A Group 5 June

Cobham - Warnham - Denbies

Welcome to John Baker
 

Cobham at 11am  saw reptilian Wayfarers, with blood warmed by the sun, ready to stir. For the A Group this meant slithering south towards the sun, starting with a gentle push to Effingham Junction and along the Drift to East Horsley. Having stirred the circulation, it was time to enter Green Dene and exercise the lungs with a bit of heavy breathing for the widely welcomed climb up Crocknorth Rd. and a scoot along the ridge to Ranmore Common, before the helter-skelter of White Down Lane. With the A25 behind us we climbed steadily up to Abinger and beside Leith Hill to Campfield Place.

Contemplating Tanhurst

Here we paused to test our brakes and steady the nerves before playing the game of ‘hunt the tarmac’, on what must be the crowning glory of Surrey County Council’s rural road network, unblemished by unwelcome modern maintenance, the pristine Tanhurst Lane. Pete B’s response was to throw himself off his bike before he had even started; having failed to sustain a sufficient injury, his only option was down. What greater testament to the skill and courage of this fine body of men (with of course a statutory lady) than that they navigated this glorious lane intact and unbowed.

Thereafter, the road stretched smooth, flat and inviting through Forest Green, Mayes Green and Walliswood to Rowhook and an exciting downhill to the A29. With Warnham just round the corner, we were soon dismounting to admire the chickens in the garden of The Greets Inn, two minutes ahead of schedule.

Lunch

We dined in sunshine. Food was good, delivered methodically, not rushed. The leader’s seafood platter alas was rather behind schedule, to arrive as others were licking their platters and admiring the roosters. Departure thus later than planned, a question mark hovered over our intended tea-stop: Annies or Denbies? Despite a spirited canter via Langhurst, Capel, Newdigate and Blackbrook, Annie’s proved a tad too far. A united coalition agreed on Denbies.

Shamefaced apologies to our welcome new rider, John Baker, whom we neglected to ensure turned right, not left at the A25, within spitting distance of our destination. However, we did not neglect Brian, custodian of the Denbies 10% group discount voucher, which we put to good use. Parking space for bikes was precious as the B Group had arrived before us and had their way with choice of cake, leaving some late arrivals to lament the last coveted slice of caramel cake. Had we been just that little bit faster………!

Good news came from John, who kindly ‘phoned to let us know that he was safe and well and to explain our parting of the ways. We offered our profuse apologies and a compensatory cup of tea when next he joins us.  My thanks go to Mark for his valuable way-marking and for the ride statistics. Total mileage for me was a modest 59 miles door to door. My appreciation also to a sporting bunch of riders who made the ride a great pleasure for me and I hope for them as well.

Jeff