Dorking - Ifield - Reigate
Today, Dorking seemed a lot further away than usual. The really tough bit was the totter from front door to the A217. At St Martin's, a hardy band from far and wide (well done Gill, Irene, Pam, Vic) was already making serious inroads into the tea and sausage-rolls. Come decision time, the vote went heavily in favour of following Terry to the Royal Oak, Brockham. With only two sympathy votes, I lost my deposit.The troika of Mark, John B and me therefore set off up Dene St. en route for Ifield. Keeping very much to the busier roads, where snow and ice had mostly been dispersed by traffic, we made steady progress. Where snow had thawed, the resulting wet surfaces were treated with caution. Has anybody got a foolproof way to recognise black ice - before you hit it?
We passed our fall-back options at Newdigate and Rusper, to arrive safe and perhaps a little over-heated by too many layers, at our destination, the Gate at Ifield. Here we cooled off and enjoyed good food, beer and conversation. Our return was to have been via Charlwood, but caution suggested that we mostly retrace our earlier route, as revealed by Mark's unfailing Garmin, before heading for Reigate.
Keen to return before the roads froze over, we forewent the comfort of afternoon tea and cake to part at Reigate, Mark to follow the A25 while John and I crested Reigate Hill before parting company. First time on two wheels for ten days and 41 miles in the legs.
Let's hope this snow and ice soon disappear!
Jeff
3 comments:
After Reigate I went for a look at Wray Lane - noo - then convinced myself that Rocky Lane was OK - sort-of true. So far so good, so up Markedge Lane past Fanny's - snow and ice at the top and not much fun, then down How Lane (ohhh) and up Rectory Lane to Woodmansterne (serious mistake).
Home in the dark and glad to be there.
Well done Jeff John and Mark especially Mark for your adventurous return leg up Rocky Lane etc. I guess without snow tyres you would have had a few falls.
It's a conundrum, Mike. The snow tyres work well on snow, and are quite OK (if a bit slow) on Tarmac. They're better than normal tyres on ice, but when they let go it happens very quickly. For ice, which we've plenty of just now, you need studs. But studs are tricky on Tarmac, and let go very quickly ...
Very hard to get things right in the UK!
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