Jolly Boating Weather; Ride on 20 March

 

By Steve H

  

The heating system in my house failed its annual safety checks during the week and was decommissioned for the weekend by the service engineer for want of parts, leaving me with no heating or hot water. Top tip: never get your boiler serviced on a Friday. So, although Saturday was cold and cloudy again I was sure that I would be warmer on the bike than in the house. Paul and I chose Walton-on-Thames as our destination having postponed this ride a few weeks earlier. A mid-day start took us down through Cheam and round Nonsuch Park as before with only a few pedal strokes on Stane Street this time before turning right into Sparrow Farm Road for Worcester Park. Then the familiar Hampton Court route, passing under the A3 at Tolworth, but instead of bearing right at the Thames Ditton roundabout we took the first exit through Thames Ditton itself and headed westwards. This area abounds with reservoirs and waterworks so we threaded our way through the wetlands towards Walton-on-Thames. Paul had to make a detour at one point as our intended footpath was closed off, whether for mud or works we couldn’t tell.

Fortunately the cafe by the river at Walton was open so we had a short lunch break. The rowers were out in force and it's a wonder that those in the cox-less boats can see where they're going given that they are all facing backwards, perhaps they have boat mirrors like people have bike mirrors. We then crossed the Thames on the modern Walton bridge and made our way downstream. The road towards Lower Sunbury had us swinging together at good speed, my new(ish) Pearson bike running very nicely although I regret not having asked them to fit a bigger engine. Admiral Hawke lived nearby at Hawke House, we passed a road and even a pub named after him. We also stopped for a photograph in Hawke Park, a long thin strip of pleasant greenery. 

Admiral Steve

Paul’s route then took us through the impressive Kempton Park Waterworks, the Grade II* listed buildings house two huge steam engines that were installed in the 1920's to pump drinking water for London. The Kempton Great Engines were of similar size to those in the Titanic and were only retired from service in 1980 to be replaced by electric motors, more efficient but very dull by comparison.  

Dinner?

Then through Bushy Park past the Diana fountain, pausing to photograph the deer. Although numbers are controlled in the parks they are becoming a problem elsewhere as they can carry ticks bearing Lyme disease. Back over the river at Kingston Bridge and trying to remember the route through the town centre, only confident that we were on the right path once we passed the Hogsmill sewage works. After the railway underpass there is a short sharp shock up from Berrylands Station and my body was definitely between my knees by the time I reached the roundabout at the top.

A quick boost of Jelly Tots for the closing stretch through North Cheam and across London Road; Stane Street yet again, what did the Romans ever do for us? Paul and I parted company on the Sutton bypass, Paul carrying on through Sutton to Wallington while I took the bike path alongside the dual carriageway. The southbound carriageway turned out to be closed for resurfacing so I had an undisturbed ride up St Dunstan's Hill to Belmont and back to Cold Comfort Farm.

We clocked up a good 30 miles for the day so Paul is definitely putting me through my paces, I'm told it's the Surrey Hills next!