Report of the A Group Ride on 27 October. Teddington - Ace Cafe - Harrow-on-the-Hill - Richmond

For a successful ride you need acceptable weather, a good route, an efficient lunch stop, and willing leaders. On Wednesday we were lucky to have all of those.

• The weather was dry and very mild for the end of October. Simon was still in open-toed sandals and shorts.
• For the route I just needed to repeat Dave Vine's ride of February 2016.
• Our usual destination in Harrow is The White Horse but on the recce I was met with a surly landlord and no sandwiches on the menu. Other local pubs were lacking suitable bike parking or even lacking chefs in the kitchen so were not serving food. Thus I added a loop along the Grand Union Canal to the Ace Cafe.
• Steve D and Dave W had volunteered to lead several weeks ago and had been involved in the recce's. On Monday morning when twenty people had already signed up I thought an extra leader might be prudent. One email later I had Mike R lined up. Thanks very much Mike.

Elleray Hall was welcoming as ever and there were hordes of cyclists outside waiting to leave. 

Mike was first to leave with just a gpx track on his phone (with a hundred turns on the route ahead of him!) and with Fiona, Janice, Ged, Neil W and Dave B to keep him company. By the time I got to the Ace Cafe they were nearly finished their lunch and preparing to leave.

I know they made it to the top of the hill in Harrow because I found a picture of Janice crying beside Byron's Tomb.

During the afternoon I received a text from Mike to say he was already in Richmond but the cafe was shut (It had been open on all my recce's). They had gone to Stein's further along the towpath. When I got there over an hour later they were still there with tales of no tea, no coffee, but apple strudl, black forest gateau and comical service. However they all seemed to have enjoyed themselves. 

Steve was off next and here is his report.

Mark, Richard, Brian, Keith and myself left Teddington at 11 am, comprising the second group. The urban route was unusually quiet with little traffic. We set off with rain in the air, but it did not develop and we rode in mild dry conditions. The route was masterful and varied, going through Syon park, circumnavigating Brentford and Ealing.

We crossed the A40 at Perivale and joined the Paddington arm of the Grand Union canal towpath. Finally stopping for a breakfast lunch at the Ace Cafe, where I had large 'British Breakfast' and ogled some Triumph T150 retro twin cylinder motorcycles. Ah! The perfect day!

After lunch Mark left us to make his own way back. This was probably a good idea as we found our teeth rattling on the washboard finish of the Grand Union concrete towpath. We rode along in sunshine, neatly bypassing Northolt, Southall and Hounslow. 

On finding the Tide Tables cafe at Richmond closed, we all decided to make our way home. I waited for the next group to find out if there were any takers for an alternative cafe, but everyone headed for home.

Thanks to my fellow riders and Neil for all his help.

And here is Dave's report.

The 11.10 group comprised Dave Ferrett, Sue Chasty, Pete Betts and me.   Sadly, Gina wasn't able to join us. What did she miss?    Well, the ride to lunch was mainly uneventful except for a skirmish with the 'B's' - they were ahead of us approaching Twickenham, but my cunning (unofficial) town centre avoider saw us emerge from a side turning just ahead of them opposite Twickenham station only for us to be stopped by red lights.   Never mind, revenge was had in Syon Park!   

We reached the Ace Cafe in good time but Dave F only fancied a light snack.   Just as well as the route home promised a very steep hill!   The cafe had good choices and good service, our only complaint being the lack of 'proper 'coffee!

I was somewhat trepidatious about the 'Harrow loop' as Neil had only added it after I had done my recce.   As we rode along I was increasingly convinced we were going round in circles, and the lack of a guiding sun at this point probably didn't help!  Nevertheless, we stuck with it and found the mysterious 'gap in the hedge' and soon saw our goal ahead of us - a church spire in the clouds!   

Here my Garmin let me down badly (!) and after a false start into a construction site, we ended up climbing up the hill by a lane parallel to Football Lane.   Probably no less steep than the official route, but without the challenge of a barrier needing a dismount.   We duly found the churchyard viewpoint, then started looking for Byron's grave, had the 'it's behind you' moment, and spent some time in quiet contemplation and poetry recital!   Pete told us about his affliction, Gray's Allergy!    

By now the sun was shining, and the views to the east over London were spectacular, although only glimpsed between buildings.   Then it was all downhill and back to rat counting on the towpath.  We paused in Osterley Park and could have stopped there for tea had we known the official tea stop was closed.  Never mind.

Thanks to my group for being jolly good fellows all round, and to thanks to Neil for an ingenious and very inventive route that really kept us guessing!

I was the last to leave with Dave and Jennie J, Simon and Mike B. We soon encountered one of the B groups. It appears Tony Hooker had based his ride on a very similar route to ours but with lunch in Harrow.

We had only got as far as Brentford when Mike B discovered a flat front tyre. With his Marathon Plus tyre he new he was in for a struggle to get it sorted so told us to go on. Hope you got home alright Mike.

We met another B group on the footbridge over the A40 before we diverted towards lunch and they headed towards Harrow.

When we got to the Ace Cafe Brian had already received an ASBO.

After lunch we all left quietly and headed off for Harrow.

Harrow-on-the-Hill was eerily quiet as it was half-term for the school. As we climbed Football Lane past the Music Department there was no musical accompaniment to drown out our creaks and groans. After the detour to see the views from the churchyard we made our way back to the canal and then on to Osterley House.

The absence of the school run made the roads quieter than normal and we were soon in Richmond.  

Thanks to all who made it such a great day out.