For those
wanting only cautiously to withdraw from lockdown, Nonsuch Park on Saturday was
a worry, packed full of people wandering in groups on the paths and on the
grass and with the car parks jammed so that it was difficult to cycle in or
out. Maggie and I had prepared and
recced a ride which was medium distance for Beginners but hilly; we had found a
take-away coffee and toilet place at roughly half way and posted our ride on
the blog. Colin had advertised the
detail on Beginners WhatsApp but the plan to ride in with only a few minutes to
spare and ride out within minutes with four people wanting to take the longer
ride proved difficult in practice; Beginners gatherings are traditionally
places of indecision and social chatting; riding is, after all, meant to be a
social pleasure!
We
commandeered Karen, Lorraine and Godfrey and off we rode, all of us relieved to
emerge from the chaos of the park. We
cycled up past Cheam station, resisting the temptation of take-away beers from
the Railway Tavern. Sunny and breezy and
the traffic on the road busier than in the last three months but not back to
anything like old normal, it was an ideal day for cycling. The long climb past the prisons to Banstead High Street and the equally long whizz down Holly Lane and then east along the
Chipstead Valley wind tunnel to DDs cafe just after we had crossed the
A237. DDs may not be the most stylish
cafe in Coulsdon and the choice is tea or coffee (what IS Americano anyway?) but
it’s the only one with a loo; believe me, we tried them all over recent days,
and Maggie, the harshest of loo critics, had given it a mean 5 out of 10; old
fashioned but clean and with proper Covid hand washing!
Remember
that scene from Charge of The Light Brigade when the exhausted survivors
gather on the grassy hillock and Cardigan says “Shall we go again, boys?” and they all roar “Yes”? Well, our three friends were
claiming lack of fitness but when we put Farthing Down to the vote two and a
half of them cried “Yes”. That’s the
spirit.
The Down
was not a success; there was some driving at the base so bad that not only did
it nearly cost Karen a trip into the ditch but a bystander joined in the remonstrations
with the driver. At the top there were
so many vehicles on the narrow road that passing, even on a bicycle, was tricky
and time-consuming and since we were not planning to travel through, but to
look at the view and come down, we cut the trip short. Still, we got in the full climb!
There are
road works on the Chipstead Valley Road so we crossed the railway on the
footbridge and cycled up the more undulating but less busy St Andrews Road,
rejoining the Chipstead Valley Road to go under the railway bridge (where the
road surface has become quite difficult).
Once on CVR, though, there is only one way out; upwards! We chose Rectory Lane, allowed a little
recovery at the top by taking a couple of pictures, and then went the flat(ish)
route along the top back to Banstead High Street.
Ten attempts to get everybody in the selfie and only one success!
We had earned our cruise down Sutton Lane and
went our different ways when we hit Belmont. Door to
door for Maggie and me, 38Km with 400 metres climbing.
Thanks to Godfrey, who bought the teas.
The whole was our contribution to restore Beginners to fitness!
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