Report for B Group ride - 31st May

Gill writes for Team 1:

Having got used to the lovely warm weather it came as a shock to set off in the chilly breeze to New Haw. With the promise of sun to come we left the welcome of the day centre and followed familiar roads out via the very pleasant Gracious Pond Road over Chobham Common and on to Donkey Town.

Jennie: "Oh no! We're not going to ride on this stuff are we?"

Gill: "Oh yes we are!"

 

Steph writes for Team 2:

A lovely ride out .  At Walton Bridge caught up with Christina and checked out the footpath to Crockford Park Farm via Coxes Lock and avoided Addlestone completely!  Left the day centre with my eager followers , took a wrong left but re routed and soon we were crossing the roundabout at Ottershaw and into the rolling heathland towards Chobham and Windlesham. Beautiful country and a straightforward run to the pub.

Lunch was very prompt considering we hadn't pre-ordered and very filling with chips and salad accompanying the wraps.

In the pub garden

Best bit of the afternoon was the Basingstoke Canal, that is when we finally got onto it.  The photo was taken by a bloke travelling down all the locks on the canal and cleaning them up ready for the summer season.  We were on the wrong side of the canal and heading in the wrong direction but he was so water nymph-like with his plaited beard I wish we could have put him in the photo .  Route corrected we continued with thoughts of cake and tea interspersed with yellow flag irises and 2 goslings on the side of the tow path, one large heron perched ready for gosling dinner maybe.

On the canal before we corrected our route

Wildlife pond

After waving goodbye to Pam at Ripley, Cobham soon arrived and we settled down to chat and cake and recovery before climbing our way home.

A big thank you to my patient troupe but especially to backmarker Mick who helped re-route .  Beeline is a great little device that I am becoming addicted too.

Tim writes for Team 3:

Sue convened a recce with Gill and myself riding the course on Friday. Her plan was to ride out towards Lightwater then come off the unpleasantly busy Red Road via the paths shown on OS and other maps and follow the perimeter fence around the Pirbright Ranges (Danger Area) on Surrey Heath to pick up a southbound route towards Pirbright. The plan was scuppered when we came across roadside barriers preventing our exit from Red Road which turned out to be there because of the major project being carried out by Esso to replace a large chunk of the aviation fuel pipeline which runs from a terminal in Southampton to London. The existing pipeline and the route of the new pipeline passes right through Surrey Heath.

So, radical changes were made to the route, to include Steph's request for a stretch of the Basingstoke Canal. The idea of going to Pirbright for lunch was dropped and Sue remembered previous rides to The Hare and Hounds on the Donkey Town side of West End. And so the new route was born.

Although the published route still wasn't quite as we had intended it seems that all three teams had a good run out with only a small amount of moaning about the coarsely gravelled road from Turf Hill to Greyspot Hill and Brentmoor Heath.

Lunch was enjoyable and quickly served and we'd certainly want to go to The Hare and Hounds again.

After Lunch we took all the quiet roads we could find to bring us down to the Basingstoke Canal for a mile and a half of blissful riding through to Hermitage Road. After Mayford, Old Woking and Send we took the Tannery and Papercourt lanes through to The Seven Stars. En route to Cobham Terry peeled off at 'The Mucky Duck' and we lost a couple more by the time we reached Gail's cake and coffee emporium where Gill's and Steph's teams were enjoying their Tea break in the sunshine.

Thanks to Alan for back-marking and to the team for remaining cheerful throughout. We missed Colin who took the day out to perform grandfatherly duties but gained Alan, and Grant who sprung his weekly surprise upon us when he turned up to join us. We're sorry that Sue, as the mastermind for the ride, was unable to be with us.

~ Tim

a closer view of the morning route