Sunday, 18 April

Westerham - Leigh - Shoreham

Blue sky, sunshine and volcanic ash. Is this the start of global warming? I should really dig the garden. A little bleary after the night before, I hesitated. Oh, blow! You can at least make it to Westerham and say 'hello', if they have not already left. So I did. A steady ride to Bletchingley and then beside the Sunday, snorting motorcars on the A 25 to the challenging glare of Churchill on the green at Westerham. The C&M were still in residence - a small but perfectly-formed group of: Bob, Paul, Richard and Simon. Steve, I was informed, had had to beat a lame retreat with a loose crank-arm and no big hex key. Must be infectious. We hoped he made it safely. The rest, on the point of departure, insist I join them.

From then on it must be up, and so it was. Chart Lane for starters, then Ide Hill. As a reward, Richard treated us to the Catford Hill Climb, mercifully in reverse. We passed the twitchers at Bough Beech Reservoir and then followed Penshurst Road (B2027) all the way to the Fleur de Lis (sic) at Leigh. This was something of a surprise to Simon, who had expected a gentle jaunt to the Surrey, not the kentish Leigh. Fortunate it was for us that he already had 120 miles in his legs after a ride to the coast and back on Saturday, after the Horton training ride.

Our lunch-time venue had perforce been changed from the Bat & Ball (now closed) to the Fleur de Lis - food sound and inexpensive. We sunned ourselves and dined outside, while Simon looked longingly at the sign which said: "Station: 250 yards".

After lunch we headed North past Hildenborough to Underriver, where Richard introduced us to the seductive contours of Carter's Hill - not to be faced on the big chainring with a frugally-toothed cassette. Thereafter, it was Seal, Otford, Twitton and a rescheduled and unhurried tea-stop at the engaging time-warp of Shoreham Aircraft Museum. After tea and cake and still in sunshine, it was homeward bound via Chelsfield, High Elms, Jackass Lane to W. Wickham, with each breaking away for his own route home at Croydon.

Our thanks to internet-free Richard for a most enjoyable ride, on what may have been our warmest Sunday of the year. The mileage tally for me was 70, though more I'm sure for the others who came from Cobham and N. Cheam.

Jeff

Author: Jeff