With As and Bs heading in roughly the same direction we were away first from a showery Shepperton into a strong northwesterly wind (strong enough to send Frank scurrying back to his warren). "Capes on" at the bypass and "capes off" at Chertsey bridge set a pattern to be repeated throughout the day.
That odd bit of NCN4 which leads neither to London nor west but only to the other side of Chertsey conveyed us to Thorpe of Ferrari fame (hope to see you soon Ed). We've long avoided Prune Hill but not today - others misjudging its length/steepness added to ones merriment! After regrouping beside Royal Holloway we turned left towards Wick Lane before joining the real NCN4 at Bishopsgate. On the exposed slopes above the Long Walk how not to ride into the wind was amply demonstrated. The twists and turns and bumps of the descent soon ended at a regular haunt, Wetherspoons in Windsor much to JS's digust. By now our numbers had swollen to over twenty as independents Wilf and Grant rejoined. I'd planned on a alfresco tea but the weather said not. With the wind now firmly in our favour, we powered through Datchet (long delayed at level crossing), Wraysbury and Staines. In Shepperton a left over the motorway was greeted by much grating of gears on the double helix. Thus a dozen (being 85% of its custom) sampled Nutty Lane's cafe (naturally) without a hint of rain before we dispersed.
Graham
That odd bit of NCN4 which leads neither to London nor west but only to the other side of Chertsey conveyed us to Thorpe of Ferrari fame (hope to see you soon Ed). We've long avoided Prune Hill but not today - others misjudging its length/steepness added to ones merriment! After regrouping beside Royal Holloway we turned left towards Wick Lane before joining the real NCN4 at Bishopsgate. On the exposed slopes above the Long Walk how not to ride into the wind was amply demonstrated. The twists and turns and bumps of the descent soon ended at a regular haunt, Wetherspoons in Windsor much to JS's digust. By now our numbers had swollen to over twenty as independents Wilf and Grant rejoined. I'd planned on a alfresco tea but the weather said not. With the wind now firmly in our favour, we powered through Datchet (long delayed at level crossing), Wraysbury and Staines. In Shepperton a left over the motorway was greeted by much grating of gears on the double helix. Thus a dozen (being 85% of its custom) sampled Nutty Lane's cafe (naturally) without a hint of rain before we dispersed.
Graham
1 comment:
Sorry I didn't take any photos. However, unlikely as it might seem, you can relive your ride along Nutty Lane to the entrance of Thompsons Nursery on Street View!
Jeff
Post a Comment