Cobham - Woodmansterne - Tattenham Corner
Outside the forbidding gates of the mysterious Old Rectory in Mugswell
A rousing clarion call to the New Year from a shrivelled pea
roused a reluctant legion of eleven to abandon empty cups for the first MWW
ride of 2013. With the inertia of gravity once overcome, the pace quickened as
we headed East via Stoke d’Abernon and the Yehudi Menuhin
School to Leatherhead.
Here our statutory lady (the enigmatic J) discretely left the gentlemen to
their own devices. Once past the Leisure Centre, we pulled back the joystick
and our angle of inclination held steadily positive.
We passed Headley
Court, where construction work seems well
advanced, and Headley Forge, to crest Hurst
Road and level out at Walton-on-the-Hill. After a
short stretch of A217 we took Chipstead
Lane to explore the scenic ups and downs of
Mugswell, stopping in Rectory Road
at the forbidding wrought iron gate of the Old Rectory for a surreptitious
photograph. We speculated what shady potentate might darkly shelter behind the
portcullised gates. Answers under plain cover please.
A chorus of groans greeted the long downhill from the High
Road down Hazelwood Lane
to Outwood Lane,
to be replaced with cheers as we welcomed Chipstead Way, knowing that our lunchtime
venue of the Woodman in Woodmansterne was now just a stone’s throw away at the
end of the road. Some thought that it really was the end of the road. A special
mention must go to Pete, who stoically faced all these ups and downs with a
single speed gear.
 |
| After lunch at the Woodman |
Revived by a reasonable lunch washed down with a pint, we
sped downhill down Rectory Lane
into incipient drizzle, before another gentle climb up How Lane to Chipstead. A cautious descent
of Castle Road
(two single chevrons and now one-way only), led us to Waterhouse Lane. At Kingswood
a straw poll, influenced by steady drizzle, revealed a strong consensus in
favour of a shortened route to Tattenham Corner. We were warmly welcomed at the
Silver Spoon by one of those seemingly ubiquitous, smiling Slavonic young women,
with apologies for the absence of carrot cake and fudge cake (for which our
Treasurer has such a soft spot), though the toasted tea-cake was delicious and
calorific.
With the drizzle eased and dusk approaching, home was
downhill for nearly everybody, with 40 – 50 miles to start off the New Year’s
mileage total.
Jeff
Apologies for the tardy appearance of this ride report. The
sluggard has been sharply reprimanded.
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