Sunday Club Run to Lingfield 17 May 2010

Five brave souls set off from a sunny Swan & Sugar Loaf in South Croydon heading out through Selsdon, Featherbed Lane and Beddlestead Lane to the top of Titsey. Descending to Westerham Mick Ayliffe turned West on the Pilgrims Way and proceeded to Lingfield via Clackets Lane, Pains Hill and Haxted whilst Paul White, Paul Martin, Trevor Hughes and I went East on the Pilgrims Way to Sundridge and proceeded to climb Ide Hill. Descending the hill we made our way to Edenbridge via Four Elms, then Haxted and Lingfield where Mick was waiting.

Having been refreshed we made our way back via Tandridge and the Convent where the young ladies were playing tennis.......

The weather held out for us which made this a really enjoyable ride.

The picture is of the enterance to the Convent road at Woldingham taken a few years ago!

Bathwick Hill Stores

All of you who have ridden the Kennet & Avon canal over the last ten years or so will be familiar with the Bathwick Hill Stores, as we used to stop there on every trip for no real reason other than it was an old-fashioned type shop with a real character of an owner, Ken Smith. It was really too early in the ride for a stop but we always enjoyed going in there for the banter.

I do believe that Paul White and I stopped there for the first time when we rode a really horrible version of the ride from Reading to Bristol around 2002. I had a sore arse and Paul was feeling knackered. Ever since then we stopped there on every trip from Bristol to Reading.

There used to be a Jaguar showroom a few doors up which closed. Tesco applied to turn it into a metro and Ken managed to hold them off, with the support of the Bathwick community, for a number of years, but eventually Tesco succeeded and Ken, like so many other small traders up against the big boys, had to close down last year. Sadly he he passed away last September. This is the newpaper write-up:

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Bathwick-mourns-shopkeeper-Ken/article-1321239-detail/article.html

MTB Kennet and Avon Canal 5th-8th May

Paul Martin, Paul White and Ev Quistorff successfully completed the three day 100 or so miles from Bristol to Reading along the Kennet and Avon Canal.

They braved the odd shower of rain, a north easterly wind and the ever increasing use of the path by bad dog owners as a toilet for their pets!

Full report to be posted on Clarencourt's new website asap.

Isambard.

Vintage Saturday morning

Club Run To Westerham 25/4/10

Only dave Elliot turned up the the ride which left in dry conditions. We were faced at once with a woman driving the wrong way on the one-way system. Within a mile or so my bike started making a noise like a mechanical clock, but ingnoring Dave's advice, I decided to crash on rather than turn down my road for a new machine. One just cannot find a decent mechanic these days!

We made our way to the top of Beddlestead Lane via Selsdon, Forestdale and Ficklesole, descended Down to Westerham before turning off to Tatsfield. We made our way via Scott's Lodge, Knockholt and Star Hill to the Pilgrims Way before turning south to Westerham, having to put up with five minutes of rain.

Dave was in time for his beans on toast with a fried egg on top so he was happy! We left, chugging up Westerham and then down through Warlingham to Sanderstead where we parted.

A really nice ride in pleasant conditions.

Trevor's birthday ride to Oxted 18/04/2010

Brilliant sunny day for a ride in the beautiful country with many friends. Starting from Cheam there was Andy, Paul K, Andrew A, Brian H and Trevor. They collected Ev, Mick A, Barry, Dave E, Paul M, Paul W, Tony M and welcome guest Andrew H at Merstham. Then on through the lanes and around to Oxted to meet Jim and Caroline for breakfast.

Trevor's Birthday Breakfast Ride to Oxted

There's nothing like the offer of a free breakfast to get the lads out on their bikes and so 15 people turned up for Trevor's Birthday Breakfast Ride to Weherspoons at Oxted on Sunday. John Aitken even stopped a train to London Bridge to greet the group at Merstham.
Jim rode out from darkest Penge and Barry and Caroline joined us by van. Trevor did the honours and lead us all in an orgy of breakfasts before returning to the Wetherspoons at Purley for the usual consequences. On the return Barry descended off the North Downs in great style, missed the turning off to the Nunnery and was never seen again.Looks like Paul Kelly made a break for it approaching Caterham but was hounded down.And we all got home safe and sound and in the best of spirits. A good morning out, in good company, lovely weather, and beautiful scenery. Happy Birthday Trevor!

Launch of National Rust

On Saturday those two busy bees, Linda and Christina, were in the zone so they went to Box Hill on their own to launch their new enterprise in secret, while the blokes toiled their way to Horsham Nature Reserve and beyond to Wisborough Green.

Camelia Botnar, near Cowfold. Betchworth Start 10:00am, 55 miles.

Today Trevor Hughes road with the OHG from Betchworth with Tony Mozzola, Dave Brentnall, Roger Smith, Jim Harwood, Brian Staples and others. Pleasant sunshine with the wind behind going out but into a strong wind coming back. However it was warm and sheltered enough for us to sit outside at Camelia Botnar. Tony Mozzola went missing on the return journey having taken a wrong turning and heading for Crawley and then Dorking arriving at Betchworth shortly after Jim. We had stopped and waited for Tony and rode up and down Wimlands but he was nowhere to be found!

Warm enough to sit outside.

Trevor, Mick, Barry and Bryan Staples (just returned from wintering in Florida) at Sumner's Ponds today.