B Group - 9th May

It was a funny old day!

Riverside Refreshments

Twenty riders gathered at New Haw Day Centre which I thought was a pretty good turn out, but it was not such a surprise for the weather forecast was certainly in our favour. 

We joined the Basingstoke Canal at West Byfeet via a few 'off the beat' residential roads.  We stayed on the towpath as far as Hermitage Road to take the cycle path along Redding Way into Knaphill.  From here we were on lanes, skirting Chobham and West End  to our lunch stop at The Sun, Windlesham where we sat in the garden, eating, drinking, chatting!!  The food was good and I certainly enjoyed my Timothy Taylor ale. Good to see that Sue also enjoys a  pint!

Our return was across the new Woodlands Lane bridge to Valley End, Burrow Hill, passed the Red Lion pub into Gracious Ponds Road where we stopped just before exiting into Stonehill.  You will see the posting by Tony re the plaque that we stopped to view - which has been removed - I hope by the club that the cyclist, who's memorial it is, cycled with.

We reached Shepperton Lock in good time to enjoy tea and cakes and ice cream where nobody was in a rush to get away. 

We had the pleasure of being joined by Ken Day, who needed to be home reasonably early,  and Peter Betts, who was banned from the A ride!!!!   Great to see you looking so well Peter :) 

Thank you all so much for joining me.  Hardly a strenuous ride but turned out to be pretty apt for the weather.  It gave us a chance to admire and enjoy the scenery along the canal and lanes, so many beautiful flowers now appearing.

My thanks to all who cornered, took photos...oh yes...and attended to Tony's knee when his bike threw him whilst stationary!!   I hope it's not too sore......

Happy cycling

Pam :) :)

The blue line shows the Basingstoke Canal

B Group with the sun in front of them and The Sun behind them

Author: Tim C

1 Comment:

Unknown 11 May 2018 at 20:44 BST

Well done with the route Pam.
It was a tranquil cycle ride. It was also salubrious, to be in and out of the Sun.
David C

Plaque to a Cyclist

Pams B group ride came back via Gracious Pond road and past Fishpool car park on Chobham common. For years there has been a plaque to a cyclist nailed high up in a tree at this spot. A few weeks ago it had fallen down and today was missing altogether. Vic has contacted Clarence Wheelers, the dead cyclists old club and they are going to replace it.

The Plaque reads:

The Ashes of Alf Whitewey were scattered here on Sunday the 5th December 1993 by members of Clarence Wheelers cycling club and their friends.

Tony.. p.s, a great ride today and great weather.

Author: Tony

1 Comment:

Les White 17 July 2022 at 12:26 BST

Please do. I remember Alf and his mum's back garden in Hampton. It was just a network of old sheds, each filled with bikes or bits of bikes. Also, Whitsun Camps of Clarence Wheelers wher he spent his time cooking for us all, over an open fire.

A donation to the club

We recently learned from Mike Gale, a member of the RBL, that a friend had contacted him to ask him to make a donation to 'the cyclists' referring to all of us who congregate at the British Legion in Cobham once a month. The donation of £100 was from Ted Cole who felt that it was something his brother George Cole, who died recently, would very much have wanted to do.

So it's a kind gesture from people who view us and our activities in a very kind light. We met Mike at Elevenses and Brian made a speech to introduce Mike and to express our gratitude. Since Ted, who lives near Aldershot, couldn't meet us in person we circulated a 'thank you' card which was signed by everyone present. It's a little unfortunate that it was such an awful day which meant that quite a number of us, especially from the Easy Riders, were not there.

Mike spoke to us to tell us a little about Ted and George and their kind opinions of us. Mike then presented the funds to Brian.

The donation has been made for us to use in any way we see fit and it is felt from an informal email conversation within the committee that in order for the maximum number people to enjoy the gift we could fund a morning tea at Cobham RBL in the near future and use part of it to pay for hiring the cricket pavillion in Brockham for the Annual Picnic on 29 August.

The tea, coffee and cake was kindly provided by Ken Day to celebrate his birthday. Happy Birthday Ken.

~Tim

Author: Tim C

1 Comment:

Helen Tovey 23 May 2018 at 22:06 BST

A very kind and generous gift, and good ideas by the committee for the use of it.

The Varsity Ride 9th May - Trip Notes

There are still a few days to go, but the forecast for next Wednesday is good.  Fingers crossed - we've had enough wet rides this Spring.

Ride Details

There will be a led ride from North Cheam to the  Elevenses stop, starting at 0900 prompt.  The route will favour efficiency over scenery - we'll go through Morden Hall Park and up CS7 to Southwark.

Elevenses will be at the Island Cafe, Flat Iron Square, London SE1 0AB.  We've been there before, there's plenty of bike parking and it's a good place for breakfast.  It's near Waterloo and London Bridge stations for those that want to take a train to the start.  And although tradition dictates 'Elevenses', I'd like to get away at 1045 if we can.  If anyone has a problem, please let me know.

Lunch will be at the Welsh Harp, Waltham Abbey, details below, tea will be at the Something Lovely Tea Room in Puckeridge and supper in the Mill, Cambridge.

The Route

From Southwark we'll go through the City, past the Bank of England and then up CS1 to Tottenham Hale.  It's not one of the great superhighways, mostly paint and blue signs, but it's a safe and efficient way out of Town.  At Tottenham Hale, with surprising suddenness, we leave London behind and change to the watery world of the Lea Valley.  An interesting bit of country, with a lot of history.  We will pass the remains of the Royal Small Arms Factory and the Royal Gunpowder Works, which caused the waterway to be created from the marshes to carry the heavy and dangerous products of these works down to the Woolwich Arsenal and, via the Thames, to the Naval Dockyards.

At Waltham Abbey, there is some earlier history. King Harold Godwinson stopped at the Abbey to pray on the way to the Battle of Hastings, where he was killed.  It is said that Harold's mother Gytha offered William the Conqueror the weight of her son's corpse in gold if he would return it for burial.  William refused the offer of payment on the grounds of propriety, and allowed Harold's mistress Edith Swan-Neck to identify the body, which she did by 'secret markes'.  The body was returned for burial to Waltham Abbey, where there is still a memorial stone.

After lunch it's briefly back to the river, then up in to the Alps of Essex, with proper hairpins and everything, past the town of Ware then, climbing slowly to another earlier bit of history, Roman this time.  We will ride for several miles along Ermine Street, leaving it for rolling arable country, mostly barley.  Big fields and big skies, and hard work if it's windy.  Tea at Puckeridge, after which the run of the country is down again heading towards Cambridge.  Entering Cambridge we'll be back to riverside paths, passing the spot on the Granta where Lord Byron used to enjoy skinny-dipping, going through Rupert Brooke's Grantchester, over Skaters' Meadow and directly to The Mill on the River Cam.  This is a good pub, right in one of the most scenic bits of Cambridge, and opposite Scudamore's Punt Station.  This last is very important as Simon is keen to go punting.  Punts cost £30 per hour and hold six people.  The Punt Station closes at dusk.

The full route can be downloaded here: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/605893  - this is the latest version.  

Lunch

Lunch will be at the Welsh Harp, Waltham Abbey at about 1300.  The Welsh Harp is a very ancient pub, and serves pub food.  It is not gastro, and many Wayfarers will find it congenial (though not tall ones, as the ceilings are very low).  It's right next to the Abbey and on the Market Square.

Tea

The Something Lovely Tea Room is charming, with bike parking round the back.  They can take about twelve of us at a sitting, so I may have to phone through numbers at lunch-time, if we are a lot. I'm sure we can work it out.  If we can't, there's nothing else for miles ...  They close at five, and I plan to be there by four, for those who remember Canterbury.

Supper

Supper is at The Mill, Cambridge.  I've made a reservation for 1800, so if we do well there may be a chance for a short tour of the City before we sit down - we have a number of options at this point.  The Mill is also ancient, but not so ancient, and has a number of good beers.  They were playing blues on vinyl when I was there, and the food was good.

Trains

As there is plenty of daylight, the hard riders may simply turn round and ride back.  The rest of us will either want a bed for the night or a train.  There are plenty of trains, and the fast ones are really fast - about 40 minutes to London.  Simon has done some research and has got a very cheap ticket for £3.90 or so.  The rules for bikes seem vague.  You can't take a bike on the train to London in the morning rush hour, which is fair enough, and doesn't bother us anyway. But there are no bike reservations and no advice on how and where to put your bike.

My practical experience is that with off-peak trains no-one seems to care.  They aren't busy, and the Greater Anglian trains into Liverpool Street, which are the cheaper and slower ones, have ample bike capacity, with carriages at the front and back of the train which have bench seats down the side and lots of space between.  Only problem is that these carriages aren't marked in any way that I can see and you just have to look out for them.  But they are there.

As long as we turn up in twos or threes, which is likely to happen naturally, I don't anticipate any problems.

Looking forward to it ...

Mark

Author: Mark G

1 Comment:

David W 08 May 2018 at 07:20 BST

Strike announced by RMT on South Western Railway on 9 May has now been suspended.

My new bike

In the last four weeks I’ve had my Achilles repaired twice! The operation consisted of using the tendon to my big toe for the repair. However the screw holding the tendon to the bone pulled away and the operation was re-done on Tuesday. Two weeks of zero activity followed by several weeks in plaster. The good news is that I should get 70% strength back. See you all in a few months.

Bernard

Author: Tim C

2 Comments:

Unknown 04 May 2018 at 08:15 BST

Sorry to learn of your ongoing Achilles problems. I must have been luckier so far with both my ruptures! Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Steph 07 May 2018 at 07:30 BST

Get well soon Bernard. Meanwhile enjoy the fab weather on your new scoot-along. Xxxx

A Group 2nd May

There were just five hardy souls in the A Group today - Dave W, Mike R, Steve D, Ken and myself.
It rained steadily rather than torrentially for most of the way but the aftermath of Monday's deluge was still evident with plenty of muck on the roads and worse, in the gutters, frequently diverting streams of water down the road.

After a steady climb over Whitedown we followed Raikes Lane to Holmbury. I gave Lyefield Lane a miss as the surface is appalling at the best of times so we went down Upper Breach Lane instead to be greeted by a small flood at the bottom. We thought we were doing well until at Ellen's Green I punctured. Rear of course in these conditions. The rain seemed to be easing though and we had a wide, if soggy, verge to get off the road. So we arrived at the Blue Ship rather late just as the blue sky arrived.

The side room we used had a large warm radiator which was put to good use. Plentiful food was served in good time. Dave headed straight home and Ken left us at Ellens Green to go due north to Cobham. The remaining three of us shed our waterproofs as it became warmer and enjoyed a drier ride back to Weare Street and Newdigate. A light shower has us back in jackets before we reached Denbies where Mike headed directly home leaving just Steve and I for tea. Mike was soon in our thoughts as a torrential downpour fell on the glass roof above our heads. Steve was unlucky to find he had punctured when we emerged later into the sunshine.

Author: Brian

B Group - 2nd May

I guess we all knew it was going to be a wet ride as 11 brave souls set off on the B Group ride, pinning their hopes perhaps on the forecast of a better afternoon.  We were heading to Guildford for lunch and after leaving Cobham along Plough Lane, it was a steady climb in a SW direction, i.e. the same direction from which the wind was blowing, to East Clandon.  With the steep climb up Staple Lane over & done with, it was a very speedy descent down Combe Lane where, nearing the bottom, Pam & a van met at a very large puddle, most of which landed on her as it went by!  This event was witnessed only by Sue who regaled us with the story (I hope I got that right, Sue & Pam).  It was still raining heavily as we sped on through Albury & Chilworth.  However, skies ahead were starting to lighten and by the time we reached the Britannia pub in Guildford the rain had stopped & the sun was coming out.

This was our first visit to the Britannia & they looked after us well with jugs of water & glasses already on the reserved tables - not that we were really in need of water given the weather but it was a nice touch.  Food appeared quickly & everyone seemed happy. 

With it looking as if the sunshine was here to stay a while, some were bold enough to take off waterproof trousers, and we set off on the homeward run feeling much more cheerful.  The route was as direct as one could make it from Guildford back to Cobham and apart from Robert's slow puncture requiring some air a couple of times, we were blessed with sunshine all the way & the knowledge that there must have been rain ahead of us as the roads were steaming in the sun.  How lucky could we be!  Tea was at the Medicine Garden.  There had been 11 of us at the start, 9 of us at lunchtime & 8 at teatime.  Well done to everyone who came on the ride and thanks to Tim as back-marker.   It was a pity about the deluge that came after tea, though the sun hopefully dried everyone out again before they got home.

Gill Finlay

Home and Dry at the Medicine Garden

Author: Tim C

1 Comment:

Simon L 03 May 2018 at 08:32 BST

Well done to all of you! It seems that the Bs are hardier than the As in these rainy conditions...