Wednesday was a beautiful day, the sun still powerful, the wind not yet up. Traffic was increasing but not back to anything like old normal as we went through Millionaires' Row and Woodcote Green and up and down the Woodcote Grove roller-coaster to Farthing Down. Instead of climbing Farthing Down directly, though, we took Downs Road and Woodplace Lane to Netherne, through the grounds of the church that used to serve the mental hospital, and past the ornate Victorian water tower to go up Dean Lane. A bargain route to Caterham-on-the Hill, this one, offering two hills for the price of one.
Past the Caterham elevensies stop and the nice new coffee shop into new territory for us both, but turn left at the High Street and follow your nose and you can't really miss Kenley Aerodrome (it's big enough!) even though you can't see it until you are in it. A blue sky, a glider spiralling above us, but the wartime bunkers are there and the unmistakable outline of a Spitfire shows how they were parked after 1940, when the hangars were destroyed in a dawn bombing raid. There might be joggers and walkers on the perimeter track but it is not difficult to imagine the young pilots from the Polish and Canadian squadrons stationed here running across the field to their machines in the early light as their mechanics get the propellers turning.
Dave Vine at the old rifle range, Kenley Aerodrome. Has the other cyclist been shot?
Through a hole in the hedge for lunch on Kenley Common (home made sandwiches at six feet distance). It is difficult to imagine you are in Croydon, hardly a soul in sight, the bees buzzing, the larks singing and there across the Whyteleafe valley is Riddlesdown, so picturesque you expect to come across an impressionist at his easel. Dave had never been to Riddlesdown so we abandoned the second part of the recce for another day and instead guessed our way downhill, carrying our bikes down dozens of concrete steps (though the council has thoughtfully put in a rail to help you push the bike over the footbridge). I have only done Riddlesdown from the west and the climb from the south east up the steep gravelly track tells me why Beginners always tackle it from the other end! At least we get a super ride down Riddlesdown Road, though the roads which zigzag their way up the other side of the Brighton Road to Croydon Aerodrome were also designed to be cycled only from the other direction!
The ride gave us an opportunity to test out the new social distancing advice with a view to the resumption of group riding hopefully later this summer. Six feet apart while stationary sounds straightforward but pondering directions tests it to breaking point; the tendency was to pore over each other's maps, especially as one of us had the OS and the other the TfL. We decided that riding side by side was within the rule so long as we stayed six feet apart but where the lanes got narrow and when traffic came we had to switch formation and it took several seconds to fall back the required ten metres, during which we were too close for the existing Sou'Wester club guidelines. Ten metres is an odd distance, too, just insufficient to allow a car to tuck in safely between us, so we ended up making it a bit more than ten.
Distancing lessons, then, but more importantly for the soul a thoroughly pleasant day out; not too demanding and a refreshing break from the world of plague. And half a ride recce'd to boot. Just under 30 Km with 410m climbing.
Paul, Thanks for showing me the route. Kenley is indeed a ghostly sort of place. Maybe because it's so high up and there aren't many modern buildings around it has a sort of unchanged feeling. And I'm pleased we climbed Riddlesdown from the south. The other way round we would have to carry the bikes up the steps to Kenley.
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