A right royal jaunt to Maidenhead - 18 Feb

It was almost like spring today for our ride to the deep west.   We missed the overnight downpours, waking to grey skies and wet roads, but this soon improved to a warm day with patches of sunshine and a few short showers.   A few of us met at Shepperton for a pre-ride to 11s at the Royal Farm Coffee Shop in Windsor.   In total there were nine of us, not bad for such a faraway start.   We split into two groups:  Tony, Pam and Liz took a more direct route while David, Andy, Diane, Christina, Steph and myself headed in a northerly loop towards Maidenhead.   We enjoyed some of the lovelier parts of Slough, namely Herschel Park, Salt Hill Park and the Godolphin recreation grounds, before a quick visit to Burnham Beeches, freshly washed and gleaming in the sunshine.   Then it was off to Maidenhead via Taplow and Boulter's Island, home of Richard Dimbleby for many years.  

Blossoming in Bray

Viewing the castle at Windsor

We arrived at almost exactly the same time as the other group and enjoyed lunch at sunny upstairs tables.  Then it was back by a fairly direct route, through Bray, Dorney (a special treat to ride across Dorney Common with a tail wind), Windsor and Runnymede, where I managed to find a rather muddy track for a hundred yards or so (sorry everyone!) before joining the newly-surfaced riverside path.   Just as we were contemplating whether to have tea at Egham or Shepperton, standing near the Runnymede Cafe, it started to rain, so the decision was made to stop there for tea instead.  Of course the rain stopped before we had sat down with our tea.   Pam was nearly home by then but she volunteered (sort of) to lead us to Chertsey via Thorpe.

All in all, a nice day out with a taste of warm days to come, in good company and rather lucky with the weather.   Thank you to all who came along, to Tony and Pam for leading parts of the ride, and to David W and Diane for back-marking.

Sunday 11th February 2024

The day dawned damp & murky, a typical February day but with the temperature the right side of 10°.

Seven riders met at Starbucks, Hooley, a satisfactory number I thought considering the impending "hilly" ride.

Pre-ride chat dwelt on amongst other things, the merits (or otherwise) of narrowboats & Steph & Caroline's forthcoming Majorca trip.

On leaving, we immediately began climbing Dean Lane, the obvious way going East to be followed by the fast decent of Hilltop Lane.

NCN route 21 took us past Mercers farm & lake, tricky in places after all the recent rain but it's a NATIONAL CYCLE ROUTE so must be okay?....right?

This stretch is graded as "reasonable to cycle at any time of year" with "the odd pot-hole or bumpy bit" (SCC cycle map 2014).

Although Sustrans come up with the concept, it's down to indivdual landowners to maintain the paths which are left to the elements.

A surface would be nice.

Coopers Hill Road took us south from Nutfield to the track going east through the Henshaw Farm estate....a new experience for some.

Outwood has a windmill, in fact a very old windmill. 

It was constructed during the Great Fire of London & the builders it is said, watched the fire glowing in the distance 25 miles away.

It was last used commercially in 1996 & is the oldest working windmill in the UK.

Grade 1 listed building & only £800,000 (June 2018).

The Castle at Wasps Green...or Outwood as Google would have us believe was better than I'd thought ticking many boxes.

Attentive waiter, good food (not a roast in sight), comfortable surroundings & special thanks to Caroline for picking up the drinks tab.

We were away by 1.30 & 3 more climbs, Outwood Lane, Markedge Lane & Holly Lane brought us to tea at Banstead.

A pleasant day's ride with some hills to exercise the legs in the expectation of longer rides as the days lengthen.

Thanks to all for your company & Dave & Simon for backmarking.

Author: Tartan Socks(long)

Ride Report - Sun 4 Feb 2024 (Addlestone & Woking)

 

Several members were out of the country today and unable to join us on the ride - rumours I was leading must have got about!   Who grassed?   Anyway, Simon, Diane, Tony, Martina, Niall, Pam, Liz, Christina, Steph, Graham, Carolyn & Vic (very nice to see him out and about) joined me for elevenses at the ever-popular Golden Cafe, and more than made up for absent friends.   All except Carolyn and Vic then joined the ride towards lunch at Woking.

It had not escaped my attention that a certain mid week cycling group had also lunched at Woking very recently so I tried to come up with a different route.   This was proved to be slightly over-ambitious of me given a slightly later departure from elevenses than planned, and a stiff headwind, and so at Knaphill we diverted to a more direct route to lunch.

We had a very convivial meal at Wetherspoons and the service, as ever there, was friendly and efficient.

After lunch I decided to lure the group into a false sense of security by setting off on our traditional route back through Sheerwater, then veering off to Weybridge via Brooklands.  I managed to get away with it this time but I doubt if the trick will work again!   Anyway we made it to tea at Walton Bridge long before the somewhat fickle serving-hatch shutters had closed and neatly avoided a return through Addlestone!

Thanks all for your company and thanks to Graham for back-marking and Simon for relieving him.

Author: David W

Competition Deadlines

For the photo competition please submit your photos by midnight this Sunday, 4th February. This will give the judges time to deliberate and reach their verdicts in time for the engraver to do his work before our prize-giving on 6th March.

See this link to the invitation for the rules and instructions on how to upload photos.

For the mileages league table please send me your 2023 mileage score by midnight on Sunday, 4th February. I will happily update the table with any scores sent to me after Sunday but you won't be considered as a contender for any of the shiny trophies.

For anyone who won a trophy or two last year please let me know if you will be bringing it/them to Cobham for me on Wednesday. Thank you to several people who have delivered theirs already.

Thank you

~ Tim C

Author: Tim C

Ride Report - Sunday 28th January 2024 (North Cheam and Redhill)

It had been eerily quiet on the C&M WhatsApp group – by Sunday morning only 2 had made their apologies, the rest were keeping their cards close to their chest. So I was somewhat surprised by the large group already at The Nonsuch Inn when I arrived, with more trickling in to make no less than 18 gathered for elevenses!

Everyone loves a 'spoons elevenses!   

Tony, Maureen and Ed had alternative plans for a more local lunch at Claygate, and so the rest of us made to leave. But what was this? 80% of the assembled A riders hatched a little plan to spend a bit more time in the pub, and wriggle out of the 16 mile route to lunch at Redhill, stating "they would catch us up"! I won’t go into detail here, for fear of copycats, but it seems they all kindly supported each other in this misadventure and deserve some recognition!

The remaining 11 struck out through Cheam and Belmont, with a slight headwind as we made our way across a short stretch of Banstead Common and up to Banstead. Here Helen peeled off, and 10 went on through Woodmansterne, Chipstead and Coulsdon, re-grouping for photos at the top of Farthing Down. There was a request to stop at the beautiful little church at Chaldon, to admire the “internationally renowned” twelfth-century wall painting, which I for one had not seen before.

Up Farthing Down

Here's the church, here's the steeple...look inside...

Meanwhile the breakaway group had finally left the pub and were cycling like bats out of hell to make lunch via a more direct route. Travelling on down (thankfully) the steep hills into Merstham and then along the traditional route into Redhill to The Sun, we arrived just before they caught us up. Dave and Steve did not stop, making it 13 at lunch as we found Terry there waiting for us. Lunch was quick enough given the pub was quite busy.

After lunch, Steph and Brenda (her first C&M ride – welcome!) opted for a more direct route home and Dawn headed to the train station, leaving 10 to meander through the back streets of Redhill and Reigate until we came to the glorious familiar lanes that take us through Brockham and Pixham, where Terry peeled off home, to wind up in Leatherhead. Graham, Keith, Tim and Colin did not stop as it was getting a bit late, so just 5 of us – myself, Sabina and Bernard, Andy and Simon, stopped for a well-deserved tea at new-to-me Lucio’s Coffee and Deli.  

Thanks to everyone for coming out on a very pleasant sunny Sunday, and to Graham and Simon for back-marking at different times. 

Author: Diane

Ride Invitation for Sunday 28th Jan

Firstly please note that the destination has been tweaked from Reigate Hill to The Sun at Redhill - despite the very reasonable weather forecast I think we should save the al fresco dining for the Summer! 

Please join me for this Sunday's ride from 'spoons The Nonsuch Inn at North Cheam to 'spoons in Redhill - a distance of about 15 miles with two uphill stretches, to Banstead/Woodmansterne and then to Chaldon as we make our way over the North Downs. There is one short stretch of off road planned, to take our minds of the gentle but long uphill gradient. After the second up we will be rewarded with some lovely views just right for a photo op. From there it's downhill to lunch, about 15 miles altogether. 

Those who wish to take a train to and/or from lunch will find themselves very close to Redhill station, and those who are happy to cycle after lunch will be led through the flattish country lanes via Brockham and Pixham back to Leatherhead for tea, another 14 miles, with just the Coach Road as the usual bit of off-road. 

The GPX file can be emailed on request, any questions please ask! 

Thanks, Diane 

Author: Diane

Sou'Wester Shorts - Did you receive the latest edition?

Issue 73 of Sou'Wester Shorts, edited by Dave Vine, has just been distributed by email.   If you missed out on receiving it, then this info is for you.

Shorts contains a digest of news of our rides, with photos and other information about the club.  It's published every few weeks and sent via a google distribution service called googlegroups.

If you are a new member, you may not be subscribed to the newsletter.   If so please click here to email me and I can add you to the distribution list.

If you have been a member for a few years and you still don't receive it, it's possible that you are already subscribed but your email system is registering Shorts as spam.  We're aware of a few people who often don't receive it.  If it's not in your spam folder, please do let me know, and we will try to get a copy to you one way or another.

Happy reading!