Sunday 18 January 2026 – 11s Ride Report

 Bushy Park to Oxshott and Beyond

Bushy Park was once again the 11s venue for today’s ride. A relatively short, gently undulating route was planned, featuring a new lunch venue.

A good crowd turned out for the ride: Tony, Andy, Martina, Dave, Clive, Keith, Sabina, Alan, Simon, Graham, Carolyn, and Bernard. Joining us for the 11s section only were Dave V, Helen, Diane, and Madi.

We left Bushy Park via Lion Gate, heading south before turning left into Thames Ditton, continuing through Hinchley Wood, and crossing the Kingston Bypass to Claygate. A short detour took us up the hill at Red Lane, before turning right into Stevens Lane and onto the back end of Claygate. From there we headed west toward Esher.

We turned left onto the Portsmouth Road, riding almost as far as Cobham, where we entered Fairmile Lane for a few hundred metres. This led us onto the enjoyable downhill of Leigh Hill Road, then Stoke Road, and into The Tilt, which has been resurfaced since my last visit and was riding very nicely.

We soon arrived outside Café Barbara, the scene of the previous Friday’s 11s ride, before continuing on through Brundle Lane to Oxshott for lunch at the excellent Munch & Wiggles café. The owner, Ben, had reserved a covered and heated outdoor seating area for us, which was extremely cosy. He also organised a secure area for our bikes. Service was relatively quick, the food was very good, and we arrived just in time, as the café closes at 2:00 pm on Sundays.

We spent about an hour chatting and relaxing, helped along by some wonderful chocolate truffles kindly supplied by Ben. On departure, a few riders headed home directly, while the rest of us rode back toward Esher, turning into Sandy Lane for about a kilometre before turning left into The Ridings. Here we stopped at the blue plaque marking Tommy Sopwith’s residence in the early 1900s.

Soon after, we rejoined the Portsmouth Road for a short stretch to West End, then passed through part of the estate, riding past Wayneflete Tower, before descending to Molesey for our tea stop at Dish.

I believe Simon claimed the prize for the largest piece of cake, accompanied—as always—by plenty of banter and relaxed conversation. Eventually, though, it was time to head home.

It was a truly lovely day on the bike with a great group—thank you all. Special thanks go to Simon for back-marking, and to Andy and Dave for taking the photos.

Finally, a note for the future: it is becoming harder to fill the rides calendar, and we could really do with a few more ride leaders stepping forward.

Tony..