A group ride 14th July Byfleet to Farnham report

There were three leaders on this ride. Simon, Dave Vine and Steve D. The report from Simon leading the first group away was as follows:-

The first group, consisting of David F, Pete B, Hans, Dave B, Patrick and myself, had a lovely day out on Steve's very varied ride to Farnham.   At Mytchett a referendum was held about using the towpath (scenic but potentially muddy), with the result that four took the towpath while two benefited from smooth tarmac all the way to the bridge at Ash Vale, where we all rejoined the canal, just in time for the worst of the mud and then the impressive embankment crossing the Blackwater valley.  The military section of the ride included Aldershot and Badshot Lea (named after the worst gunner in the army, according to Peter B).  A final struggle with the hills south of Farnham earned us our lunch at The Fox, which was quickly served and enormous in quantity.

The return was more of the same, but different:  hills to escape Farnham, familiar lanes through Seale and Puttenham and the climb up past Watts Gallery to the off-road section (where I punctured - many thanks for my group for help in getting it fixed quickly), and then through Guildford, where we opted not to take the off-road option through Stoke Park and the Wey Navigation, braving the jungle path next to the A3 before a final sprint to Ripley for tea in the sunshine.    Thanks to Steve for finding a novel pub and putting together a lovely route for us.

The second group away was Dave Vine and he had this to say:-

Firstly thanks Steve for an original route, a unique pub, and superb weather. And it was great to see Geoff Gregory at the start.

We left, as is normal for me, 5 minutes late, but the route through Woking was new to me and nicely in a straight line which helped for navigation. My group seemed tolerant of my occasional missed turn and we were soon on the first leg of the canal.

Steve’s scenic route and simple navigation took us to Mytchett, where the vote was to continue on-road. I used a variation of Simon’s gpx, using a quieter loop by Ash Ranges. Back on the canal towpath we found the mud, but were soon on dry gravel. We stopped for a group photograph on the aqueduct high above the Blackwater Valley Road; it would be idyllic but for the traffic noise from below.

A nicely disorienting route took us to the Fox, 30 seconds inside our scheduled ride time, where we were seated, greeted and promptly served with our seriously carbo-loaded lunches. A prompt departure saw us passing the ruins of Waverley Abbey before the challenge of Crooksbury Hill, which I have now climbed twice this week, and hopefully will not see again for a good long while. It was getting a little hot for the next climb past Watts Gallery, but we were soon in Guildford.

Clive’s headset needed torquing up with a spanner, so we stopped at a tyre service station where the Quick Fit fitter did his stuff and we were on our way. We took the main road to the Jacobs Well junction and then cut our way through the undergrowth on the A3 path to Ripley.

My thanks to Clive (our newest A-group recruit) Brian, Neil W and Janice for their support and company, and particularly Janice for back marking throughout, with apologies for unintentionally leaving her to sort out a wayward chain in my hurry to get to Pinnocks before their ultra-prompt closure time.

Finally, I took the third group following Simon's gpx and only going wrong three times! Ged, Dave Ward, Steve W, Gina and Sue didn't seem to mind and perhaps even expected me to go adrift. We were blessed with fine weather, but that did not dry up the muddy sections. I was very grateful for the advice given by Dave and Simon including a route from Simon avoiding the difficult sections of the Basingstoke canal towpath. What you don't see is the experience gained by our recce on Monday in apocalyptic torrential, lighting enhanced driving rain and flooding. 

Lunch went without problem, other than the terrible menu giving conflicting meal descriptions leading to confusion. However it was bountiful and suitably fuelled up, we pedalled into a hot sunny afternoon. Of course the toilets were closed at Stoke Park and we barely made the trip to Pinnocks, arriving at 3.45 pm. Disappointing paper cups instead of china, but good company. No one seemed in a rush to get home. My thanks to Ged for minding the back door and helping those I consistently tried to lose and of course everyone on the ride. It was good to see Clive Janes out with the A group also.

Lastly how can I express my thanks to Dave Vine and Simon for helping to lead this ride? They work beyond what is normal to help us enjoy our rides out and I think we owe them both a big 'thank you' for constantly filling the gaps in our knowledge and ride leadership.

Steve D.