Details for Sunday 19th

I hope you can join me for a Tour of North London!

More details for elevenses,; Need to use Main Entrance, Cycle parking at park end of Car Park on left.

Routes (linked to Komoot)

Morning Route

Wimbledon Common / Putney Heath / Putney Bridge / Brompton Cemetary / Hyde Park / Regent's Canal / Primrose Hill / Hampstead Heath to Lunch at Kenwood House

Afternoon Route

Alexandra Palace / Parkland Walk North & South / Finsbury Park / St Paul's / Victoria Embankment / Battersea Park for Tea at Pear Tree Cafe

Plans for Sunday 19 July 2026

The change is already on the online rides list, but, in case you haven't picked it up yet, Eric's ride to Cambridge, originally planned for Sunday 19 July, has been swopped with his ride to Kenwood House, Hampstead Heath, originally planned for 9 August.

So, on Sunday 19 July, we'll now be meeting for elevenses at the AELTC Community Tennis Centre Cafe, 170 Grand Drive, Raynes Park, London SW20 9NB.   The Sawbridgeworth elevenses will now be on Sunday 9 August.

Write up for Sunday ride 12th July 2026

 Write up for Sunday ride 12th July 2026 

 Bernard

All of ten minutes, less even, that’s how long it took to plan the route.  It was 4am early in the week.  Sitting in my Woolworth’s deckchair in the back garden listening to Tom next door hosing his lawn and whistling tunefully “summertime and the living is easy”.  It was heatwave season and sleeping normal hours was impossible.  I tapped Garmi, who was snoozing next to me and with a blurp and buzz he opened one eye and showed me the route... “Fantastic” I thought.  I had mastered route planning – pop in the starting place and plug in the ending spot and I had my green line.  No need even to check the details; my new app ‘Genius Router’ had done it all.  As the advertising blurb had proudly (and in my opinion very wisely) announced “why waste time routing when you can be riding”.  Garmi burped and went back to sleep.  I chuckled at how smooth the life of a subbie had become.  All I had to do was make sure Garmi was fully charged for the day’s ride.  I stretched out my arms and folded them behind my head just as a robin landed on the handle of my rusty old shovel which I had left implanted in the lawn a couple of years ago just before wilding (my prayers were answered) came into vogue... an approach to gardening and life for that matter much in keeping with my own ‘laissez faire’ attitude to matters in general.  Robbie chirped, Garmi snoozed, Tom hosed and I hummed along to the easy living tune as I early morning dreamed of the gentle rolling landscapes on our recci in just a few hours’ time. 

 

It was in Fetcham when the thought occurred to me that we hadn’t seen much of the gentle, lolloping hills that Surrey was famous for.  Just up ahead I saw a sign, a big blue one, with an oversized two headed white arrow, one pointed left to the M25 Gatwick and the other right also to the M25 but towards Heathrow.  I then realised that we seemed to have drifted onto some kind of hard shoulder with a long line of fast travelling vehicles, some very large, no more accurately said huge, speeding past us.  Somehow, we found ourselves in Dante’s Inferno... nothing but grey tarmac and a never stream of mad drivers’ intent on killing anything and everything and especially (going by all the honking and swearing in our direction) cyclists... and blue motorway signs all over the place.  I made a decision, one that every subbie makes in times of crisis “Let’s stop and try and figure out where we are and how to get out of here!” 

 

‘Genius Router’ had brought us to a point of no return and was now demanding that I sign up to an exorbitant non-cancellable ten-year plan.  Garmi was also of little help... suffering from obvious stress and at critical anxiety levels, his compass was wobbling in all directions and suffering from chronic repeat blurping “...alert...turn around...alert turn around...” “I don’t think this is a good route for Sunday” Sabina cooly interjected.  I tried to get a grip of my nervous twitching and managed to nod, with a wobble or two, in agreement.  She pointed ahead to a little side lane (the sort of lane where enthusiastic club members take photos in their determined struggle to win the club’s snapshot photo trophy).  And soon we were off that ghastly road and spotted a sign to the promised land, it read “Leatherhead”. 

 

We eventually got to Polesden Lacey.  On our way there I marvelled at how friendly members of the public can be to lost and desperate cyclists and it filled my heart with warmth towards my fellow bipeds except those which I saw getting out of their cars in the car park... for them the best I could do was hiss. 

 

At home I got out my ordnance survey map which had proved its worth and value as a tea and coffee coaster ever since its purchase some good few years ago.  I managed with great skill to peel apart its gelled pages.  With even greater skill I guessed at the names of roads and towns which were hidden under torn bits of map (some parts had gelled and I had to go full rip apart mode resulting in a few bits of the map being torn from one place and stuck on another).  Nevertheless, with what i would describe as the eye of a great explorer I got an idea of the lay of the land as us subbies say and with Sabina pointing to where we needed to go, I put together a route Marco Polo would be proud to call his own. 

 

The new route plugged in... (this is now the obligatory describe the actual route part of this write up... the professional bit if you like); down from Polesden Lacey, right up Chaple Lane, whizz through Westhumble, under the A24 and then along the gentle slopes of the Surrey Hills, via Headley and into Epsom.  It was a hot day but by chance a lot of the ride was in the shade thanks to some very big trees on either side of the roads. 

 

We arrived at the Whetherspoon and met up with some veterans of the club, Ed, Terry and Colin who made me realise there was still a lot for me to learn as a subbie.  Outside I sat on a bench not realising until later that it had a plaque on it which read something akin to “sit here if you want to talk to someone”.  I rested my bike against its side.  To my surprise an elderly gentleman sat next to me, he had a graceful and gentle aura about him, I notice his wedding ring, and he said in a soft voice “we used to cycle ...”, “the Surrey Hills” I asked, “absolutely, the Surrey Hills were Ethel’s favourite....” 

 

My fellow riders were: 

Andy C, David W, Eric, Simon L, Niall, Ruth, Steph and Sabina.  Diane rode as well and met us at elevenses and for lunch in Epsom where we were also joined by Ed, Colin and Terry.  Keith met us at elevenses. 

 

Sunday ride 12 July 2026

 Good afternoon everyone

Here are the links to this Sunday's ride:

Morning; Polesden Lacey to Epsom

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/56013217

Afternoon: Epsom to The Pheasantry cafe in Bushy Park 

This is an optional route because the chances are most if not everyone will want to finish the ride in Epsom because this is the traditional Epsom ride where everyone can meet to 'shoot the breeze' with fellow riders and it could be hot and of course there is Wimbledon tennis not to mention the football but just in case someone wants to do a full day's ride we have the option of riding on after lunch to the Pheasantry cafe in bushy park.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/55999507

Taken at Polesden Lacey on our second recci have revamped the whole route to make it more scenic

Have a great Saturday and see you tomorrow

Sunday, 12 July 2026, RIDE

 Good afternoon everyone.  This Sunday's ride is a short gentle roll from the stable yard cafe at Polesden Lacey (National Trust) to Epsom (Whetherspoons) where its a chance for club members to get together and enjoy each other's company.  For those who would appreciate a longer ride I'm happy to head on after lunch to the Pheasantry cafe in Bushy Park.  Have a great rest of the week...Bernard

Taken at Polesden Lacey when we did our recci earlier today, Tuesday.

Ride Report - Sunday 5 July 2026

 

As usual, I had done my best to deter people from joining my ride, in this case by threatening an 'off-road special'.   I was only partially successful - Terry L, Pam J, Dave J and Tony H did arrive at elevenses intending to return straight home, but Andy C, Niall C and Steph W insisted on joining me for the rest of the ride!

We contended with a few miles of crumbly towpath from Coxes Lock as a warm-up' for the intended 'main event', the rickety, creeper-ridden, and previously virtually impassable (as this photo from 2022 demonstrates) footbridge over the Wey

on the Send Church to Sutton Green footpath.

Imagine my surprise and disappointment, to find not only that the overgrown approach to the bridge had been cleared of all stinging nettles, but that the bridge itself, previously too dangerous even for an SAS assault course, had been totally refurbished with new, readily-accessible stairs, and that all traces of creeper had disappeared!

I was flummoxed, and continued the ride somewhat subdued, and my spirits were only slightly lifted by inflicting the tortuous stairs of Woking station public subway on the group!

After lunch at Wetherspoons we took the shady towpath back to West Byfleet, and then the usual route back to Walton Bridge where there was a parting of the ways!    I will not be done down and my spies are already out looking for fresh, hideous obstacles to include in future rides led by me, so if you ever see the words 'off-road special' on the rides list in future, you have been warned!

Many thanks to Andy and Niall for their excellent photos, and to Andy for back-marking.

Sunday 28th June 2026

 The wind was coming from the south....or was it south-west but frankly it didn't matter & I was grateful after the past week of record breaking temperatures where humidity won over any chance of a breeze.

As per usual on a Sunday, Tanhouse Farm was rammed with roadies but thankfully choosing the takeaway van leaving the main café for china cup loving cyclists.

Gina, Keith, Eric, Neil, Dave joined myself leaving Dave V, Dave W & Terry.

We took the normal route to Colgate where there were no objections to some off-road through St Leonards forest (thanks Keith).

Flat or downhill & virtually straight, it was a joy to ride on this pretty good surface.

NOTE: Amended from route map below

Southwater Country Park was lunch for us but the large lake proved a draw for families & keen kayakers.

Terry rejoined us at Mickleham church teas together with Simon who was on a recce but the lure of homemade cakes was irresistable to him.

Thanks to Simon for most of the photos, Eric for backmarking & everyone else for your company.