B Group - 3rd July

The Fairly Undulating 50Kms

Seventeen headed out from the RBL heading initially for West Horsley on quiet roads via Ockham. We crossed the A246 and climbed up Shere Road in the cool shade of the trees. This was the first major effort of the day. We joined Coombe Lane at the top and descended Coombe Bottom to the A25. At Chilworth after enjoying the lovely smooth surface on the A248, and remembering what a bone shaker it used to be, we headed south over the level crossing up to Black Heath then down to Shamley Green. There was a little bit of confusion near temporary traffic lights on the main road to Shamley Green when two enthusiastic corner markers didn’t realise that the rest of the group including the back marker had already been through. The very lovely Farley Heath Lane followed Woodhill Lane to Farley Green, Brook, and the William IV in Little London, near Albury Heath.

At the pub, which the proprietors invite us to refer to as ‘The Willy’, we sat outside in what would have been a rather peaceful setting in Brook Lane. However there was a lot of serious tree-surgery going on and it was worse than lunching under the flight path out of Heathrow. The pub had another large and, we gather, quite demanding group of diners, plus about 14 of us and numerous walk-in customers. So although the staff worked hard and were somewhat apologetic about delays many of our lunches took quite a while to deliver. However the noise eventually abated, the sun started shining a little more brightly, and our freshly prepared lunches were delivered and eaten. The prices are a bit high there but I would go again; most of us went for the sandwich and soup, or sandwich and chips options.

We crossed the bridge over the railway above Shere and took off along Hook Lane to Hoe. We descended Hoe Lane which is quite a mess in places, and beyond The Volunteer and The Abinger Hatch we headed South along Leith Hill Road which surprised some people who were no doubt expecting that we would ride down past Friday Street. We then turned sharp left down Leyland’s Road which eventually becomes Sheephouse Lane for the familiar roller-coaster through to Wotton. I have no record of B Group ever riding along Leylands Road before but it was well worth the mostly pointless excursion. It appears to have been paved fairly recently as there are still patches of loose gravel about. A quick blast along the A25 before turning left into Balchins Lane for the back route into Dorking.
 
Ten of us stopped for Tea at Pilgrim Cycles where Lizzie was running the place single-handed. We were chuffed to get there by about 4:30 after our rather tardy 3:00pm departure from the pub.

I am most grateful to Paul James for back-marking and chasing everyone up the hills, not least because he got up quite early to that most unwelcome of Wednesday surprises, a flat tyre. But he sorted it out and made it to the RBL to be ready for action. Thank you too to our several very diligent corner-markers.
 
Billed as ‘The Fairly Undulating 50Kms’ the ride was actually 52 Kms. According to Strava it involved 2,348 feet of climbing.
See https://www.strava.com/activities/2503461479
or https://ridewithgps.com/trips/36798408

I want to believe that everyone enjoyed the hills. When the weather is as nice as it was how can we not enjoy them? Welcome to Richard Cranfield on his third time out with us and welcome to Sue Bellamy who has rarely ever been out with B Group. Thank you all for coming.

~ Tim

(Cobham is just off the top of the map thanks to a slight shortage of pixels.)

I told you it was lumpy!