Twenty riders gathered at the RBL in Cobham for this week’s ride to The Bricklayers Arms at Shamley Green and back to Cobham again.
It was to be a hilly morning. The route took us across Bookham Common, up Calverts and up Green Dene and then down Combe Lane into Shere where we stopped for a photo by the Tilling Bourne.
My group: Guy, Peter, Fiona, Jacky and Janice
Then began the long climb of the day up Houndhouse Lane turning off on to Barhatch Road just shy of the top. We then descended cautiously down Shophouse Lane to Farley Green where we bumped in to and exchanged pleasantries with one of the B groups going in the opposite direction about to ascend Shophouse Lane.
From Farley Green it was more or less a downhill run to The Bricklayers Arms in Shamley Green for lunch.
Apart from Warwick’s Bench on the approach to Guildford the return journey was relatively flat compared to the morning, and we made good progress through Merrow, West Clandon and Ockham back to Cobham. We pulled up outside Gail’s but no one was stopping for tea.
All in all it was a good day and route to enjoy some autumn colours in acceptable weather conditions.
Welcome to Jacky for joining us - hope to see you on another Wednesday ride soon and many thanks to Sue F and Steve D for sub-leading and Peter for back marking.
Steve’s Report:
I set off at 10.45 with the second group of Frances, Dave V, Dave W, Richard, Karl and Brian, who kindly offered to back mark. It was an overcast day, but dry. So Bookham Common was easy enough, but then we started climbing up to Lower Road, then up Calvert Road, then up Green Dene. After our descent of Combe Lane and Shere village, we again climbed up Sandy Lane and then Hound House Road. The sun had come out and showed us what a lovely autumn it was.
When we reached Farley Green it started to drizzle rain, but it was so light we hardly got wet. We stopped to admire a display of pumpkin art.
After this we eventually dropped down to Shamley Green for lunch. At the Bricklayers Arms, despite Clive's careful pre ordering I was given Richards lunch by mistake and he received mine. Nevertheless the food was good and we left at 1.45 to return to Cobham. Dave W left us here to make his way home.
The only real ascending was up Warwick Bench Road, but it avoided the busy A281. Here Richard noticed his front tyre was low in pressure. Thinking it was a slow puncture, he pumped some air in and we carried on. The route took us the familiar way back to Cobham via the A25 and then The Street to West Clandon and Hungry Hill. Frances left us at Cobham and so five of us stayed at Gail's for tea.
A thoroughly lovely autumnal day out with relatively dry and very mild temperatures at 16 degrees. Many thanks to Clive for the route and to my fellow riders for their excellent company. Particularly Brian who offered his experienced services as back marker.
Sue F's Report:
Route locked and loaded, my group of David and Jennie J, Sue C, Dave E, Simon L and Gill H, were the last to depart Cobham. Having not recced the route I had studied the lanes we were to ride and noted that the two big climbs of the day ( Greendene and the interminable Hound House Rd) were pre lunch; easy peasy after that thinks me. But more of that later…
Banter flowed as we made our way south to Shere, over the Downs and up Hound House Rd into the hills.
Visits to Jelly’s Hollow, an impressively steep gulley off Winterfold Heath Rd, are a bit like buses: never having been there before, I go twice in a month. In fact Jelly’s Hollow looked even more spectacular than it did a couple of weeks ago on Francis’s ride, with a further reddening of the beautiful autumn leaves. A few of my riders were keen to whizz down the gulley ‘mountain bike style’ but I managed to persuade them that it had just started raining and lunch was waiting. They sensibly saw it my way.
Lunch was excellent and quickly served.
Clive’s clever route took us around the southside of Guildford avoiding the city centre traffic and pedestrians, however involved climbing Warwick’s Bench, a hill I had not noted on my cursory glance of the afternoon route. Well, perhaps it was best not to know beforehand…
Onwards to Clandon, Ripley and despite traffic carnage on Guilleshill Lane and some very annoying drivers, we were back in Cobham in daylight in time for a cuppa.
Many thanks to my group for their patience and excellent company and Jennie J for backmarking.
The Route
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