Monday pm if you'd like to join.

The weather outlook looks good, and we look forward to seeing you!

Stephen

The roads less travelled and the right gear; B group ride from Banstead to Wimbledon via Kenley

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

I took the one less traveled by

And that has made all the difference”

                                Robert Frost

I was a bit worried when we only had two takers by Sunday night but Banstead never draws the biggest crowds and we had more by deadline time.  Then there was the forecast rain.  Sure enough there was a steady drizzle by the time I left home but it was not at all cold.  I toyed with the idea of saving time by just putting shampoo in my hair and shower gel on my top half and cycling up to Banstead in nothing but my bib but decided that it might cause too much of a stir at the Community Centre and lead me to fall out with the rides secretary.  

Then I remembered the last time we were at Banstead when it drizzled like this and we all but drowned in the Surrey Hills.  But this time the drizzle never got too serious and everybody turned up who said they would, and came in the right gear for a rainy morning and a sunny afternoon.  So we had eleven starters in two groups, which is pretty good for Banstead on a rainy day, and very good when you consider that I used the dreaded H word in the ride invitation.  Well, you can't pretend that Rickman Hill, Southerns Lane or Hilltop Lane are flat and that was not counting Doctors Lane or Furze Lane or a few others.  I was relieved to see that Fixie, too, had for once come with the right gear.

In a way, the drizzle was good for us as coolant, for it was muggy and there was a fair amount of up and down in the morning, as can be seen from the profile.  My group had Karl, Christina, John A (who peeled off before lunch), Mick and Tim C (who back marked; thanks, Tim).  

Half way up Southerns Lane

The countryside was superb, dotted with ancient houses as we went along the road less travelled and everyone in my group made it up the hills.  There is a certain satisfaction in successfully climbing challenges like Hilltop.  

One strong man takes luggage up Hilltop!

To cap our morning our circuit of RAF Kenley coincided with some glider action.  On the downside Mick had a puncture so close to lunch that we might have made it to the pub before total deflation had set in had not our official photographer faffed around making us strike embarrassing poses.

It's a good job John had peeled off; he wouldn't have had any of this nonsense!

The pub was welcoming, the weather by then inviting us to sit in the garden where Mick took his wheel off and worked at the table while the food came and Tim G's group (Julie, Anne, Fixie, Stephen) arrived with stories of their success on the hills and, being gullible folk, we believed them.

More sensible people at Kenley

They ribbed us a bit about taking our time departing lunch but were unlikely to catch us save for acts of God, such as Mick's recurring puncture just outside Purley Fire Station.  Odd this, because the cause of the original was a drawing pin and we could hardly question the expertise of the man who leads our maintenance courses.  When he extracted the offending replacement inner tube, however, it was marked with half a dozen scuffs and grazes.  He swore it was brand new but upon closer questioning confessed that he had bought it in 1948 and it had been stuffed in a box full of wire brushes for more than half a century.  Something like that.  He put a new, new one in this time.

The incident meant that we were overtaken by Tim's group, now led by Julie.  They passed us cheerily but it proved their nemesis, because we learned their naughty secret.  We got going again fairly efficiently and surprised them on the aptly named Hill Road in Purley and could hardly believe our eyes as we rode past; they were all dismounted, pushing their bikes up the hill mumbling some lame excuse about road works.  The shame!  And one of them in club kit!  

Let us hope it never gets out on social media.  I shan't tell anyone.  

Once we had climbed to the top of Woodcote Village the afternoon was a complete contrast to the morning.  Bright sunshine, almost all gently downhill, or flat and bitty long the Wandle Trail.  But the highlight was being greeted enthusiastically by the Queen of Clyde Road as we passed her Victorian palace.

We were well within opening hours when we achieved Wimbledon Windmill Cafe.  A couple had peeled off home along the way but we survivors all agreed we felt more tired than a mere 35 miles warranted.  Interestingly, too, we felt that it was the stop-start, the barriers, dogs and schoolchildren on the Wandle Trail that had tired us despite our breathless morning.  Our pleasure of the roads less travelled had surpassed the efforts we had made riding them (or in the case of one team, walking them).

 

 

'A' ride - Wednesday 17th June 2026

 It was raining.

Not bucketing down but the annoying light stuff.

Banstead rides start with a climb....for everybody, even before you turn the Garmin on.

Still I'd 'chosen' Banstead, & so did 16 others, happy to join my ride into West Sussex.

Lunch was to be at Tulleys Farm.

"Steve's got a puncture"....that's bad luck I thought & even before the 'off'!

Steve was leading the other group so we wished him well & set off for Farthing Downs.

My group of Simon, Sue C, Ged, Sue F, Dave F, Dave V, Dave B, Neil W & Clive paused at the toilets (as you do) whilst Ged took a photo.

The earlier rain had given way to warm sunshine by the time we got to the North Downs & the descent of Hill Top.

At the bottom, Hans jumped ship from Steve's group that by now had caught us & we made him welcome.

Plain sailing due south, we made good progress to the delightful Cogmans Lane eventually arriving at the Curious Pig in the Parlour PH, previously called The Hedgehog & before that The Effingham Arms.

Turners Hill Road is not particulary busy but the speeding cars make the road unpleasant to ride on.

Relieved to take a right turn to Rowfant & a sign to the Centre Café.....worth investigating I sense?

Getting to the tearooms at Tulleys required a climb where we arrived just after 1pm.

I was somewhat suprised (& alarmed) at the humungous queue which had formed behind some office workers on a jolly.

But very quickly folk we able to order & crucially, be served in record time....so hats off to the amazing team in the kitchen!

The portions looked generous too - a baguette with two fillings, salad, crisps & garnish coming in at £6.75 - enough for a hungry cyclist.😉

Tulleys Farm hasn't been a 'farm' for years & even my memories of strawberry picking fields have give way to what's called in the business as an 'event space'.

But they retain some Guineafowls.

Photo by Simon

On the return through the suburbs of Crawley, Sue F left us for the train, whilst we continued the ride on National Cycleway Network 228 through shady woods emerging at Faygate lane.

All together descending Partridge Lane, Hans, Dave B, Sue C & Ged swung a left at Shellwood Cross.

Clive, Neil, Simon, Daves F & V joined me for tea, iced or otherwise at The Plant House café, Knights GC at Betchworth arriving at 4.10pm.....20 minutes before closing...phew!

Thanks to Steve as always, willing to help me leading the other group, Dave V for backmarking my group & everyone else for your company.

Here is Steve's report:

I arrived at Banstead Day Centre in full waterproofs having been drenched by light rain over Epsom Downs. I then noticed dodgy steering and a deflated front tyre so I checked the valve and it wasn't tight so I fixed this and pumped up the tyre again. However it was only 10 am so I went for a coffee to discover the B's had arrived even earlier and blagged the seats. After finishing my drink outside I checked my tyre to discover I had a slow puncture. It was now 10.45 and my group were ready. So it wasn't until 11 am, after a quick repair, that I left with Patrick, Fiona, Guy, Janice, Andy H with Hans back marking. By now the rain has stopped and it was very humid.

We followed the usual route through Coulsdon and up Farthing Downs. Why Downs? We always go up. I always have a struggle to ascend here, but Hans seemed to be worse than me. We caught Andy's group here, but after a drink stop carried on after them. We caught up with them again at the Bletchingley Road turn and Hans left us to join Andy's slower paced group. At the junction between Rendell Road and Water Lane I misread my sat nav map, but finally took the correct path leaving my group behind in the process. Andy C was the first to show and told me my group were following. After regrouping we continued the route south through Bletchingley on more familiar roads past Outwood windmill and then onto the aptly named Cogman's Lane!

This became Dowlands Lane and further south we reached the B2028 where we split into two groups for safety. 2 miles of this and the sun appeared until we turned right at Wallage Lane. Of course I sailed right on down the B2028, until I was called back by Andy H. At Tulleys Farm tea rooms we were served promptly with good food and afterwards Janice produced her electric pump so I could inflate my front tyre to 84 psi! We arrived at 12.45 and left at 1.45.

At the start of the ride to tea Patrick left us to visit a friend. So now we were down to 5. I seem to have this effect on others.... The Worth Way was a revelation. Hard packed earth made for a smooth ride west. Soon we were on the Crawley Greenway and then cycle route 228 where more of my navigation errors tried to take us back the way we had come! Eventually we found our way out to Faygate Lane and familiar fast roads where we made good progress through Parkgate, Dawes Green and finally Knight's Garden Centre, where Janice left us to head for home. As it was 3.15 pm four of us took some tea, before heading home. We left at 4 pm in time to see Andy C and his group arriving.

Another adventure on Andy C's unusual and diverse route, which deserves special praise! Many thanks to Hans and Janice for back marking and to Andy H for helping out leading and navigating and of course for the company of my fellow riders.

B Group route from Banstead for 17 June

 Please find the route here

Invitation to B Group ride from Banstead on 17 June

You are invited to next Wednesday's B Group ride from Banstead.

We have a fairly hilly morning in the North Downs, but we have all been practising hills on the way to Shoreham and back, and there is a refresher course on Wednesday by simply getting to Banstead for elevenses.

The morning ride includes green country lanes most of us have not ridden before, and a trip around RAF Kenley, the best preserved of the Battle of Britain airfields.

Lunch at the Wattenden Arms just tucked under the airfield.

After lunch it is back to Wimbledon Windmill for tea, at first along roads seldom travelled, then along the Wandle Trail to Earlsfield before turning through Wimbledon Park and up to the Common by the gentlest route.

Unfortunately the pub wants us to pre-order.  Menu attached here.

I will publish the final route after a bit of recce work this weekend to minimize the unavoidable afternoon climb over Woodcote.

Please let me know by e-mail by Monday evening if you would like to come, and your choice from the menu. 

Paulandrewjames1949@yahoo.co.uk

Ride report A’s to Shoreham 10 June

 The forecast showed showers were likely for much of the day and we had a new untested pub for lunch. However, the route was mainly our tried and tested one, tinkered slightly to divert through the pretty village of Bramber which then put us in the right place to enter Shoreham using the new underpass and an old bridge.

Fiona’s group was first to leave at 10.15:

We were the first group off from Tanhouse and almost got to Bramber before the heavens opened and we were rushing to put on our wet weather gear. The rain didn’t last long and the ride into Shoreham dried us out. The Crown and Anchor served us a good lunch and were efficient.

Dave and Mike sat out the next shower before heading to Brighton to get the train. The rest of us set off in freezing wet, windy weather - we didn’t even make it onto the beach for the customary photo. At Horsham Patrick and Clive went to the train station. Leaving Steve, Guy and I to make it amongst intermittent showers to Leatherhead .

Thank you to Janice for a good route, my group for cheerful company and Dave for back marking.

My group was away next with Neil W, Karl, Richard B, Dave E and Brian.

 It was a bit windy but the sun was often shining and we made steady uphill progress, pausing to admire the pond and fine show of waterlilies at Warninglid.

The ride continued and around Small Dole the sky darkened, the wind increased and after the first few spots of rain we stopped to put rain jackets on. We had 3 miles of busy and very wet road before things improved again.

Somewhere around Botolphs we passed Fiona’s group as they had stopped to fix Steve’s snapped chain so we were first at the Crown & Anchor. The pub proved to be a success as it was reasonably priced and service was both friendly and very quick.

We left in sunshine and we stopped at the beach for a photo, by which time the weather deteriorated and for the next few miles it was a howling gale and torrential rain. Never mind as we dried off in sunshine by Horsham. Brian, Richard, Neil and I stopped at the leisure centre intending to cycle on but the weather changed to torrential rain again and as a train was due to depart all but Richard headed to the station where our journeys home continued in sunshine. There was just one more downpour just before we got to our front door.

Dave’s was the final group and here’s his report.

My group (Sue C, Gina, Dave F, Neil C, Steve W and new to Wayfarers Rob) gathered at Tanhouse in pleasant sunshine. As we set off the clouds gathered and the temperature fell. But we kept dry until around Wineham, where the first of several showers forced us to pause to don waterproofs.

This set the pattern for the rest of the day with much stopping and starting to don and un-don. At Small Dole it was clear we had missed a major downpour, with surface water everywhere. That and the unpleasantly heavy traffic on the approach to Upper Beeding caused us to reassess the route, and get off the roads for a while. So we took the traditional gravel track to Shoreham, a bit puddly at first, but later givingus a smooth ride, where we could exchange greetings with a party of B riders.

Lunch was excellent at the Crown & Anchor. Thanks, Janice for finding a pub with reasonable food, reasonably priced, speedily served too. And we were allowed to park our bikes safely on the terrace. Can we go back next year please.

However at lunch we learned that other groups had not been so lucky, and to avoid getting soaked we delayed our departure by 15 minutes. Getting to the beach for the traditional photo, we managed to capture a patch of blue sky.On leaving we met Steph, completing her own solo marathon trip.

Sue had planned to return direct from Shoreham, but the rest of the group headed back, this time taking the tunnel route, shorter and less wind exposed than the road. I had hoped for a wind assisted return, but it was not to be. No takers for ice cream at Partridge Green as we decided to make the most of a dry spell and ride on.

One more rainstorm around Copsale, before we arrived at Horsham Leisure Centre around 4.30, ahead of the café’s 5pm closure. There were no takers for the train, so it was onto the last climb of Old Holbrook with leaden legs, followed by the pleasure of descending from Rusper, with legs encouraged by thoughts of home. We all parted company at or just before Leatherhead, with nobody stopping for tea.

My thanks to my group for their unfailing good humour, and especially to Neil for back marking all day. It appears that we were the lucky group, seemingly always behind the worst of the rain, which meant that we could “enjoy” the full Shoreham Experience.

A memorable day out. Well done to all those who completed the ride all the way to Leatherhead despite the weather, hitting 100 plus miles. 

Thanks to everyone’s cheerful perseverance and especially to Fiona and Dave for sub-leading.

Wisley Lane status and route to Byfleet

I went across the new Wisley cycle route again on Sunday primarily to see whether the cycle path on Wisley Lane had been restored after the addition of the new airfield site roundabout.

It has, though there was a short section with a temporary (tarmac) surface but rideable all the way. I also used the signed route at the Ockham roundabout from Ripley to Wisley going under the bridge counter to traffic. This is fine, with cycle/pedestrian lights crossing the Portsmouth Road out of Ripley, but there are no such lights across Ockham Lane North and it's tricky to see when any stationary car might be about to get a green light.

I found I had a bit of spare time (but sadly not enough to do a full recce) so decided to explore towards the northern Clearmount bridge over the M25 which supposedly links to Byfleet though I had been told that there was a locked gate.

I followed the signs from the Green Bridge towards Pond Farm / Birch Scout camp. As you come across the Green Bridge from Ockham Bites this leads away to the right (but don't take the next right back towards the A3), The tarmac soon ends but the track is wide and hard gravelled. At the scout camp it turns right (with FP sign) onto an old concrete road leading in 100m or so to the new ramp onto Clearmount Bridge. 

I went over and turned left, signposted to Byfleet as a bridleway. The track continues past some iron posts 200m after the bridge ramp (ignore the path to the left) and soon comes to a signpost by some fencing. This is where the bridleway leads slightly left for about 700m to Mill Lane and Byfleet. The presence of two cyclists coming the other way, one on a gravel bike with slick tyres suggested that I could easily have made it on my Tricross. 

A conversation with a walker and mountain biker confirmed that it was straightforward in dry weather. 

Unfortunately I needed to get home so turned back at this point to Ockham Bites. My further exploration will have to wait until I return from holiday but if any of you try this please let me know.

 The route in ridewithgps

It is best mapped by OSM Cycle.