A Group July 1st

An A Group 15 strong, led by Pete B, left Cobham, linking up with the B's along Plough Lane before forking off at the Hautboy. With early morning clouds clearing and temperatures rising, we headed south along Long Reach and through West Horsley. Cries of anguish were heard as members saw the climb of Shere Lane ahead but onward we pressed. At the top a message was received advising of Mike M's mechanical difficulties and so Ian, armed with directions of a shorter route to lunch, kindly headed back with a bag of tools, so enabling the rest to continue on the planned route. The Coombe Bottom downhill race was comprehensively won by Pam (was it a bird?, was it a plane?, no it was SuperPam!). Then through Albury and Chilworth to climb up onto Blackheath. After a brief stop to help four damsels in distress with directions as to regain their planned route, we dropped down to Wonersh and a short detour was enough to enable us to pick up the, now magnificently resurfaced, old railway track up towards Peasmarsh (it appears the railway companies want to reopen this line to Cranleigh) and then through the backroads of Farncombe for a well deserved lunch at the Godalming Wetherspoons, with Mike and Ian rejoining as we placed our orders. After lunch a couple of miles of mainroad led us back to where we had left the railway and on to the path following the Wey into Guildford. We enjoyed the shade of the trees as Pete M fixed a puncture followed by a brief wait in Guildford centre as he replaced the wheel the right way round (rumoured to be a cunning ploy by helping hands determined to dethrone Pete from the top of the mileage table this year). A quick climb of the cobbles and then a, new to most, route through Stoke Park and along the Wey through a Nature Reserve right next to the A3. Then it was the well trodden path next to the A3 through Ripley and on to Ockham Bites for a welcome cuppa and thence home.