Helen Tovey arranged for us to meet at Ewell and the first stop for coffee by the regulation six was at Coffee Active, Ashtead where seating had been allowed outside the Leg of Mutton & Cauliflower. No ride plan had been made beforehand (not unusual) but Helen expressed a wish to go through Oxshott Heath so we set off for Leatherhead. The police had closed off North Street and there were police cars and tape all over the place - probably a motorist had parked on a double yellow line 😜. We turned off Waterway Road to go on the track through the nature reserve but instead of taking the normal route across we took the narrower track that is parallel to the railway line and followed it all the way through to River Lane. From there we took Cobham Road to Squires, Stoke D'Abernon where we stopped to have our packed lunches in the grounds. We didn't find out the availability of toilets as only one of us was desperate and there were some handy thick bushes close at hand.
It felt so comfortable socialising again that we were in no rush to get on our bikes but eventually we set off towards Cobham and turned right into Fairmile Lane, Water Lane and Littleheath Lane. From there we took the track through Oxshott Heath to the train station and at the traffic lights turned left into Fairoak Lane. A little way along there we turned left along New Road towards Claygate but took a left turn into Birchwood Lane and across Arbrook Common and followed the road into Hinchley Wood where we separated to go our own ways home.
It had been a cloudy day with sporadic showers but we were all just glad that we could get out as a group again.
John
1 comment:
Excellent report John. Feels like we may be getting back to "normal".
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