Never a popular start-point, Merstham, and a wet morning doesn't draw the crowds either, so it was a pretty select band at Hunger's End. Good to see Terry there, looking pretty chipper. I hope he will be back on his bike soon.
The band got even more select as we began our rides, not many for the Bs and even fewer for the As - five As, in all. But no matter - a small group is a fast group, and we set off with gusto down Nutfield Road, taking the rolling lanes that lead to Hever.
We got on well until the other side of Horne, where John had a puncture. Not a bad place to have one, with a convenient lay-by just at hand. Steadily using his well-provided tool-kit John had a new tube quickly in place. On to Lingfield, Maxted Road to Edenbridge and then a whizz along pretty lanes to Hever, with a small surprise when we rounded a corner and found a tractor trimming the hedge. Haircut, anyone?
Just after one we were at the Henry VIII. It's a good pub and they made us welcome. A table was reserved for us, food was served quickly and we tried to guess which bits of the pub were Tudor and which bits rather later. The bit round the corner, we concluded, but it's a handsome building in any case.
Henry VIII, Hever
Back on the road we went up to Four Elms, where it began to pick with rain. Here we tried the old cyclists' trick of putting on rain jackets, which worked very well. The rain stopped almost at once, so that a few miles later we had to stop again to take them off. The rain didn't re-start. On to Tilburstow Hill, the only real climb of the ride, and a short stop at the view-point for the traditional picture.
The view wasn't bad for such a dull day, but we've had better.
On at pace, now. The handy cut-through at Bletchingly that made the turn on to the Surrey Cycleway much safer has been newly painted 'No Cycling', which is irritating, then on up Church Lane and White Hill Lane, Graham going so well that he powered past the turning on to Spring Bottom Lane in his eagerness to get to the really steep bit. We called him back.
Last few miles, now, and we finished strongly up the hill to Fanny's. Good cake, plentiful tea and good conversation to finish the ride. Not bad for a damp day.
39.5 miles elevenses to tea; rolling average 13.9 mph and 2,184 feet of ascent. It was a pleasure to ride with such a capable group.
Mark
Author: Mark G
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