B ride report - 17th May

Three groups set off from Leatherhead .  The first led by Gill Holder escaped promptly at 10.40 and was not seen again til lunch.  The second led by Christina set off briskly but was caught in the many paths of Norbury Park and groups 2 and 3 rode together to Crabtree Lane.  A lovely photo stop at the viewpoint allowed for a little more inter group socialising before we all set off again.  The weather was perfect and even the clouds closing overhead at lunch didn't spoil the ambience.

After lunch groups one and two continued up little Switzerland .  Various nor'westers went home via Leatherhead and I had to catch a train from Dorking for grandma duties.  I think only Tim C and Grant out of the third group valiantly climbed up to Headley to complete the route to tea at Ashtead.  

The extra mile 

Elevenses at the Fairfield Centre on Wednesday was what it is all about; warm(ish) sunshine, and a big gathering from all elements of the Wayfarers including old friends.  Christina's group was the second of the three to leave and it went as smooth as clockwork all the way to Norbury Park, when the Kremlin's hacking of our gpx route began to take effect.  It did not detract from our enjoyment; far from it, we discovered a wide variety of gravel tracks and the fields in which they culminated, made some exciting u-turns, and confused a couple of hikers sitting on a bench at one of the intersections by passing them repeatedly in differing directions, a bit like a Benny Hill sketch.  Our adventure culminated in the sighting of another group of cyclists, which turned out to be Steph's group, travelling in the opposite direction!

Once we had formed an alliance the direction finding improved and we had a splendid ride to lunch at the Plough, and an even sunnier, warmer afternoon making our way to and up Little Switzerland for leisurely tea at The Olive Tree, where we all agreed that the ride had been so short and so flat that it was jolly good that unlike the other leaders, ours had gone the extra mile.

Thanks are due to Christina for holding her nerve when the word "lost" was being bandied about, and for getting everybody (well, nearly everybody) up Surrey's answer to the Alps.

Maggie and Brenda. First timers to the top of  little Switzerland.