A Group 26th September

The plan for today was to do the sort of ride I've been doing all Summer - some lanes, some trackways.  There's plenty of this sort of riding our part of the world, with a well-established network of Rights of Way and plenty of decent pathways.  I find the riding enjoyable, I've found new places, and I've hardly seen a white van.

Seventeen of us set off from Redhill, a good crowd, and we went through Watercolour (pretty enough for some to question if we were still in Redhill), through Bletchingley and over Tilburstow Hill, taken the opposite way from our normal route.  From here we went down the Enterdent - definitely easier than climbing it - then up through Church Town to the track that leads to Woldingham School.  A left turn at the top, and up through the woods to Gravelly Hill, the first of our viewpoints.

A sparkling vista here, with the South Downs visible in the distance and the hillsides of the North Downs, which formed our day's ride, rolling away to the West.

Over the top at War Coppice Lane, then down briefly to avoid a wet patch of trackway on one of the many White Hills.  There's a pond on the top of this one, and water gathers, so there must be a bit of clay up there.

On towards Reigate Hill, reaching the top by a handy trackway and stopping again for a moment to take in the next vista, then over the iron bridge and trackway again to Colley Hill.  A stop here for photos, including Mike's splendid shot of all of us at the Temple.  From here you could see the line of trees in the far distance, through which we would pass at the end of our ride.

Along the ridge in the bright sunshine, then through the woods to The Sportsman.  This used to be a rather scruffy pub in the middle of nowhere.  It's still in the middle of nowhere, but now it's a Time Well Spent gastropub.  We were welcomed and well served at a long table in the garden, which is a bit of a treat for the end of September.

A bit of changing of the guard here - Mike B signed off as back marker, and Simon took over, and Mike M,  Sue and Dave W set off home across the Heath.  The rest of us set off across Walton Heath Golf Course, where preparations for the Masters are well advanced, then a few miles of road to the top of Box Hill, again from the opposite direction to our usual one.

Another stop to take in the view, which I think isn't as good as some of the others we enjoyed, and is much busier.  But it's a classic, and we swooped down the zig-zags and went up Chapel Lane to the top of Ranmore.

Dave left us here, to meet us at tea, the rest of the group rolled along Ranmore Common until a well-hidden left turn took us through the woods to White Down Lease.  This is a fine place, and slightly odd.  It's an old trackway down the hill, very similar in layout to the current White Down road, which is about a mile to the west.  There's even a wartime pill box at the top, just like the one on White Down, so this now-abandoned track was evidently important enough to defend, in relatively recent time.

We descended a little, and then stopped to look at the hills we had been over.  It's a fine view, and it feels quite remote.  This was the line of trees that we could see from Reigate hill - not far to tea, now.

Down to the bottom, around the hair-pin bend, and then another rather remarkable piece of trackway. To my mind this is a good fit for the Pilgrims' Way, although maps (and Hilaire Belloc) don't agree.  It sits between the chalk and the agricultural land, rolling along with quite a decent surface.  We were all keeping a close eye on the spire of St Martins, Dorking, knowing that the cafe was next to the church.

As elsewhere on the Pilgrims Way, the trackway ends suddenly, as someone had, long ago, built a house on it.  Around the house, and we were back in the 21st Century, with a short run down the hill to the Musette Cafe.  A good place, and you can park your bike inside, which is always a comfort in a town centre.  Teas, coffees and cakes, and a sort of collective sigh and a stretching of limbs.  Quite hard, these rides ...

As I noted when we rode to Canterbury, the sort of bike you use doesn't matter very much.  We had the full spectrum from carbon racer to full-suspension mountain bike in our group, and the advantages and disadvantages of each cancelled each other out in the course of the day.  Each did perfectly well, but the middle ground seems to be a fairly sturdy bike with a decent set of tyres.  Sort of a 'tourer' really ...

My thanks to all for an excellent day out.  A complicated route which we managed with no difficulty at all.  No mechanicals, no punctures, no mishaps - just a sunny day on the bike.

Mark

Bike cameras - the more we use them the safer the roads will become...

Fellow Wayfarers,

I have been using front and rear cameras on my bike for a few months now, and a lot of people have asked me about them. So, this article is about bike cameras and why I believe the more of us that use them the safer the roads will become in the future. We can create an army of regular cyclists recording and reporting incidents of careless and dangerous driving. The police are on our side but there are not enough of them on the roads. I can personally testify that video evidence sent to the police is acted upon, even if there is no injury involved. Bad or aggressive drivers receive official police warning letters and their details are held on a police database. There is evidence that these letters do change driver behaviour over time (see quotes on Sussex Police website "Operation Crackdown" https://webcontact.sussex.police.uk/ASDPRS/).

The two videos below are incidents that I felt were serious enough to report (and the police agreed). There have been other minor incidents that I decided not to report. In each case, the videos show the rear camera recording first and then the front camera footage for the same time period. (Note: the original videos are HD quality with number plates etc clearly visible - the process of uploading videos to YouTube reduces the resolution).

 

16 July 2018. Van driver dangerously overtakes Dave Bartholemew and myself turning right into Zig Zag Road at the bottom of Box Hill in Surrey. The registered owner of the van received a warning letter from Surrey police.

https://youtu.be/jlHPPI7D5IA

22 August 2018. Car driver dangerously overtakes several Wayfarers (including Simon Lambourn and myself) near Edenbridge in Sussex when there was clearly insufficient space and visibility. The registered owner of the car received a warning letter from Operation Crackdown (Sussex police).
https://youtu.be/HGYNOAWf2jE

Here are a few good reasons to mount cameras on your bike:

1. Record and report dangerous/careless driving incidents (as above) so that bad drivers get a police warning, which eventually leads to safer roads for everybody.
2. If you are unlucky enough to have an accident which is not your fault, having video evidence to prove what happened could make a huge difference if it comes to prosecution and damages.
3. Road rage. Even if the cameras aren't running, just pointing to them has a surprising effect in changing people's behaviour after an incident.
4. You will capture interesting (and sometimes amusing) videos of your rides which can be fun to review later.
5. These cameras are now extremely lightweight, affordable and easy to use. They are even cheaper now than when I bought them, and the complete kit (front and rear cameras with mounts etc) can be purchased for under £100.
   
   

If you decide to go for it, here is a list of the items you need:
 

1. Two cameras (front and rear) complete with all mountings.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01G3EF0YC/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_api_dphHBbXAAAC8Z

2. Extra batteries. Each battery lasts for ~75 minutes of HD recording. You need TWO of these (for a total of eight batteries including the two batteries that come with the cameras) which will give you around 5 hours recording time in HD mode:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074SWJWF5/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_api_RqhHBbWXME7DS

3. MicroSDHC Memory Cards. You will need two of these (one for each camera). Each 32GB card stores about 8hrs of HD video. Conveniently, the recording loops automatically (ie over-writes from the start) when the card fills up. If there is any video you want to keep, just whip the card out and copy it onto your home computer: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0749WNBLJ/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_api_zxhHBbDPPZQPS

I am more than willing to help with setting up the cameras if anybody needs it. Happy and safe riding to all!  Mike Reynell  07748 184755

B Group Train assisted ride

Meet at Nibbles Cafe Datchet station for tea/coffee and an 11 o'clock start.

Lunch will be at Wetherspoons Henley and tea possibly at the garden cafe Windsor.

About 40 miles round trip and a few gentle hills.

Tony..

A Group 26th September

The equinox has passed, and Summer is slipping away.  Next Wednesday, I thought I'd tuck in a last bit of trackway, before the season passes.  Start at Redhill, along the edge of the North Downs, lunch at The Sportsman, Mogador, and tea at the Musette Cafe, Dorking.  About 35 miles and about half trackway.  Nothing too rough or steep.  Any bike will do, but fatter tyres are better.

I'll do a final check of the route on Tuesday, and will vary according to the surface and the weather.  But the views are good, and it feels wild, although it's on our doorstep.

Mark

A Group ride to Chichester

An intrepid group of A riders set off South to Chichester into the teeth of the wind. We managed a good pace over Newlands and Winterfold and despite the unexpected showers we stuck to our task and managed to get to lunch before 2pm. The Stagg Inn in Balls Cross provided an excellent lunch and good beer. Fuelled up we hit the road for the last hilly leg to Chichester. Through Petworth and down through quiet lanes to Barlavington and then the climb up Ducton Hill with the wind in our faces. We took the route across the downs past Glorious Goodwood race track and then a fast downhill and a visit to the Goodwood motor race track. A swift referendum took place, go to Wittering or Wetherspoons? Not surprisingly the latter won by a landslide. We were joined at the pub by Angie Launder who had cycled over from her home on the south coast.

A good ride. 56 miles from Walton and 3,225 feet of climbing. Thanks to Mark for giving me a tow into the wind on occasions and Mike for back marking.

B Group - 19th September

Walton-on-Thames - Dorney - Shepperton Lock

B group had a sizeable turn out yesterday, 27 on the ride + John Scott who was unable to stay out all day. Pretty good considering the weather forecast.   We also had a few A riders join us, just to have a change from their normal riding speeds!!!  Well done to those riders that joined Hans ( I'm looking forward to reading about their day). A big Happy Birthday and thank you to Brian who treated us all to Morning Tea with Cake to celebrate his recent coming of age.

After collecting menu choices and phoning them through to the pub we did not get going until near 11.30. We made good progress via Walton Bridge, Chertsey Bridge, through to Thorpe where I turned off at the Rose and Crown to go down Hurst Lane.  Here we came to a halt for a huge mobile(park) home was being moved - already in the road in front of us! Never mind - patience is a virtue and it wasn't too long before it came to a halt and we were all able to get by.  A thoughtful driver??
 
Next it was up Prune Hill to Englefield Green.  Then through Windsor Great Park to exit at Rangers Gate where we picked up Sustrans route 4 through Windsor, past the leisure centre and up and over to join the Thames towpath out to Dorney - for lunch at The Pineapple.

Tables were reserved inside but the garden was sheltered and the sun shone so we all opted for the outside.  Food was served promptly and with a smile.  Fantastic, it really was worth pre-ordering!

We left Dorney along the Jubilee river, exiting on the approach road to Eton.  From here we continued to Datchet where Margaret (our Canadian friend) opted for the train whilst the rest of us continued to Shepperton Lock via Horton, Wraysbury and Staines.

There was a hiccup when we got to Wraysbury for Grant had punctured and our backmarker stayed behind with him.  Christina, who was cornering, phoned after some time to say Tim had not arrived - my text (which I had not looked at) told me about Grant - so Tony Hopkins kindly took the group to Shepperton whilst I waited for Christina.  After a ride through The Lammas (looking for the essential loo), we rode on to the Lock where there were still several of the group socialising over tea and cake.

A big welcome to Sarah, Guy and Tony who cycled with the B group for the first time - we look forward to having your company again 😃

My thanks to all who cornered, our back marker Tim and to Tony for leading from Wraysbury and to all who came on the ride.  Sorry I wasn't there to say goodbye to some, next time! 

Cheers Pam 😀😉

The nearest we got to a group photo

A Group 19th September

Hans had arranged a tailwind for today's ride, but, due to a mix-up at the Weather Centre, we got a headwind instead.  There you are, these things happen, despite the wind we were able to maintain a good pace.

A good ride and a great day out.

Mark

"B" ride today 19 Sept 2018

Dear Pam not wishing to steel your thunder but before I immerse myself in a hot bath, today was a fantastic ride and the PineApple excelled. From my point of view however it was very strenuous. 71 miles home to home and the final climb up the North Downs from Walton on Thames to Walton on the Hill some 213 m. ASL made my loins and my groins ache. Any one available for a massage please! Pam a great day out!
If I may comment it was also good to see Sarah out for what I suspect was her first "B" group ride though she has been out with the "A's". Normally a rider with KPRC she also did the Prudential 100 and so a very fit rider. It was also great to see Christina who with family was on the Birthday Rides and this was her first ride to this part of the world, so once again Pam well done!
I had intended to go to Tea at Sheperton Lock but missed you all due to a misunderstanding. In the end I had a very reasonable Large Late & Danish Pastry at the cafe next to the Co-op in Sheperton, traversing home then via Esher, Claygate, Ewell, Epsom College, Tadworth, where I saw Pete Beyers on his way home.
Can't wait to see how the "A" group got on but did they do any more miles than we, without train assist!

Brompton

Further to Marks post, a video inside the factory.

Brompton Factory

Tony.

Useful Signage

Glad they pointed it out!

Details for B Group ride tomorrow (19th)

We are having lunch at The Pineapple pub, Dorney. I shall be asking B riders their menu choice on Wednesday at elevenses. For anybody that does not know...the pub is infamous for its over sized sandwiches, many different fillings PLUS soup, salad OR fries!

A little off road but surface OK !



~ Pam

A new Wayfarers tea stop

We came across this place after an arduous and glorious day riding the NC500.  Read more here...

A Group ride to Chichester, Wed 19th.

We need to make a prompt start from Walton to ensure a reasonably early arrival at Chichester and the possibility of a short trip to the sea.
The route takes us over Newlands towards Albury, Winterfold Wood, Cranleigh, Dunsfold & Plaistow. I'm aiming for lunch at The Stag Inn at Balls Cross, approximately 35 miles so a good pace will be necessary. After lunch its up, up, up and over the South Downs to Chichester. If we arrive in good time a trip to Wittering and back would round the day off and make a pint or two in Wetherspoons well earned.
56 miles to Chichester and another 14-15 miles to Wittering and back.

PS Don't forget your lights.


GPX for the ride...

https://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=dvizeooyyushycvl

Tubeless

Sunny today, and I had a good run along the edge of the North Downs.  After arriving home, I washed the bike and noticed a sizeable nail in the rear tyre.

I could have left it in, but that would have been a bit scruffy, so I pulled it out, and lost a bit of sealant - about an egg-cup full.  I'll have to top that up by and by, but the tyre hasn't deflated to any extent.  

Good when things work.

Mark

Robin Michael Charles Johnson 1933 - 2018

The family did Robin proud with a memorable church service at St. Nicholas Chiswick close to his origins and where he was brought up. The music with cello and soprano of part of Handel's Messiah was well chosen. The church bells were also ringing in honor of a very accomplished gentleman. I had not realized that he had had such a varied life as was pointed out by his brothers/nephew.
Robin was clearly a keen cyclist and an avid tourer. His highest achievement however was in sailing  to the extent that he had been selected to represent GB for the Olympics. He became a master at that, having spent National Service in the RN. He was a life long member of the Corinthian Sailing Club, where the family laid on a splendid farewell to which we were all invited.
An excellent collage of photographs were put together and shown on a screen notably from my point of view reminding me of two memorable tours I spent with Robin, the first organised by John Scott in the Jura, the second in Sicily put together by Ian Appleton & Pam. Robin was seen to be enjoying himself immensely on both these tours often seen tucking into good food with a glass of wine. I must say that the wine flowed well at his farewell and it's a pity that he was only there in spirit, he would have enjoyed the excellent RED!

The photographs below are my contribution and I hope that Tim will post the ones taken outside the Corinthian.

A Visit to the Brompton Factory

Having enjoyed some success with our Bromptons as unlikely but effective tourers, Maggie and I took the opportunity to visit the Brompton factory.  Tours are run twice a week, and cost £25.  The tour lasts about two hours, and we both enjoyed it; we had both encountered small engineering factories of this type in our student days, and this must be one of the few still operating as a successful business in England.

The tour started with a visit to the museum, and it was gratifying to find that the third exhibit was identical with the Brompton that Maggie had ridden to the factory - I had bought it in 1991, and, despite the attentions of two generations of Gladwyns, it still goes well.

Raw materials and components entering the factory are steel tubes, castings, rims, spokes, tyres and build kits such as gears, saddles and handlebars.  Machining, brazing, painting, assembly and testing are carried out on site.  There is a pleasing mixture of manual craftsmanship, computerised machines and well-organised processes; rigorous testing is also carried out at the component, sub-assembly and finished machine levels.

Brazing the frame components is the foundation of the design; very high levels of accuracy are required and Brompton offers apprenticeships to brazers.  It takes about eighteen months for a skilled brazer to become fully proficient at producing the complex bottom bracket and main tube structure.

Automated brazing machines are used for less demanding elements of the frame structure, such as the handlebar stem and the pivot clamps, which are machined from castings on site.

Wheels are made using bought-in rims and spokes on a substantially automated machine.  There is some manual intervention, but the truing and testing are computerised.  It gives a very strong wheel.

Painting is done on-site, there are no photographs of this due to the risk of triggering the fire system, but the process is modern with the same mix of computerised automation and manual finishing for the difficult nooks and crannies.  Finished components are then brought together at the assembly line.  This was running with 14 stations for the model being built when I was there, other models may require additional steps.  A single set of actions is carried out at each build station, with the finished sub-assembly being moved on its trolley to the next station when complete.  Cycle time yesterday was 3.5 minutes - viz. a complete bike every 3.5 minutes; as you will see from the counter at the end of the line, the builders were ahead of target.  There are two lines; the factory has space for four.  49,000 bikes were built and sold last year - every one is to prior order.  80% of sales go for export.  A passing remark by our tour guide was that China has 23 cities with more than ten million inhabitants; Brompton currently has dealerships in two of them.  So there is considerable opportunity for growth there, and in other growing economies around the world.

The star of the show is the electric Brompton.  I rode one, and it goes well, but I don't think it has a place in my world - not yet, anyway!

A very enjoyable and interesting afternoon, and I thought that Brompton were generous with their time and access.  I'd recommend it, if this sort of thing interests you - there are not many other places in Britain where you can see bicycles being made.  Brompton is in Greenford, just by the Grand Union Canal, so a very congenial cycle ride from London.  

Mark

A Group - 12 September from Fairoaks

With many regular riders away enjoying themselves, just eight (fool)hardy souls joined me at Fairoaks for a late summer trip towards Henley. My aim was to try and find some new quiet routes to replace the well trodden paths.

Left out of the aerodrome and first left gave us a calmer route to Chobham, through West End and round the south of Windlesham to Ascot. Then a new route through the houses, a bit of off-road, a quick break and on to Winkfield Row. Next Warfield, Shurlock Row, Waltham St Lawrence and Hare Hatch.

From here a quick two and a half mile blast down the A4 would have brought us to lunch. But where is the fun in that? Instead we circled Wargrave and headed for Crazies Hill before turning south through Warren Row and Knowl Hill to approach Littlewick Green across the fields.

The thirty miles we had travelled meant it was nearly half past one before we arrived at The Cricketers for a well earned lunch. As we had phoned through our orders the food was very promptly served and we were on our way again in around an hour.

Which way shall we go home?

The route back was more traditional - White Waltham, Maiden's Green, Winkfield Manor and across Ascot racecourse before a little bit more off-road and then a long wait at the level crossing in Sunningdale.

Then over Chobham Common and Gracious Pond Road before back to Addlestone for tea and wonderful cake at the Bread and Roses Café.

Fifty four miles for the day but unfortunately no map due to Garmin malfunction.

B Group - 12th September

Eight set out from the aerodrome at 11:15. We’d had enough of the busy road through Addlestone and Ottershaw with its curiously impatient traffic so we were pleased to start out on the perimeter road which took us around the back of some sheds and into Youngstroat Lane much of which is a dirt path heading south towards Woking. We encountered a bridge across the Bourne which had a barrier at each end with notices advising that the bridge was out of action while the timbers were being replaced. The alternative was a ford which appeared to be about a foot deep so we moved the barriers, and carried on after replacing them where we had found them.
 
The next bit of excitement was a short stretch of the Basingstoke Canal as far as the little bridge which links the local Woking cycling trails Neptune and Triton across the canal and into Bridge Barn Lane.
 
From Wych Hill Lane we rode along the peaceful trail which follows the Hoe Stream followed by a dirt track across Westfield Common which put us back on NCN223 to Jacobs Well where we continued on the Clay Lane cycle path then through the Nature Reserve between the A3 and the Wey and Wey Navigation. Route 223 took us through Stoke Park. John Austin headed for home at this point in order to share grand-parental duties.
 
We rode up and down in the Downs, enjoying the descent of Halfpenny Lane from which it was a short run along the Dorking Road to the Percy Arms. We sat in a cosy alcove and had a good lunch. The sandwiches on their menu are of the increasingly popular formula which includes a choice of soup, salad or chips.

Six ways of saying 'cheese'

After lunch during which we had avoided a shower of rain it was a short run through Albury to he A25 then up to Newlands Corner. Vic finds this road to be rather dangerous and so having opted to ride up Combe Bottom we found him waiting for us near the top of Staple Lane. After regrouping at Newlands Corner we rode along the very tranquil Drove Road through the trees on the North Downs Way, collected Vic who had waited 11 minutes for us, and carried on through the trees to join Green Dene. After the numerous times we have cycled up Green Dene, Steph was quite overjoyed to have the pleasure of riding down it. And I think we all felt much the same.
 
After the bumps of Dirtham Lane we took our usual route through Great Bookham Common to Cobham where the three of us still on the ride convened at Bronte’s Café for the customary reward of coffee and cake.
 
At 13.6 + 14.7 miles this was quite a short one. However they were very enjoyable miles and there seemed no point to making it any longer.
 
Thanks to Peter Tiller who persevered with the process of copying my routes into his Garmin in order to become a most diligent back-marker. Thanks to Liz who shared the recce and helped to make some key decisions about the route and where to have lunch. Thanks to everyone for riding carefully and safely and for taking the rough with the smooth in their stride. What little rain there was was of no consequence.
 
~ Tim

Wayfarers in Scotland

Four Wayfarers - Ged, Mike Barrett, Dave Bartholomew, and myself, are cycling the North Coast 500 route, starting today.  If you would like to follow our travels, have a look at our blog here

A group from Fairoaks

Tomorrow's flight will be heading northeast. Due to the uncertain forecast I have decided that Henley is a bit too optimistic and so lunch will be at The Cricketers, Littlewick Green.

Please be ready for departure at 1100 hrs. The nicest parts of the route are just before lunch and it would be a shame to have to cut them out.

Tea will probably be in Addlestone.

Hilly 50 Sat 8 Sept 2018

Well Guys & Gals, a somewhat disappointing turnout to say the least, 7 riders in all despite 16 pre-registered on what turned out to be a very pleasant day. Photo below shows our intrepid hierarchy at the finish. It was Tim & Paul's first Hilly 50 and they felt if not elated achieved & proud, well done.
Steve Duffin from MWW "A" group did a splendid ride arriving home first. Son of Paul Denis James did a very spectacular ride, starting half an hour after everyone else and arriving atop Box Hill just after Steve, having gone wrong twice while trying to find his way around the one way system in Dorking.
Thank you to Maggie James for splendid help in the signing on along with the ever reliable and evergreen Terry Lowe. Special thanks go to Dave Vine for not only riding and finishing but also for marking the corner at Log Bottom lane. Apparently that road and the whole of the course was clean and clear and much more pleasant than when we normally run it in March.
I feel deflated about the turnout, especially when there were hundreds of cyclists going up Box Hill all morning. My initial assessment is that Sept is not the time to run this event with the racing season still in full swing and so many sportive s going on.
With a kind donation of £10 given by some admirers of Tim & Paul we have so far £69 including one donation from Gavin Hughes of KPRC who said he would ride but could not make it prior to the Frank Cubis Memorial 50 TT on the Bentley course Sunday morning. If anyone feels inclined to make a donation please pass on to Mike Morley or make cheque payable to St. Raphael's Hospice.

Maggie James took a very good photo at the start which I suggest she post's herself. Meanwhile here is mine!

Ripley Bike Jumble

Autumn Cycle Jumble at Ripley Village Hall:  9 - 12pm Saturday 15th September

Entry 9am £1...…..early birds 7am £5 !

If one should wish to sell at the Jumble - please contact John Lattimore 01932 247614  j.lattimore@sky.com

 HELP

Does anybody speak Garminese?

 Number 2 son recently visited for his brother's wedding. He brought with him his lycra and Garmin because he wanted to cycle up the real Boxhill to compare with the virtual one he was familiar with on his Zwift. When packing for his return, he went to the bike shed to recover his Garmin and very generously gave it to me.

Since then, I have been puzzling what to do with it.

At lunch on a recent C&M ride I consulted an expert to glean a few flashes of insight. Unfortunately, he only spoke Serbo-Croat or some dialect called Garminese. I am therefore groping around to find out how to use this infernal gadget, before it goes under the hammer. 

I realise that I am testing to the limit, if not abusing, the patience and indulgence of readers of the MWW blog, to seek enlightenment. So many leaders now seem to have these tablets on their handlebars.

To come to the point: is there any Samaritan out there who can enlighten one in a state of invincible ignorance, who still lives in the age of Ordinance Survey and faltering memory. Please point me in the right direction. What must I do to make this benighted artifact realise that I live in England and not America - or the stone age?

Jeff

Robin’s Funeral and Celebration of his life

Richard has sent us this invitation to Robin's funeral. Note that the Commital ceremony at the crematorium which follows the church service is for family and close friends only and that we will be welcome at the venue for the wake from 4:15.

Tim,

The arrangements for Robin’s funeral are below. I would be grateful if you would ensure that as many club members and wider friends are aware of the arrangements. Anyone who cannot make the funeral service will be most welcome at the reception.

It would be very helpful if you were able to provide me with an estimate - even a rough one - on Monday of those likely to attend the wake so that we can help the sailing club with the catering arrangements.

With thanks and best wishes,

Richard

Richard Murphy


Robin Johnson’s Funeral and Celebration of his life

Friday 14th September 2018

3pm: St Nicholas Church, Chiswick Mall, London W4 2PJ – Arrivals for Service at 3:15pm.

4:40pm: Mortlake Crematorium, Townmead Road, TW9 4EN - Committal  (family and close friends)

5:15pm: London Corinthians Sailing Club, Linden House, 60 Upper Mall, London, W6 9TA (N.B. the club will welcome those not attending the Committal from 4:15)

If anyone has any photographs, or notable memories of Robin reflecting his spirit, proficiencies, and/or humour please send them to me

Richard Murphy - r.s.d.murphy@gmail.com

or Robin’s nephew

Oliver Johnson - oliver.johnson@hotmail.co.uk


As Richard has requested please let me know if you intend to come to the wake so that they can plan the catering.

Tim

timcourt50@gmail.com

B Ride to Abinger Hatch (maps and photo)

At the Abinger Hatch

OS 1:25,000 showing the Fox Way excursion - Steph's Hungry Hill Bypass:

~ Tim

B ride to Abinger Hatch

15 set off after lunch orders had been taken.  One of my favourite routes up Hungry Hill was varied with an off road bridleway running parallel.  Pheasants are being bred in huge enclosures in the wooded areas and those that had escaped the glorious twelth ran ahead of us in flocks looking for an escape.  Up Staple Lane, down to Shere. Rejoining the A25 through Gomshall and Abinger before turning right up Feldway Road and then Water Lane to the Abinger Hatch pub.  They have had their kitchen refurbished and would do well to rethink their "toasted bagel" fillings.  I think only one person was brave enough to take the corned beef and sauerkraut option and a couple of people had difficulty seeing anything appetising.  However it was a good location for a descent turning past the old well and down Hollow Lane.  A quick cut across the A25 and we were soon on a woodland path which led to Route 22.  A beautiful route on a warm sunny afternoon running down the valley to Westcott.  Then to Leatherhead, Fetcham and tea at Stoke D'Ab.  Thank you to all who joined me , cornered, and helped map read in the woodland to get us on R22.  And to Tim for back marking and commiserations for suffering the only injury of the day - a wasp/bee sting to the inside of his cheek.  No lasting damage as cake was enjoyed at T!

A Group to Warnham

After collecting the lunch orders and phoning in 21 of us set out, the temperature cool and only a light breeze, ideal weather.
As leader I was not aware of the travelling conditions behind me but try as the group could to leave gaps in the peloton there were still a number of drivers who took chances, thankfully no problems ensued.
As mentioned before, our outward journey covered many of the routes south to get us to Warnham.

Arriving at The Greets Inn just after 1.00 we were soon sitting down with our drinks, and it was not to long before the food started to arrive, each group of items ordered came out as a batch so it was easy to identify the owners, there were I think three orders that were not quite right, not bad for such a large group.

Setting out on the return route ( I was going to write  'leg' but I am sure there would be a comment from some wit, though they may still make a comment on the above wording)
We soon had our first problem the road was being tarmacked but after asking if we could pass we were instructed to use the pavement, much to the annoyance of another worker further along, we did get away with taking some of his tar, HeHe.

After circumnavigating Horsham we turned into Rusper Road and unfortunately Liz came off her bike and cut her knee, luckily not too badly.
We soon had our first climb up Wimblands Hill passing the Frog and Nightgown, an interesting pub worth a look in, check that they are open first.

We got that over with then through Lambs Green and up Langhurst Lane into Orltons Lane ending up in Partridge Lane.
Charlwood Lane, Russ Hill, Rectory Lane then a climb on Norwood Hill Road. (I did say flattish ride)

We soon came across the second Road Closed sign and with a quick suggestion from Neil we set off along Bunce Road and a quick down hill to Brockham and tea in the Village tea rooms, yet again a warm welcome.

A big thank you to all of you who joined me on the flattish ride, to Dave Vine for back marking and to the many corner and junction markers who made the ride go so smoothly.

Geoff

Swains lane hill climb

I'm sure there are a few amongst us who would like a bash at this.
http://www.urbanhillclimb.com

Tony.

Folders to the Fens

Maggie and I have been talking about going to Ely for years.  Charming medieval city, beautiful cathedral, good restaurants; but somehow we have never managed to fit it in.  Over the last couple of days we seized what may be the last days of summer for a little tour in the Fens, and we had a great time.

We took a mid-morning train from East Croydon to Cambridge.  It takes about an hour and forty minutes, basically slow to London and fast after.  Perhaps surprisingly, we took our Bromptons, which may not be the most obvious touring choice, but they worked very well.  The luggage system is simple and robust, they are fuss-free on any train and the hotels just treated them as luggage, so no problems parking them overnight.  

For our ride we mainly stuck to NCN 11, which is a good route.  We diverted slightly a couple of times, mainly for views, and the Bromptons coped well enough with the few short gravel sections.  The surface was mostly good (better than Surrey), and the traffic light or non-existent.

Ely was exactly as our friends had said it was.  We visited the Cathedral, lodged comfortably and ate well.  One of the highlights of this part of the journey was the swarms of dragonflies as we crossed Wicken Fen.  I have never seen so many.

Next morning we set off for King's Lynn.  There was a steady North wind across the fens, so it was a much harder day.  The Brompton's gearing system gives a good range, and it can climb anything, but it's six speeds, so the gaps between the gears are large.  That's not ideal for a headwind, where you really want to vary the gearing up and down slightly as the wind changes.  We settled for a medium gear; I used 72" pretty much all the way.

Lunch at Downham Market ... Maggie had never tried Greggs before ... but we were soon fuelled and on our way again, coming in to King's Lynn mid afternoon.  We had wondered about arranging to meet Irene, but our timetable was a bit uncertain, so we'll sort something out on our next visit.

We know King's Lynn quite well; the Medieval and Hanseatic parts are quite charming, the modern town rather less so, but we had an enjoyable evening and an easy trip home this morning - three hours door to door.

We're already talking about our next trip ...

Mark

We'd 5th September B ride

Lunch at Abinger Hatch.  T at Stoke d'Ab Garden centre.  Some off road bridleway east of Hungry Hill.  Anyone who knows the off road round the back from Shere to Abinger please attend as I didn't have time to recce it, just saves a mile of A25.

Viva Aviva!

Hi all, I am sure many of us consider bike insurance an important part of our home insurance and after some research I am happy to recommend Aviva. What I really liked about their policy is that you don't have to list your bikes or how many bikes you have.  You only need to advise them of the value of your most expensive bike. The premium was very competitive and for those of you who use Quidco or Top Cashback you can often get an additional  £50-70 back.  .... feel free to ask me if you would like more info!  Mike

A Group ride 5th September

After much riding back and forth I have finally decided on a pub and directions, I must first say a big thank you to Ken Day and his son Paul for looking at the route and offering alternative suggestions but after careful thought I have decided that I would go with my first idea of having a flatish ride.

My route will take us over many of the roads we often travel to get south, going through Leatherhead, Brockham, Rusper and finishing at Warnham.
The route out will have one section of rough stuff on Coach Road, Betchworth Golf Club. There is that awful section  of tarmac through the trees to Rusper. On the return leg Bush Lane off of the Rusper Road leading through to Wimland Road.
There will be some fast down gradients and for me some slow up gradients.

We shall be stopping for lunch at The Greets Inn, Friday Street. As with many pubs they have asked us to pre order.
The menu can be found on their website www.thegreetsinn.co.uk. I will have a copy of it with me but if you would have a look it may save some time.

I hope to have tea at Brockham Village Hall if not Denbies

See you all on Wednesday

Geoff

A Group ride....19 September. Advance notice.

I’m intending to lead the ride on 19 September to lovely Chichester from Walton. 55+ miles over the north and South Downs. Lots of train ticket bargains e.g. £5 to Clapham after 8pm (I’ve booked mine). Plenty of time to explore the cathedral and sample a pint or two in Wetherspoons across the road. If we make good time we could add some mileage by heading out to the Witterings for a paddle in the sea. Lunch stop and route closer to the date.