Davey’s Report (ride leader)
20 of us B group cyclists signed up to take part in
our Guildford excursion.
We gathered at Yvonne Theatre Cafe for our elevenses
Tea, Coffee & also Cake for most of us. ☕☕🍰
The Cafe coped very well with 20 B riders and 17 A riders.
The twenty of us split into three groups, that
being six & two sevens
Our middling group of 7 left Guildford in Glorious
sunshine. 🌞 which certainly is
mood enhancing.
We sailed along through Puttenham, (It being part
of "England's green and pleasant land”) 🌲🌳🌴🌷
A couple of hours cycling got us to our lunch stop
in Pirbright, at the White Hart.
The food was good, but unfortunately there was a
big gap between the first & the last of our group getting served. But all
in all, a pleasant Pub.
Onwards along to Cobham for our afternoon
tea/Coffee.
Thanks to the twenty riders who took part today. 🚴🚴🚴
Thanks also to Ray and Tim C for leading,
without whom I would have struggled to lead 20 riders. 🙏
Well done Ray in telling me that "There are
some good roads in Puttenham, that we can cycle through"👏
Nice to have Steph, a
good lady backmarker in our group. 🚴
The War memorial in Seale
The first group away, sub leader Ray Youlden
We were the first group away at 10.40. On leaving Guildford
we left by the small path that runs behind the theatre. This is all a
pedestrian area, so some walking was involved. It also shows off the pretty
parts of Guildford, the lock and canal looking stunning and worthy of a photo
but having not yet put our legs across the bikes yet, it felt too soon to take
one. On to Bury Fields where we mounted our bikes and started the undulating
course properly. Along Portsmouth Road and then right into Sandy Lane that
presented us with the first climb of the day. We then made rapid progress
before crossing the A3 just before Puttenham, and onto Seale. This was as far
west as we were going, and we turned down past the Hogsback Brewery into
Tongham. Taking a right at the bottom we
entered Poyle Road and on towards the level crossing in Ash. Here we had a
breather while waiting for a train to pass. The frequency of the trains caught
us out with most of the group getting across before losing Peter, who was back
marking, having been caught by another train coming in the other direction. It
gave the rest of the group time to look at the new road roundabout being put in
and how the area has improved with the new housing development. Once reformed,
the group then made our way to Ash Vale and a right up to Tunnel Hill, the last
of the hilly bits of the ride with just the pub, the White Hart beckoning.
The pub was efficient, we all got the food we want quickly
and enjoyed the garden. Sitting in the sun, we all relaxed and felt that we
could have stayed all day, but we needed to leave as the other groups were
finishing their meals and would soon be on the road behind us.
We then left Pirbright and took a collection of routes that we
knew well but were put together in different ways to make it a new experience. We
passed through the outskirts of Brookwood, Mayford, Old Woking, Ripley and then
finishing at Cobham. This relatively flat bit of the ride was accomplished
quickly. We were soon tucking into cake, ice creams and coffee sitting in a
nice sunny location. A big thanks to Julie,
Gill, Susan, John, and a special thanks to Peter, who volunteered to back mark
for the day.
The first group
enjoying an afternoon chat.
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The last
group away, sub leader Tim Court
Paul,
Maggie, Alyson, Colin, Mick, and Tim G managed to depart from the Yvonne Arnaud
Theatre soon after 11 am and followed me to the base of Sandy Lane and were
kind enough to wait for me at the top before we dropped down Littleton Lane
towards Farncombe and Compton. Some of us were suffering a bit from the giant
portions of cake at Elevenses but overcame the discomfort to make good progress
through the morning.
We passed
the Puttenham Heath (and golf club) and were pleased to leave the worst of the
traffic behind when we turned into The Street and Seale Lane for a blissful
parade through the fine countryside, the villages and hop fields until Seale,
where we stopped at the War Memorial for a team photo. We traversed the A31 and
passed the Hogs Back Brewery. After Ash and Ash Vale, we turned off to pass
Mytchett Lake and made good time to lunch in Pirbright, noting that if Church
Lane wasn’t a one-way road we could have stopped, as we sometimes do, at the
grave of Sir Henry Morton Stanley in the churchyard of St Michael and All
Angels to mull over his impact on African history.
Despite
advice from the pub that service could be slow if we didn’t order a week in
advance the staff were efficient and, while sitting out in the garden, chatting,
and relaxing after the rigours of the morning ride, it didn’t seem to take too
long for our food to arrive.
However, it
was around 2.30 when we departed. I had decided to deviate from Dave’s route;
after riding along Cemetery Pales, we turned into Brookwood Lye which is busy
with motor traffic but permits cyclists to share the footpath which appears to
have earned this charmless bit of a trail the seductive title ‘Pandora’. When
we reached the Basingstoke Canal, we turned right into Blackhorse Road and
eventually, after Saunders Lane, rejoined Dave’s route in Mayford.
Earlier we
decided that we would take Tea at Cafe Barbera in Stoke D’Abernon. I’d
forgotten how good it was. Another reason for stopping there rather than in
downtown Cobham is that it gives many of us an alternative route home, via
Oxshott and Cobham for me, rather than traipsing back through Esher.
It was a
very enjoyable day, thanks to Dave’s well-planned route, the terrific weather,
a good lunch, and the chirpy good spirits in the peloton.
Thanks to
all.
Tim C.
Lunch of the final
group
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