Sunday 27th April 2025

 As April 2025 comes to an end, it would be no suprise to me if it broke records for sunny days, but not necessarily warmth......until today that is.

A stunning day, where shorts & short sleeved jerseys were the order of the day.

Eleven met at Knights Garden Centre café outside, at the bottom of Pebblecombe Hill, a popular place that today was bathed in warm sunshine.

Leaving Lorraine, Dave & Audrey, we made for Earlswood Lakes for a short toilet stop (sorry folks).

Onward to Smallfield where due to a misunderstanding, Dave & Diane broke away from the pack to be reunited at lunch.

The Archive Cyclist's café is like no other.    

Largely unknown to most, it's on the busy A264 east of Copthorne where you'll find bagels with various fillings, but not much else due to the three cycling clubs who'd polished off the cake offering.

Dave & Audrey had kindly arrived earlier to nab the tables & chairs on our first visit in 2025 to Brockham Church for their tea & cakes which always ticks the boxes, but for Bernard, it was merely somewhere to wash his hands after "tackling" a deep cut in the rear tyre & inevitable puncture.

I was happy to assist & provide a spare tube after several failed attempts.

Thanks for a great day!

                                            

Author: Tartan Socks(long)

C&M Easter Tour 2025 to Canterbury - ride reports

Many thanks to Lilian for organising a superb Easter Tour in Canterbury.   This year was the first year that the tour split between on-road riders (at Canterbury) and the Kingston Phoenix gravel riders, most of whom went to Salisbury.   We missed their company, but we still had a large group of friends to enjoy the weekend with, and we welcomed quite a few riders who were enjoying the Easter Tour for the first time.

The weather was kind to us, and thanks to Pete B and Helen we enjoyed some superb riding on the quiet roads over the weekend.

The ride reports and some photos are available on the Tours blog here:

ride to Canterbury · Pete's Saturday ride · Sunday ride · ride home

There may be an additional report for Helen's Sunday ride: I'll add this later.

Changes to Sunday's ride 27th April from Betchworth

Elevenses remains unchanged (Knights Garden Centre, Betchworth)

Lunch is now Snowhill,Copthorne https://www.thearchive.works/ - a cyclist's café.

Tea remains Brockham Church.

https://www.komoot.com/tour/2184238021

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/349253428

Author: Tartan Socks(long)

Ride Report - Sunday 20 April 2025 (North Cheam & Mogador)

 

With many C & M members away on the Easter tour, for the rest of us it was just a skeleton service today - quite literally that, because I had put together the bare bones of a route, although it would probably have been better left buried, preferably in a an unmarked grave!

Mention of my name on the rides list failed to deter Niall, Michiko (on, we think, her second ever C & M ride), Bernard and Sabina from joining me for elevenses at The Nonsuch Inn.   We duly set off together, bound for lunch at Mogador.

All went well for the first few miles.   I had warned of some off-tarmac sections, but nothing could have prepared us for Fairlawn Road, so-called, which, on the map, appears to neatly cut off a corner and avoid Banstead.   In reality, it was just a succession of deep, flinty ruts!  I reckon it has been specially constructed to provide extra perimeter security for the two prisons on one side of it!

Anyway, there were no casualties, and the next part of the ride was on tarmac, albeit pointing upwards most of the time, until we reached Reigate Hill.   Here we met further unsurfaced stretches, of variable quality, but were rewarded by great views despite the gathering cloud.   

It seemed a long distance before we regained tarmac, although, in reality, it was only a couple of miles, and once back on metalled roads, we were soon at The Sportsman for lunch.   The pub was fairly busy but service was friendly and efficient and our departure on the road for home was not delayed.  Well, I say 'road', but there was the slight matter of the Walton Heath track.   I guarantee you could find mud here in the severest drought conditions, and today was no exception!

The rest of the ride back to Epsom was a breeze, except for the small matter of the railway footbridge we took in lieu of the defunct and much-missed Castle Road bridge.   The nearby substitute bridge is very steep, and, despite the hastily-installed bike ramps, difficult for heavier bikes and electrics.

Needless to say, it being Easter Sunday, normal tea stops were all resolutely shut, so we went our separate ways home.  Thanks to all for your company, and for putting up with it all in such good spirits!

Author: David W

Attendance Last Year

 

Author: Tartan Socks(long)

Changes to Rides Programme on 13 April and 20 April 2025

Please note the following changes.   The online rides list has been updated but printed versions will still be showing the originally planned rides.

Sunday 13 April - No ride leader had volunteered for this date, but Tony has now very kindly offered to lead a ride for us from Fat Boys Cafe, Poyle to lunch at the Battle of Britain Bunker at Uxbridge.    Please note change - elevenses meet no longer at the Nonsuch Inn, North Cheam on this date.

Sunday 20 April - For those not on our Easter Tour, we will now be meeting for elevenses at the Nonsuch Inn, North Cheam (please note change from Stables Cafe, Osterley Park) with lunch at The Sportsman, Mogador.   The ride from Osterley Park to Northolt is postponed until later in the summer.

Author: David W

Ride Report - Sunday 6th April

Sunday's ride to Dorney Court was well attended, with 17 cyclists arriving at The Pheasantry in Bushy Park for elevenses. Perhaps it was the sunshine, the slightly-but-thankfully reduced ENE wind or a seldom-used venue which brought out the masses, or perhaps the promise of a largely flat ride? 

I can see very few blog post entries referring to Dorney Court - the last one seems to be Sept 2020 - so perhaps that's why it appeared on the list of rides to be led last November, except that it was even windier on that day with Storm Bert spoiling the plans. With hindsight, we needed the extra hours of daylight to fully enjoy more of the lanes which loop around Windsor.    

David W had very helpfully pre-arranged to sub-lead, so we were able to split into 2 perfectly-formed groups of 8, with Sue not coming any further. 

"Stand still while I count you".....

I led the first group out through Lower Sunbury, Ashford and Stanwell, where the decision to go over or under (the M25) had to be made! The track was fine enough to cycle but it wasn't clear from the road how many interesting characters might be playing down there - in my group just Paul wanted to see what we were talking about so Simon boldly led him through, while I believe the second group all went under. No mishaps reported and Pam even had an apology from one chap who realised he had passed her a bit too closely!  

Gradually the traffic lessened as we came through Horton and Datchet, after which we followed the Jubilee River Way for the last 3 miles completely traffic-free as it delivered us almost straight to the Crocus Garden Centre where we had a reservation. It was a good lunch and served quite quickly, once we established who to order from. 

Jennie gets the giggles beside the Jubilee River

As David W had not stopped for lunch, and Graham and Keith were making their own way back, we were down to 13 cyclists. Simon kindly offered to take over the sub-lead role and we otherwise kept the groups intact. It was definitely warmer now as we tackled some gentle ups around Fifield and Winkfield, and through the Windsor Great Park which was its usual quiet and glorious self between Cranbourne Gate and Bishop's Gate. Finally, following a route Pam had once shown us to avoid Egham, we came through Chertsey and onto The Ferry at Shepperton, where - is this a first?! - everyone stopped for tea! 

Group 2 after it had reformed!   

Thanks to David W and Simon for sub-leading and to Jennie, Lilian and David J for back-marking. Photo credits to Sue, Simon and Pam. 

Author: Diane

Plans for Sunday 6th April

This Sunday's ride will leave from The Pheasantry in Bushy Park, taking familiar and sometimes busy roads to get us past Heathrow. We can choose to go over or under the M25 roundabout (under is a dirt track, which was ok to cycle and empty on the recce), and later treat ourselves to a 3-mile stretch of the Jubilee River path which is compacted gravel. It's 21 flat miles to lunch at the Crocus Garden Centre, Dorney Court.

After lunch there's a bit more gravel path taking us to our crossing of the Thames. We'll pass through Fifield and Windsor Great Park, and back to The Ferry Coffee Shop at Shepperton for tea, a further 20 miles and with just a few low bumps coming into and through the Park.

It is a long ride (41 miles) and with some unavoidable busy roads on the way out and back, but with only 625ft of up. Dorney Court GC is an old C&M venue which I for one had never visited before my recces. The weather is currently forecast to be turning a bit cooler with that ENE wind only slightly less gusty than yesterday but it should be sunny all day. 

IMPORTANT: I've booked a table for lunch inside (due to the wind), so please let me know if you are intending to come and would like a table place by end of Friday. Everyone is welcome and any late deciders can take pot luck with seating or make other lunch arrangements, just that it does get quite busy there. 

ALSO: I believe I can share the route on Komoot with anyone wishing to see it, alternatively I can email the gpx file on request.

Author: Diane