Photos for Roberts team, the first group out
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The team in Albury
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On the Tannery Lane Bridge 'turnover'
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| At The Brickies |
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On NCN22 at the Samuel Wilberforce Memorial
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Dave's report:
Ride report for the middling group.
Our sextet group managed to retain all six members, once an attempt by a rider who tried in vain to join the A riders was quickly thwarted.
So onwards and outwards from Cobham along the road into and through Great Bookham Common, then into the Surrey Hills by way of Green Dene.
All flowed smoothly until the group leader saw the sign to Shamley Green, and followed it (!?), but then went in reverse and back on course.
The section of the ride that followed the Tannery Lane Bridge (and a half) along the old Railway line was a very pleasant part of the ride.
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An explanation
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Pausing along the Wey
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Downs Link path
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We arrived at the Bricklayers Arms after about two hours of cycling, The food was good as was the service.
A bit of climbing ensued after lunch, to help with the digestion 😊
Nearing the end of our ride one of our group magnanimously rode ahead to Denbies, in an effort (in vain) to keep it open for the rest of us.
So onto Leatherhead for the rest of us to consume Tea/Coffee to end the ride.
Dave C
Tim's report:
For a while the atmosphere in the British Legion was much as it was in the old pre-pandemic days although most of A and B groups departed before the Easy Riders settled in. Ken Day had been hoping to turn up to lay on morning tea for everyone to celebrate his recent very significant birthday but unfortunately, as most people now know, he was involved in an accident a few days ago, and while we were out riding he was in hospital having surgery on his fractured ankle. But we are all thinking of him, not least because he would have enjoyed the ride down to Shamley Green.
After a couple of rearrangements in our teams due to various causes, including Colin dropping out because he had worn out his arm by gardening too vigorously, and a surprise appearance by Grant, we all made our getaway from the RBL and sauntered down through Bookham Common. Unfortunately Paul had to head for home after riding with us through the common.
Riding up Green Dene is one of the set piece components of many of our rides into the hills but it was a pleasure to see so much greenery about and the brilliant displays of bluebells in amongst the trees. We descended Combe Bottom and coasted along the A248 through Albury and Chilworth, leading to Shalford where we found a bumpy little short-cut track through to Chinthurst Lane. We walked over the 'turnover' on the Tannery Lane Bridge to join the Wey-South Path where it coincides with the Wey and Arun Canal and enjoyed 1.6 miles of blissful riding along the disused railway of the Downs Link.
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| The team on the 'roving bridge' |
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| Gardens along the Wey |
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It didn't occur to me when I planned the route that from the Tannery Lane Bridge we were to spend most of the rest of the day on NCN22, for the first and second teams all the way into Dorking. We left the path near Lordshill Common and made a bee-line for the Bricklayers Arms in Shamley Green where Robert's and Dave's teams had already made considerable progress with their lunches.
I had missed Jennie's ride to the Brickies in October, 2017 and otherwise have no recollection of ever going there. But it has been in the back of my mind to visit so I was pleased to be able to make it happen. It's a good pub and most people enjoyed their lunches, although the measures of Soup of the Day were a bit small for hungry cyclists.
Straight after lunch the beautiful Woodhill Lane got steeper and steeper until we had hauled ourselves up onto Farley Heath then through to Farley Green, Shere and Gomshall. At Abinger Hammer we turned up Hackhurst Lane to pick up the tracks and paths across the Broomy Downs and the Abinger Roughs, retracing in reverse part of our route of 30th March. We crossed Whitedown Lane for more rough stuff and emerged into Balchins Lane.
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On Route 22
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At this point and in a change to the original plan for my team, by prior arrangement and a grumbling consensus in the peloton, Mark led us up Hole Hill on the Leith Hill Greenway. This was a most interesting excursion, enabling us to bypass Dorking completely and explore vast unknown areas of the Denbies Vineyards. My only regret was that at this time of year the vines still look as if they have been completely wiped out by the Winter frosts (or Phylloxera?).
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Anne in the Chardonnay and the Pinot Meurnier
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Grant and Mark
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Backmarking on the Greenway
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Tony and Grant
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Once into the vineyards a cue sheet for our ride would read something like "Turn Right into the Pinot Noir, Straight Ahead past the Chardonnay until the Dornfelder, Left between the Chardonnay and Pinot Meurnier, Right to pass between the Ortega and the Dunkel Felder, Left through a vast crop of MT (Muller Thurgau) to finish with the Pinot Gris and more Ortega." However, as Dave Fixie had phoned to tell me, the café was closed. So we legged it up to Leatherhead to find that Charlie and Ginger had also closed. We decided to disperse, in time for some of us to get caught in a nice wet evening shower before reaching home and a proper shower.
As planned, the ride took us through a great variety of terrain, scenery and road surface. Well done everyone for seeing the project through. A huge thank-you to Dave and Robert, with Robert leading us for his first time and making a very good job of it. Thank you too to Mark for his brainwave and leading us up the garden path through the Denbies Estate.
Thanks to everyone for coming out to enjoy the 'fun' and the challenges.
~ Tim C
