B Group - 16th January

Eighteen of us left Shepperton at 11:25 and with three exceptions rolled into the garden bar of the New Inn in Cartbridge, near Send, just before 12:50 after a pleasant 12.4 mile jaunt through several south western towns followed by green pastures of farmland and golf courses on either side of the Wey. We turned left immediately after Chertsey Bridge and followed our well-worn route through Addlestone Moor, using the cycle path to get past the roundabout which links the various tentacles of the A317 to the A318. We trundled along the footpath and got off the A318 as soon as we could and used the cyclists’ bridge to cross the M25 before riding through Row Town and Woodham, over the Basingstoke Canal and through West Byfleet onto the Pyrford Road. At the end of Warren Lane we turned left to pass the remains of Newark Priory and cross the River Wey before taking to the quieter Papercourt Lane which brought us within half a mile of the pub.

Service at the New Inn was extremely efficient and cheerful; some of us were eating by the time the last of us had placed our orders. And the food was good too.

So we were able to get away well before 2 o’clock which suited many people and left me feeling comfortable about the rest of the day’s itinerary. A small group left the ride at that point, probably when I announced that we were not going to Cobham by a particularly direct route. Eight of us pressed on down Potters Lane past Crickets Hill  and took the sharp left turn for the short climb up Send Hill which had a dangerous amount of ice on it. After passing through Send Marsh we arrived at the main Portsmouth Road where Richard kindly proposed a scenic deviation down Kiln Lane, picturing, I think, a cunning route through to Gambles Lane to rejoin my intended route. After traversing some mud and ice and a certain amount of broken glass we arrived at the embankment of the Ripley Bypass and sensing the peril of trying to get across the A3 we did a U-turn back to the Portsmouth road. We passed the Jovial Sailor with its recent memories of another happy lunch and turned into Grove Heath Road which produced in Richard a minor déjà vu moment I think. When we reached Guileshill Lane I expected more defections but the sun was still shining so we pressed on down Ripley Lane, cut through Pincott Lane to The Street in West Horsley and followed East Lane and the Drift Road, with its little hill, through to Effingham Junction. Without any further deviation or any more gratuitous miles to pad out the afternoon ride we cruised back into Cobham where Terry took the lead to a nice cozy café in Hollyhedge Lane which he had recommended at lunch time. We arrived at 3 o’clock after 12.6 miles and six of us took refreshment there.

Thanks to everyone for their warm support for my first ride. Thanks to Peter C for doing the recce with me back in December on a day which was even frostier than today, and for being Back Marker. He performed at least one sterling act by retrieving a new Sou’Westers top from the road after it had bounced out of Liz’s bar bag. Thanks too to John Gould, Gill Finlay and others whose previous rides I have recorded digitally and was therefore able to commit brazen acts of plagiarism in order to devise today’s route.

- Tim

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