Ride to Ripley with a Wisley wander

I rode over to Ripley this morning which turned out to be more interesting, in all sorts of ways, than I was expecting.

The Tilt path at Stoke D'Abernon was flooded after the bridge but that was only minor and much less of a lake than at Ranmore on Wednesday. The road closed signs towards Plough Lane at the end of Chilbrook Road were hardly a surprise.

Then on to Elm Lane. The concrete blocks preventing vehicle access to Elm Corner have been replaced by a gate - locked and not much room to get round beside it without muddy shoes. The "lake" at the bottom of the new path to Wisley lane was only an inch or two deep. 

More interestingly, at the top of the path, just before going through the gap in the fence to Wisley Lane, there is now a formation veering left to join up with the new access to the airfield site about 150m down Wisley Lane from the current exit through the fence. This is where both Don Elms and I have spotted a new, blue RoW sign on Wisley Lane (pointing both ways) with a third arm (covered up for now) pointing towards the airfield. More intriguingly the latest A3 road/lane closure email that landed in my inbox a few days ago says that Elm Corner (nominally inaccessible to motor vehicles) will be closed on Friday for "tarmacking". So is the link from Elm Lane to Wisley Lane going to be tarmacked this week?  Maybe on the new formation allowing the gap in the fence to be closed? If so, sadly not in time for Sue's B ride on Wednesday. Watch this space. 

So, over Wisley bridge and there was another new RoW sign invitingly pointing along the new "bridleway" to the Heathland bridge with no fence across the road or guard in his sentry box. This was too inviting not to explore. Sadly it is only open to access Pond Farm with a barrier at the bridge - which is supposed to open this month. 

But how's this for "off road"? It's on my potential route for March 4.

At the end of Lock Lane a Road Closed sign said no access to Ripley. Surrey Roadworks webside said pedestrian access and the guy in the van at Church Hill said it was fine. Newark Lane is closed from Church Hill to the Seven Stars until March 18 but no problem on a bike with a very short pavement walk.

I came home across Bookham Common - passable but wet. I think we were right to give it a miss on Wednesday.  

 

 

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

This year’s Hilly 50k will be on Saturday 25th April 2026 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. But I’m sure everyone will find it a significant challenge. For full details see our Hilly 50 web page.

If 25th April is not suitable, you are welcome to ride alone or with friends at any time of your choice.

In recent years we have attracted a good number of female riders. This year we hope to continue that trend and hopefully the new route will attract a wider group of riders who might not normally attempt such a ride.

If you are not familiar with the route, or nervous of the hills I plan to organise a sensibly paced group ride, including a welcome (for me at least) 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, a cause close to the heart of our late organiser, Mike Morley. Donations of £10 (or more if you prefer) via our JustGiving page to this most deserving cause.

 

 

B group ride 11th February - circular route with lunch at Cobham

You are invited to join Gill, Karl and myself for  the ride next Wednesday from the new Elleray Hall in Teddington. After 11's we will head west to Addlestone, south to West Byfleet, and finally north-east, back to Cobham for lunch at The Fairmile. I recced the off road path from Wisley Lane to Elm Lane and it was a bit muddy but ok on my road bike. We will need to pre-order at The Fairmile from the menu

As you will see from the link, we are doing a longer route of 23 miles to lunch but with only 600ft of climbing it won't feel too difficult.  After lunch, Karl and I will lead two informal groups to tea at The Old Moat if required. 

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53776854

Please let me know by 5pm on Monday if you would like to join us. Hope you can make it.

Sue

sue.foster39@gmail.com

Do Join Me For The 'A' Group Ride On Wednesday 11 February....

Do  join me for the 'A' group ride from the new Elleray Centre, Teddington on Weds 11 February.   The plan is for a 20-mile ride on unfamiliar or little-used (by us) roads to lunch at the King & Castle, Windsor (a slightly posher than usual Wetherspoons).   In the event of 'adverse weather conditions', the route can be shortened and/or lunch moved closer.   The intended 18-mile return route from Windsor to Walton Bridge is completely different from usual, but again, can be drastically shortened if need be.  

There are no unsurfaced sections at all, so no mud.  The outbound route is flat, the inbound route has a couple of climbs, but none of the usual suspects.

To join the ride, please complete the online booking form  (a much simplified version of the one I tried out last year) by 6.00 pm on Monday 9 February.   Volunteer sub-leaders are needed, please, as is  someone to write the ride report.   The list of groups and starting times, the route, and full route information will be made available via WhatsApp (not e-mail) on Tuesday.

(Apologies for the weird format of this article - it looks quite normal on my editing page)!

Report for A Group - 4th February

Many thanks to Dave V and Gill H for the birthday cake at Cobham.

As I write this in the gloom of Thursday the steady rain is once again falling over Surrey and I'm thankful that we had such a wonderful day yesterday. The sunshine brought out 19 riders and another two who joined us for the first few miles.

Frances' group was first away:

The sun was shining which made for a very pleasant spin. My group of 10 (no takers to split group) set off after a democratic vote to avoid Bookham Common due to its muddy conditions. Dave B who is recovering from an injury left us near Effingham and we continued up Critten and  over Whitedown thru the large puddle to Holmbury St Mary and then via Ockley, Capel and Newdigate to The Plough at Leigh for lunch. We arrived promptly at 12.50.

The return was a straightforward 13 miles to Ashtead via Punchbowl Lane and Leatherhead where Hans and Fiona said goodbye .  We cut through the town again to avoid any muddy sections. Finally at 3pm we arrived at LJs Brew & Bites in Barnett Wood Lane.  A new stop for the group. 

I had a commitment so said goodbye to my good spirited group. Many thanks to Steve for backmarking throughout and everyone for making my job easy at a steady pace😁

------- 

My group totalled 11 to start including Geoffrey Shields whose email had clearly taken a 2 day galactic tour and arrived at 2332 on Wednesday! The others were Sue C, Sue F, Gina, Jennie and David, Dave E, Dave W, Neil W and Simon. Jennie volunteered to back mark and Simon kindly volunteered to split the group. We also (based on Steve D's report) avoided Bookham Common.

 Geoffrey stayed with us to Effingham but sadly decided that Critten Lane might be too much of a challenge and that he would enjoy a solo ride.  Ranmore gave us an even larger flood than when I recce'd the ride after much heavier rain than Tuesday but we all traversed it without incident.

 Onwards down Whitedown and another flood in Raikes Lane and the monster pothole that I saw on my recce now sporting a very battered red cone. We continued to regroup as far as Forest Green where with better conditions ahead we agreed to meet at lunch. This worked well with Simon's group arriving just as we finished ordering. Dave W headed for home.

The afternoon was uneventful though Thorncroft Lane was a bit wet and muddy. Dave E, Gina and Sue C headed home. The rest of us arrived at the cafe (https://www.ljsbrewandbites.co.uk/ )  just as the earlier group were finishing and the new venue got a thumbs up. About a dozen of us in total must have stopped which was a win, win for both us and the new cafe venture. Other groups take note - though unfortunately not the Beginners because they close at 1pm on Saturdays. 

It was a great day to be out in excellent company. My thanks to Frances as sublead, Simon for splitting the group and Jennie for back marking.  

 

 

Report for B Group - 4th February

Cobham - Ashtead - Old Moat 

First, thank you to Gill H and Dave V who kindly treated us to Tea, Coffee and Cake for our Elevenses at the British Legion. Their celebration had originally been scheduled for 7th January but our rides were cancelled then due to too much ice on the roads. Happy Birthdays Dave and Gill.

Paul had kindly mapped out the route and decided on The Woodman as our Lunch venue. So we're sorry that neither he nor Maggie got to enjoy the fruits of his planning.

I left Cobham with our third group, Dawn, Anne, Ian and Martina, keeping in mind that we were to intercept Terry on the outskirts of Dorking at the Ashcombe Road roundabout. I made an early navigational blunder in Bookham Common, deciding unintentionally to take two long sides of a triangle of muddy paths instead of the more obvious prescribed one. Those of us on eBikes were very mindful that High Barn Lane is a serious challenge. For Ian (not on his eBike today) this was the most serious ride he had attempted recently and for Dawn, riding the Dream, which doesn't have very low gears, this was enough hard work for one day and they turned right at the top to coast down Crocknorth Road to easier terrain. Ian headed for home and Dawn turned up at The Woodman to join the rest of us for lunch. Our small remaining team zoomed along Ranmore Common and down Ranmore Road to meet Terry who had been waiting quite a while for us because we were quite behind schedule.

The hills aren't quite as alive as usual with the sound of music in Little Switzerland, at this time of year, but with the absence of rain or cold it was pleasant and scenic enough.

Mercifully the staff at The Woodman didn't seem at all discombobulated by our tardy arrival and we were warmly welcomed and plied with drinks and comestibles. When we left I was asked if we had paid a deposit for our booking. We hadn't but on the previous occasion (2022) when I led a ride to The Woodman I did pay a deposit. But this time, having pre-ordered food for a dozen or so people they had possibly not felt that a deposit would be necessary. The large room which had been allocated for us all was superb.

Terry left the pub to ride home and our remaining tiny team rode the rest of the short course through Epsom Common to The Old Moat but didn't stop for Tea.

Thank you Tim G and Dave C for sub-leading and to everybody else who kept an eye on people at the back to ensure that nobody got lost or completely worn out.

~ Tim C

The route, as planned:

____________________

Dave writes:

First of all we must thank Paul J for providing us with today's route! That being Cobham-Ashstead-Old Moat.

Our middling group consisted of six eager cyclists.

The start of the ride was delayed for us for a short while, due to our leader struggling with the recalcitrant devices needed to navigate the route.
We were blessed with Sunshine 🌞 for today's ride, which is always good for morale.

We traversed five miles before a deflationary problem occurred.

But it didn't turn out so bad, since the recipient magnanimously bought us drinks at lunch 👏😃

The steering on the leader's Bike become stiff, at the junction of High Barn Lane (so we were unable use that road to take us up to the top of Ranmore).

So it was onwards and upwards to Ranmore; riding along the top was pleasant, giving us a break from ascending which didn't last that long 🫤 since a few more miles took us to Little Switzerland. Once again we were in ascent mode which is always good for the appetite (thanks Paul). 

With the hardest part of the ride over, we made it to the Splendid Woodman Pub in Ashtead. 
 
Two thirds of our group headed onwards to the Old Moat, and one third of us partook of refreshments within.

Thanks to all who took part today 👏

~ Dave

____________________
 

Tim G writes:

We must all have done something good in a previous life to deserve such a fine day for today’s ride. The days in between have been so dreary lately ! 
 
Seven of us set out in time to enjoy clear skies and sunshine as we headed out towards Bookham Common. We sadly lost our back marker at an early stage as a result of a ‘technical navigation’ hitch but they later caught up once we had got to the top of High Barn Road. Our group was then thankfully reunited. 
 
A glide across Ranmore Common and near freewheel descent into Dorking soon found us at Westhumble where we had a photo opportunity. Clear and sunny skies prevailed and we steadily climbed up ‘Little Switzerland’ and on to Headley. An olympic effort amidst near alpine scenery. We all then enjoyed an effortless descent into Ashford. 
 
The ‘Woodman’ proved to be a great success where everyone was suitably fed and watered in an area that had been especially set aside for our exclusive use. Perhaps the sight of so much unflattering Lycra on public display might well have upset the locals ! Nevertheless all three groups enjoyed a relaxed lunch suitably detached from the surrounding clientele. 
 
The short afternoon ride terminated at ‘The Old Moat’ garden centre where three of us enjoyed a tea stop and entertaining debrief to round off today’s events. Thanks to everyone who made our ride a success and contributed to an enjoyable day out.  A good day had by all !
 
~ Tim G 

Volunteers wanted to judge annual competition for most exciting ride

Please, I need three or four volunteers to judge this year's competition

Simple job.  I e-mail you a shortlist of ten eligible ride reports and you read them and pick your top three in order and e-mail me back.  I tot up the marks and find the winner.

The announcement of the winner will be made, and the cup awarded, at the Annual Lunch.

If you can help, please let me know at 

Paulandrewjames1949@yahoo.co.uk