A RIDE FROM WEYBRIDGE 15/04/26

Clive J wrote:

It was a pretty gloomy morning when I set off for Weybridge. But it was good to try out the new elevenses venue at the Community Hub. There aren’t many places around there where we can all get together for elevenses so it was good to find out about this one. We will be returning in July.

A steady drizzle had set in when it was time for my group to depart (Fiona, Dave B, Dave E, Mike R, Guy, Patrick, Andy  and Peter S). So we donned rain jackets and set off on Jennie’s route which started out quite flat taking us through Walton, Molsey and on to Claygate. I learned that some of this was included in the Olympic time trial route in 2012. The course became more undulating after Claygate culminating with Hurst Road just before lunch at The Chequers in Walton-ont’-Hill. 

Those that ordered the sausage sandwich had a very long wait indeed. In fact one of the staff, armed with a till receipt and the pre-order list, came over to tell us that we had already received our sausage sandwiches! But it became quite evident to her that we had not, in fact, received the sandwiches so she went away again.  Eventually the sandwiches turned up and the manager came over to apologise for the delay and to then accuse of calling one of his staff an ‘incompetent fool’. Which none of us had done!We was innocent!

Enough now about the pub; I won’t go in to Dave B’s cancellation of his order and the subsequent delivery of it to the table.

Upon exiting the pub, the Sun started breaking through the cloud and Andy set up his camera for a group photo.

We headed South in much nicer weather than the morning but with a new stiff head wind to contend with. After going up Root Hill the course started to turn North along Blackbrook Rd. so the wind became a tail wind for most of the way back to the chapel café in Horton. Where we were surprised to discover Jennie’s group already there enjoying tea and cake. This is despite the fact they were still polishing off their lunch at The Chequers when we left for the afternoon ride! Perhaps Jennie will explain how this was possible in her report.

Thanks to my group for the company, Fiona for back marking, to Jennie for organising everything and to Geoff for the sausage roll.

Jennie J wrote:

 The new venue for elevenses at the Weybridge Library Hub, was excellent, very welcoming and helpful, a good selection of cakes and savouries.

16 riders left in two groups to make our way over to Walton on the Hil for our lunch stop at The Chequers, about 21 miles in distance. We followed a familiar route taking the river to Walton on Thames, towards Esher and onto Littleworth Common and into Claygate. From there to the outskirts of Epsom, then up Hurst Road to The Chequers pub.

After lunch, as we were somewhat delayed and taking into consideration of the forecast weather, we changed the original route to shorten it by about 4 miles to arrive in time for tea and refreshments at the Horton Cafe.

A big thank you to Clive for being my sub-leader and to Neil W for back marking in the morning and Simon L after lunch.

Thanks to everyone for your company on the ride

Obviously Clive in his report has covered the problems at the pub with the food, enough to say that it was very unfortunate and it will be a while before we use that establishment again.

Yours

Jennie 

B ride report for Wednesday 15th April Weybridge - West End - Hampton Court

We had a good turnout of 24 riders on Wednesday for our ride to the Hare and Hounds in West End. Despite a rather mixed forecast  no one cancelled on the day and we headed out from Weybridge in three groups led by my trusty subs Gill H and Tim C.  I think there was unanimous agreement that Clive J had played a blinder in finding The Hub cafe above Weybridge Library as a new 11's venue; great baked goods, lovely service and pristine toilets! What more could a  group of Wayfarers require?

Gill H's report:

Our new venue at Weybridge was very well received with good bike parking and a lovely welcome. Coffee was acceptable but pastries a big hit! 

Our team of John, Lillian, Stephanie, Fixie, Robert, Tony, Keith and Gill started in rain which, though light, seemed to drench us and drop the temperature somewhat.  Once we hit the inclines and the sun made a comeback all was well. The route across Chobham Common was very pleasant and we arrived at the Hare and Hounds to a flurry of pink blossom! 

We avoided any further rain on our pm ride through leafy lanes and along familiar roads back to Hampton Court. Playing cat and mouse with the first group due to a combination of toilet stops, a wrong turn on my part and sadly Geoff’s dismount, we arrived at Coppernose first and found it quite a comfortable tea stop. Plenty of seats both in and out for future reference.

Thanks to my two back markers, Tony and Keith, and the rest of the group for their lovely company. Thanks Sue for a most enjoyable route. 

My report:

I don't think I have anything that can be usefully added to Gill's report apart from mentioning Geoff's tumble and the magnificent way my group responded. Initial DRABC (Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation) established and an ambulance summoned there was excellent  'outside the box' thinking.  Caroline summoned her husband to collect Geoff's bike, Chris M began work on clearing the thorny shrubs to make it easier for the paramedics to extricate Geoff and Alan collected details from the very kind couple who stopped to help.   

Thankfully, Geoff has just sustained some nasty bruising and hopefully he will be back out riding with us again soon. 

And a lovely picture of Tim's group outside the Hare and Hounds! 

Notice of the AGM for CTC South West London

 

Notice: The AGM for CTC South West London will commence at 11:00 on Wednesday 29 April in the Long Ditton Village Hall (Upper Hall)

Long Ditton Village Hall, 2 Ewell Road, Long Ditton, KT6 5LE

N.B. This location marked below proved popular from a show of hands in favour at the last AGM and was therefore retained for this year. An exhibition of photos from this year’s annual competition will be available to view before and after the AGM. Ride leaders please allow a short time for this before heading off afterwards

 Signing in sheets will be circulated once you are sitting down. The AGM Agenda, 25/26 Annual Report, Treasurer's Report and Minutes of the 2025 AGM, will be available to read download or print at home in advance online via links. Unlike previous years, other than 30 A4 copies of the agenda, no other paper copies will be provided. Please take the time and trouble to do so as this will help the meeting run smoothly and get us all back on our bikes quicker. 😀

We have to vacate the Hall and return it “as found” by 13:00. No rubbish please. (Many hands made light work of this last year, thank you.)

There is no official bike parking but there are plenty of sturdy railings around the building within sight of the meeting room windows and, less securely, the park over the road.  Security however cannot be guaranteed, so please feel free to use your more secure locks and ideally please “double up” with someone in your subgroup to both save bike parking space and increase security.👍.

Please send any apologies via my email dlferrett@hotmail.com rather than any subgroup WhatsApp’s.

NB:  Links to read/download the AGM documents :

AGM 25/26 Agenda

25/26 Annual Report

25/26 Treasurers Report

AGM 24/25 Minutes

Posted 13/04/2026

Hilly 50k - Saturday 25th April - Don't Miss It!

The date for the Hilly 50k fast approaches - Saturday 25th April starting from Ryka’s, Dorking. Sign on from 9.00am. Finish at the top of Box Hill.

This year we have revised the route to include friendlier hills, scenic descents, and fewer potholes. I’m sure everyone will find it a significant challenge, but hopefully the new route will attract a wider group of riders who might not normally attempt such a ride.

For full details see our Hilly 50 web page.

If you are not familiar with the route, or nervous of the hills I plan to organise a sensibly paced group ride, including a mid-ride coffee stop at Kings Head Shop on Pitland St, Holmbury St Mary. Please let me know if you are interested (d.vine207@btinternet.com).

As in previous years we ask riders to support St Raphael’s Hospice. Donations of £10 (or more if you prefer) via our JustGiving page to this most deserving cause.

 

Invitation to the B group ride on Wednesday 15th April

You are invited to join the B ride next Wednesday. The morning route starts in Weybridge and we have a new 11’s venue, The Library Hub Community Cafe in Weybridge High St. The cafe is on the first floor above the library - go through doors on the right when you enter the main library building and take the stairs to the first floor. There are bike racks at the front or down the side of the building which can be accessed  via the car park at the rear.

The morning route of 12 miles takes us across Chobham Common and through pretty lanes to lunch at The Hare and Hounds in West End. Thankfully we don't need to pre-order.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54595120

After lunch we will follow familiar roads back to tea at Hampton Court.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54598006

Please let me know if you would like to join the ride so I can sort out groups.

Hope you can join us.

Sue

sue.foster39@gmail.com

Ride Report for B Group, 8th April

The forecast for Weds had been optimistic for a while, but after all the cold, wet rides we’ve had of late none of us could quite believe a sunny day had arrived. Despite many having had a long, busy weekend on the Easter Tour we had a great turnout.  23 signed up but an extra six arrived unexpectedly. Fortunately one of those kindly agreed to lead a fourth group and we were set for the day. 

First off, Gill’s group.

Back to in-house catering at the new Elleray Centre we arrived to the aroma of freshly baked sausage rolls. Sitting in the sunshine in their garden it was hard to make the first move. My group of Sue C, Dave F, John, Geoff, Dave C and Neil W, our back marker, set off at a decent pace through Bushy Park via Kingston and in to Richmond Park. We stretched our legs on the hills there then weaved through the back streets of Richmond down to the river. Unexpected road works in the centre of Richmond caused a bit of havoc but we easily navigated our way through on two wheels! 

The tow path is necessarily taken at a slower pace but fortunately none of our off road route was busy with pedestrians despite the schools being on holiday. The river looked beautiful particularly the view from Richmond Hill.  The Grand Union Canal has an industrial charm of its own, but definitely needs a clean up. Despite this it’s always pleasant to cycle along waterways and this took us directly to our lunch stop at the Fox Pub in Hanwell. The staff there were so friendly and relaxed when taking our booking and also on the day. I understand they were a little too relaxed on their food stocks as they had to tweak some of our orders and closed up shop for food once we were done. Victims of their own success and a sunny day! 

After lunch we carried on for a short while by the canal and through the Asylum Docks, a grim Victorian building looming alongside, and back onto the road to stretch our legs again with a dash to Osterley Park. We then had to share our space with some heavier traffic until the sewage works and River Crane Walk brought us back to the Pheasantry in Bushy Park where we enjoyed tea and ice creams.

Thanks very much to my group for their lovely company and to Neil for back marking. 

Next, Sue’s group.  Report by Arwyn

On the hottest day of the year eight of team Foster left in the second group from Elleray Centre Teddington towards the local parks Bushy, Richmond and Syon. 

We weaved through the hills of Richmond park passed Pen Pounds cafe and a left turn for the steady incline of Swayer Hill. 

Our group photo shoot was at the Wheely London Academy. Suitably amused by the sign. 

The Grand Union Canal towpath was indeed ouch, a bit bumpy so the Fox at Hanwell was a welcome rest. 

The pub’s menu had changed since Sue and Gill’s recce last Saturday. So a reduced choice but we were all well fed and watered. 

On the return leg we meandered through another park Osterley Park where it was really nice to see so many families in their groups enjoying the green fields on this school holiday week. 

At Bushy Park Robert Jane and Arwyn peeled off as the rest continued to the Pheasantry for the tea stop. 

Thank you Sue for leading, Bernard for back marking and, Mags, Jane , Sabina , Robert , and Stephen for your company . A great day out .

Then third group, Tony

Gill had really got the weather sorted—temperatures in the high 20s with very little breeze. We met at 11:00 at the new Ellery Hall, which has a lovely outside seating area, and enjoyed the glorious sunshine before setting off.

My group consisted of Simon, Tim, Gill F, Ray, Paul, Lillian, and Anne. We were the last group to depart.

The route took us on a loop through Bushy Park, then on to Kingston, followed by a hillier section through Richmond Park. At Isleworth, we passed through Syon Park—home of the notorious “puncture fairy”—and unfortunately Ray fell victim to it.

We then continued onto the towpath for a pleasant, if somewhat bumpy, ride to lunch at The Fox. It was a very busy pub but had a great shaded outdoor seating area. Service was slow, and the pub even ran out of bread, but we were eventually fed.

After lunch, we carried on up the Hanwell Flight of Locks to the Three Bridges—where railway, canal, and road intersect—marking the final work of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. From there, we headed south to Osterley Park for a quick loo stop, before continuing to Twickenham. We passed the rugby ground, went close to Lambourne Mansions, and joined the River Crane path, which took us to Fulwell and back into Bushy Park.

There, we found a few members of the earlier groups still relaxing. You really can’t beat sitting in the sun enjoying an ice cream after a ride.

All in all, it was a lovely day out on the bike with a great crowd and fantastic weather. Many thanks to Gill for the excellent route, and also to Tim and Simon for bringing up the rear.

And lastly… Keith’s group

Our group of six included Dawn, Amanda, Ian, Grant, Alan and myself.

Although I hadn't seen the route before, the GPX was easy to follow so we arrived at The Fox without too much head scratching. It was a beautiful day to be riding through the west London Parks and along the Grand Union Canal.

The Fox was very busy but the extra waiting time for food was not a problem in such good company on a fine day.

The return via Osterley Park and Crane Park and back into Bushy Park provided a welcome escape from the road traffic.

Thanks to Alan for back marking, and welcome to Amanda on her first Wayfarers ride."

 

 A GROUP RIDE, WEDNESDAY 15TH APRIL 

You are all invited to join my ride starting from The Library Hub Cafe, Weybridge, 

KT13 8DE. We shall be going to The Chequers, Walton on the Hill for lunch, and then onto The Horton Epsom Art Cafe, Haven Way, Epsom for afternoon tea.

The route will be all on roads we have previously used.

The pub have requested we pre-order and details of their food can be found using the link: 

https://bookings.designmynight.com/place-your-order?booking_id=69d8f4a978ce7a234b634d7e

To register, please email me at: d.jackson49@aol.co.uk BEFORE 18.00 HRS ON SUNDAY 12TH APRIL  giving your choice for lunch.

Details of groups, times etc will be sent out on MONDAY EVENING 

Looking forward to seeing you 

Yours 

Jennie J