A Group 4th October

Autumn's here, and we took advantage of a bright day to ride around the Surrey Hills, taking in the sights and the autumn tints.  It worked out very well.

A minor mishap at first, crossing Bookham Common, where a touch of wheels gave Pete a scratched knee.  Happily, no harm done, so on to Bagden Lane and over the top, heading for Denbies.  The grape harvest is in full swing, and you could smell the grape juice as we turned on to the bridleway that leads to the top of the hill.  This is a good way up to Ranmore Common, well surfaced and traffic free, winding through the vineyard.

One of the virtues of this route is that, like Box Hill, it has some fine open views, which are rare enough in Surrey.  I particularly like the view of Dorking from here.

A little surprise at the top - a short steep bit, with everyone in the wrong gear, but it's all part of the fun and we were soon on our way.

Photo Credit - Geoff Gregory

Over Ranmore Common, down Crocknorth and up Green Dene before swooping down that old favourite Coombe Bottom and in to Shere. Up again to Peaslake, Hoe Lane and we were in the pub just after one - not bad for twenty two hilly miles.

The Royal Oak is a nice pub, now part of the Time Well Spent group, and they have done a lot of refurbishment.  We had good tables in the upstairs room, where, to provide the right kind of ambience, little candles had been set about in all sorts of seemly places.  We liked these, particularly when one of them set John's jacket on fire while he was away ordering his lunch.  Dave B spotted it first, but the surprise deprived him of the power of speech, so the rest of us took a couple of seconds to understand what he was pointing at with such urgency.  But we soon put it out, and no-one seemed too bothered, except perhaps John, who is now in the market for either a new jacket or for a very large badge to cover the hole.

Photo Credit - Geoff Gregory

Back on the road just after two, climbing again, past the Mullard Space Research lab and over the top to Peaslake.  A steep bit out of here, called Walking Bottom - can't think why, though no-one did - and then on to Pitch Hill.  Here we had one of the referenda that have so enlivened political life, and concluded that we didn't want to do any extra hills and that we would rather turn our wheels towards tea.  'Have cake and eat it', as Mr Johnson put it, admittedly in another context.

A big swoop down to Shere, a tiny climb of Coombe Bottom, then swooping again down Staple Lane and then down again, Hungry Hill this time, entering Pinnocks just after three thirty.  Not bad.

My thanks to Mike for his back marking, to the corner makers for keeping us rolling, and to all of you for your cheerful company on an Autumn day in Surrey.

Mark