With the Ancient Yew tree, St Georges Church, Crowhurst
Sunday 26th September. A mostly Cloudy morning, with some Afternoon Sun saw 11 Cyclists gather at Clapham Junction, for the Train to Hurst Green collecting 2 more en route, so a Bakers Dozen (13) Cyclists in 1 group with a surprising turn, Bai took the lead, via Merle Common, Crowhurst with a brief chat on the Yew tree (Photo), Blindley Heath, Horne, Smallfield, to Horley for lunch at the very homely ‘Farmhouse Pub’, then a poorly surfaced stretch of NCN 21, Whitebushes, Woodhatch, Flanchford, to Brockham for Tea & Bread pudding at the Church hall, Coach Rd, Pixham, A24 track, Leatherhead, to finish at the Station. Total 31 Miles, very special thanks to Bai for leading, thanks to Mike for back marking, thanks to the Apprentice Corner marker (he does show propmise, he may prove useful in the future), thanks to John D for the BP.
Sunday 12th September Part 1. A largely Sunny Morning, with 1 late cancellation & 1 unannounced visitor, saw 16 Cyclists leave via Lower Marsh, Berrylands – with 1 extra joining group 2-, Surbiton, Long Ditton, Hinchley wood, Littleworth Common (Photo group 1), Esher to Molesey (somewhat too early), for lunch at ‘the Bell’ (Greene King), then Thames Ditton, Portsmouth Rd to finish back in Kingston. Sub-total 13 Miles, Special thanks to Carl for leading group 2, thanks to Toni & Mike for back marking each group, 1 new face. Map:- www.plotaroute.com/route/1684206.
Part 1, Group 1 Littleworth Common
Part 2 With cloudier skies,we said farewell to 7, & welcomed 5 fresh faces, plus 1 more late arrival, just missing departure of group 1 so 16 Cyclists, in 2 groups, left via Fairfield, Norbiton, New Malden, Worcester park, Stoneleigh, Ewell, to Epsom for Tea & Bread pudding at ‘Old Moat Garden centre Cafe’, West Ewell, Tolworth, Surbiton, to finish back in Kingston. Sub total 16 Miles, Total 29 Miles. Special thanks to Bai for leading group 2, thanks to John E & Andrea for back marking each group, 2 new faces. Map:- www.plotaroute.com/route/1684604
Sunday 22nd August. A largely grey day saw 19 Cyclists split into 2 groups, leave via Surbiton, Long Ditton, Hinchley Wood, Esher, Claremont, Fairmile, Cobham, Downside, Bookham Common including ‘the Isle of Wight’ ?, Fetcham, (Photo group 1), Leatherhead to Ashtead for lunch at ‘the Woodman’, Ashtead Park, Epsom, East Ewell, Nonsuch Park, Cheam Park, North Cheam, Lower Morden to the ‘Blue Diamond’ Garden Centre, -including a long tour of the building to the Cafe-, for Tea & Bread Pudding, Morden Cemetery, (Photo group 2), Motspur park, New Malden, Berrylands to finish back in Kingston. Total 32 Miles, 1 new face, Special thanks to Carl (with a little help from Bai), for Group leading, thanks to Mike & Amy for back marking, thanks to John D for the BP.
Sunday 8th August. A Drizzly Morning, with 1 or 2 heavier showers & A drier Afternoon, until just before Tea, with 2 cancellations & 2 no shows, saw 17 Cyclists, gather at the Fountain Roundabout, split into 3 groups, -alas, group 3 had navigational issues, so group 2 agreed to wait, then continue as a ‘Super group’-, leave via Motspur park, North Cheam, West Sutton, Carshalton Beeches, Oaks Park, with 2 more Cyclists joining group 2, Woodmansterne, Coulsdon, Farthing Down, Chaldon, Brewer Street, Bletchingley, to Godstone, – but what’s this, no Pub, a Farm ? But wait, ahh, now I see, we have a Brewery attached, with possibly the biggest Pub Garden anywhere, the Flower Farm also has a superb Farm shop, if only I’d brought the Trailer 😉, then the delightful Woldingham Valley (Photo group 1)
Group 2 & 3 Super group, after lunch, Flower Farm: BaiGroup 1 with somewhat boisterous cattle, Woldingham: Lindsay
Manor Park, Whyteleafe, Kenley, South Croydon, Duppas Hill, Beddington, – with a sudden heavy Shower -, to Beddington Park for Tea & Bread pudding, Hackbridge, the Wrythe, Benhill, Sutton, North Cheam, Motspur park, to finish back in New Malden. Total 40 Miles, 1 new face, special thanks to Bai & Carl for group leading, thanks to Mike F, John E & Amy for back marking duties, thanks to John D for the BP.
Sunday 25th July. A mostly dark day, with 1 light shower in the Morning, a few rumbles of Thunder & light Drizzle as we approached Tea, with steady Rain for the last part, saw 18 Cyclists split into 2 groups, leave via Kingston Bridge, Bushy Park, Fulwell, Twickenham, Whitton, Isleworth, Osterley Park, Norwood Green, (Photo’s), Southall, Northala Field to Northolt for an al-fresco lunch at ‘the Crown’, (Sizzle Pubs), Greenford, Hanwell, West Ealing, South Ealing, Brentford to Syon Park for Tea & Bread pudding,, at the newly opened Garden centre, Isleworth -with a short dismount section due to Roadworks-, St Margerets, Strawberry Hill, Teddington, Hampton Wick, Kingston Bridge to finish. 30 Miles, 1 new face, Special thanks to Bai for leading group 2, thanks to Ralph & Toni for back marking duties, thanks to John D for the BP.
Sunday 11th July. A surprisingly Sunny Morning, with more Cloud later, after 2 late cancellations, 1 no show & with 1 surprise guest saw 20 Cyclists in 2 groups leave via Kingston Bridge, Bushy Park, Fulwell, River Crane path, Whitton, Hounslow Heath, West Hounslow, Cranford, Harlington, Sipson to Harmondsworth for lunch at the ‘Crown’ with a few electing for the ‘Five Bells’, also stopping to admire the ‘Great Barn‘, (Photo group 2),
Group 2 with the Great Barn, Harmondsworth: Bai Kamara
then Harmondsworth Moor (with a few ‘slippery patches’), Poyle, Stanwell moor, Stanwell -with new Cycle path 🙂-, Ashford, Feltham, Hanworth, Hampton to Bushy Park (Photo group 1),
Group 1 with a few Deer in the background, Bushy Park: Lindsay Webster
for Tea & Bread pudding at the Pheasantry, Hampton Wick, Kingston Bridge to finish. 29 Miles, special thanks to Bai for leading group 2, thanks to John E & Mike F for back marking each group, Special thanks to Christine for the gorgeous Bread pudding.
Sunday 20th June. A Cloudy, but otherwise pleasant day after 2 late Cancellations, & 1 abandon before the start, due to a visit from the ‘P Fairy’, so 15 Cyclists split into 2 groups, leave via Lower Marsh, Berrylands, Tolworth & Greenway, West Ewell collecting 1 extra Cyclist, Long Grove Park, Epsom Common, pausing briefly at a Coal tax Post, also a short chat about Ashtead Common & why it’s owned by the City of London, Leatherhead, Fetcham, to Bookham, -not Pub in Little Bookham as originally planned, it turns out someone should have done a bit more research-, as the ‘Old Crown’ isn’t doing food at the moment, but does have very helpful, friendly staff & 2 Pet Rabbits, so we elected to stay, whilst some had come prepared, others found the local Co-op for grub, then with darkening Skies, Effingham, Martyr’s Green, Hatchford, Downside (Photo 1), Cobham, Fairmile, to Claremont Lake Cafe for Tea & Bread pudding, Esher, Hinchley wood, Long Ditton, Surbiton (Photo 2) to finish back in Kingston. Special thanks to Mags for group leading, thanks to Amy & Toni for Back marking each group, very special thanks to Christine for the BP.
Sunday 6th June, Part 1 A mostly cloudy Morning saw 18 (or was it 19) Cyclists split into 3 groups, leave via Lower Marsh, Berrylands, Tolworth & Greenway, Bonesgate path, Horton Country Park, West Ewell, Hogsmill open space
Group 1: Hogsmill open Space Group 2. Nonsuch Park: Bai K
(Photo 1), Stoneleigh, Nonsuch Park (Photo 2), to Cheam for lunch at ‘Ye Olde Red Lion’ (Stonegate), – with a little confusion among the staff on the billing front-, North Cheam, Worcester park, New Malden, Berrylands to Kingston. Sub total 17 Miles. Special thanks to Bai & Steve F for Group leading, thanks to Chris F, Andrea & Amy for back marking each group.
Part 2, A slightly brighter Afternoon, with late Sun, saying farewell to 7, but hello to 7 fresh faces, this time split into 2 groups of 9, after an admin mix-up, leave via Skerne Rd & Path, Thames towpath, Aerospace estate, Ham lands, Teddington Footbridge, Teddington, Bushy Park, Hampton Court Bridge, -with a small detatchment of group 2, extra thirsty, taking a short cut-, Molesey, to Molesey Lock Cafe, with a ‘sedate service’, for Tea & Bread pudding, Thames Ditton, Giggshill Green, Portsmouth Rd & Cycle track to Kingston. Sub total 11Miles, Total 28 Miles. Special thanks to Carl for group leading, thanks to Bai & John E for back marking, thanks to John D for the BP.
Sunday 23rd May. A Blustery day, with a few short but heavy Showers saw 15 Cyclist after 1 late cancellation, split into 1 Group of 8, 1 of 7, leave via Portsmouth Rd Track, Surbiton, Long Ditton, Hinchley wood, Esher, Fairmile, Cobham, Hatchford, Ockham, to Ripley for an early lunch at the ‘Jovial Sailor’, with a fantastic canopy covering most of the Garden, -very handy, because a short Deluge from above, & somehow Group 2 got fed first, so they could leave first-, Send Marsh, passing the remains of Newark Priory, Pyrford, West Byfleet, Byfleet (where another Deluge for gropup 2, let group 1 almost catch the tail, thus time for a group 1 Photo),
Group 1 Brooklands ParkGroup 2, Wey Bridge, from Brooklands Park: Carl S
Weybridge, Broadwater path, with a Fallen Tree, anyone got a Chainsaw ?, can’t go around it, can’t get under, we’ll have to lift our Bikes over the obstruction, now ‘Groupo Compacto’ as the Giro de Italia riders might say, to Walton Bridge for Tea & Bread pudding at ‘Wilde Bunch’, Walton on Thames, Molesey, Thames Ditton – with Group 1 Leader not watching the tail, so initially unaware that 1 person had suffered a mechanical, leading to an alternaive route home- (a reminder to keep an eye on the back marker, even if we are almost back to the finish), Portsmouth Rd & track to Kingston. Total 34 Miles, Special thanks to Carl for leading group 2, thanks to Steve D & Mike F for Back marking each group, Thanks to John D for the BP. Map:- www.plotaroute.com/route/1559849.
Note: For those familiar with the New Malden Raynes Park link, Kingston & Merton Council’s are looking for a name for this delightful route, there is a short-list of 4, I believe a 5th option will be added soon, but for now here is the link, open until June 2nd:- https://kingstonletstalk.co.uk/name-the-route , after further thought, Beeline way will be an added option.
Sunday 9th May, a very pleasant sunny day, much warmer than of late, saw 23 Cyclists, with 1 cancellation, split into 4 groups, but all groups seemed to play a version of Musical chairs at various stages of the day, (group 2 not being quite ready, so they were demoted to group 4). Leaving the Market place via Fairfield, Norbiton, New Malden, Raynes park, South Wimbledon, Wandle path, Earlsfield, with Group 3 suffering a visit from the ‘P Fairy’ meaning Group 4, now became group 2 ?, Wandsworth Common, Clapham Common, Vauxhall, Camberwell to Burgess Park for a Picnic lunch, pausing earlier at the Lime Kiln, the Camberwell Beauty Mosaic & also ‘Silent Raid’, an Art installation in memory of a Zeppelin raid from WW1,
Group 2 or was it 4 ? with the Lime Kiln, Burgess ParkGroup 1 with the Camberwell Beauty, Burgess ParkGroup 3 Brockwell Park
continuing via the Surrey Canal Path, Peckham, Dulwich, Brockwell Park, where an unfortunate coming together between 2 members of group 3, with 1 Bike unridable, & a slight Shoulder injury, meaning a Taxi ride home was the best option, thanks to members of Group 2/ 4, (if you’re keeping up), for there assistance, meanwhile ahead, due to an impromptu Loo stop, group 4/2 had briefly taken the lead, which was a surprise for group 1, Tulse Hill, Streatham Hill, Tooting Bec Common for a Tea & Bread pudding stop, Tooting, Mitcham, Morden Hall Park, Morden, Morden Park, Lower Morden, Motspur park, New Malden, Berrylands, to finish back at Kingston. Total 34 Miles. Special thanks to Bai, Carl, & Steve F for group leading, thanks to Toni, Steve D, Ellie & John E for back marking each group, thanks to John D for the BP.
CasualtyUpdate: Having spoken to Tom this Afternoon, he is in good spirits, looking forward to getting back on the Bike & joining us on a ride in the near future.
Kingston Cycling Campaign 