What a good turnout for a new venue on a bitterly cold day! Starting so close to the hills and not being able to go up them was a huge disappointment for some though for others probably a sigh of relief! Having recced possible routes on Saturday, Monday & Tuesday (and seen the snow), today’s route felt rather strange and was definitely a compromise.
17 of us emerged from the Effingham Vineries Garden Centre to find some suspicious white stuff on our bikes. Turning into the wind with a distinct chill factor that was to last until tea , we made our way across Great Bookham Common to the Tilt area in Cobham and on towards Esher via Fairmile Lane. We avoided Esher itself by dipping down into West End. After photographs of Wayneflete’s Tower (an impressive 15th century brick gatehouse, which is all that remains of the palace of the Bishop of Winchester) and now on a private estate, we descended by Sandown Park to Hampton Court. Using the towpath to Kingston Bridge we got to The Anglers pub at Teddington Lock around 1pm.
Lunch was leisurely despite the prompt service – we needed to re-connect with our extremities! Then it was across the bridge and on to the towpath to Richmond Bridge. It was my intention to go on to Kew and back through North Sheen to Richmond Park but after discussion and with the increasingly grey look about everything we turned up Richmond Hill to the Park and “enjoyed” the bracing run down to Roehampton Gate and tea 23 miles from coffee (17 before lunch and 6 afterwards).
In view of the cold a few rightly turned for home after lunch and then even more did so on the way to tea where there were just 4 of us. It was here we “finally turned the corner” away from the wind but all 4 of us had to go up Broomfield Hill to get to our various homes. I did a modest 41 miles – others will have done more – and despite the unremitting cold it was a good day out, and I am glad to say, with no dramas.
Peter T
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