B Group March 10

Announcing in advance that the B ride last Wednesday would involve a fair amount of off road scared off about half the potential B riders at Bocketts. They either headed straight home from elevenses or joined the A ride. Thus it was an exclusive group of only nine of us, Francoise, Gill, Stephanie, Bernard, Frank, Les, Robin, Simon (first time out with Wayfarers -welcome Simon) and myself, that set out on the track across Norbury Park to the Saw Mill. We then turned South along the ridge (superb views of the Box Hill Range to the left) and down through the woods to our first tarmac at Crabtree Lane and a steep descent to the Station at West Humble. As I told the troops, from here it was downhill all the way (except for the steep uphill bits) across Ranmore Common to lunch around one big table at the Duke of Wellington at East Horsley. Les was in luck because the special pensioners menu at £4.50 included his mandatory Gammon Steak with pineapple and two fried eggs.

After lunch we dropped Bernard at Horsley Station-he said he had to get home in time to prepare a meal for 20 guests that evening. We cycled thru' Ockam, Martyrs Green and Downside and then off-road to Stoke D'Abernon. Then through exclusive gated private roads and off-road again through Oxshott Heath to Fairoak Lane and then off-Road again to Claygate. Just before Claygate, Francoise punctured. As Francoise and Frank were extremely tired due to jetlag (they had only just returned from Vietnam) and by now it was bitterly cold, they decided to walk to Claygate station and mend the tyre after they got home. The rest of us had tea at the Long Ditton Garden Centre whence we returned home by our separate ways.

John Gould