B Group - 19th February

We arrived at elevenses to find that Bernard was celebrating a significant birthday and that we were all invited to share his very large and beautiful cake. About seventeen of us left Weybridge at 11:25 and queued up with A Group to ride over the level crossing at Addlestone Station. We turned left into Corrie Road for a quiet ride to the Liberty Lane bridge over the M25. We joined Murray Road into Ottershaw and turned into Foxhills after the unpleasant roundabout. Stonehill Road brought us into Chobham. Pennypot Lane led us most of the way to Bisley where we took an unnecessary deviation through the suburban streets and then Queens Road past the Bisley camp with the crack of gunfire ringing in the air. In Brunswick Road past the barracks we lifted our bikes over the curb to ride the narrow path over the old bridge which crosses the Basingstoke Canal by the locks. We joined Gole Road and headed West and came perilously close to riding off the edge of the Greater London A-Z map which I was using to navigate. But, in the nick of time, we bounced off the edge and swung to the South into Stanley Hill, past Furze Hill which was H. M. Stanley’s residence in his final years. We belted along for the final couple of miles until we reached the White Hart in Pirbright at bang on 1 o’clock.

We were waited upon at the tables which had been set for us and although the food seemed to take a while to deliver it was excellent stuff. It was just one day after the anniversary of our previous visit when a very small group of us lunched there on a much colder day. The pub has a very nice ambience, from the buzz of the regulars who were there in force, the good food, the attentions of the staff who worked hard to serve us all, and from the architecture; Bernard, Terry and David Vines all noticed how low the oak beams in the ceiling were.
 
After lunch we rode to Fox Corner then along Goose Rye Road and were pleased to be able to ride under the railway line at Worplesdon Station in Prey Heath Road. When David and I did the recce a month ago we were advised and saw for ourselves that the water was knee deep so walked our bikes up a muddy track by the station and over another bridge to get to the other side. The good news is that a local councillor, Will Forster, is working hard to address the causes and the consequences of the flooding under the railway bridge. See this link for details.

17th January

We crossed the A320 and headed up to Old Woking then down through Cartbridge and Send, over the Ripley Bypass and back onto our familiar route to Cobham.
 
We had a rare opportunity to ride with David Vines today. Although the freshly irrigated swamplands to the South of Cobham are not his usual habitat he decided to ride through Plough Lane while the rest of us went around via Chilbrook Road and Downside and he took this excellent photo to illustrate the fun we could have had if we had taken that route with him. Apparently, although the road is no longer closed, he did find that the water was up to his bottom bracket, but despite wet feet he joined a greatly diminished band of riders in the Aromas Café for our final refreshment.

Plough Lane today

Thanks to everyone for their good company, to Bernard for his pesky pictures, and to David for being the back marker.

Happy Birthday to Bernard!

15.5 miles to lunch and 14.8 miles in the afternoon