Hi Everyone
You are invited to join me on a Beginners All Day Ride to lunch at The Seven Stars in Ripley, a relaxed flat 40ish miles in total through (mostly) quiet roads and country lanes with coffee on the way and afternoon tea on the return. We will be leaving from Nonsuch Mansion at 10.00 am, Saturday 10th June.
Please confirm if you’re coming, on dianelporter@hotmail.com or WhatsApp 07740 699966.
Have a great Bank Holiday weekend in the meanwhile.
Best wishes
Diane
By Maggie
Six Invade Croydon to examine invasive species
Where better to cycle to on a beautiful sunny day than Coombe Wood. There was a cold wind and the sheltered walled garden of the Coach House cafe provided so much protection that we really didn't want to leave. But the gardens were calling and we strolled up the short winding path to the manicured lawn and on to the rhododendron woods just coming in to bloom.
Ah, but the environmentally concerned amongst us raised our awareness of this particularly invasive species and the harm rhododendrons cause to the biodiversity of our woodland. We didn't take them to the Rose garden!
We made our way back via the Haling Park Road, the only hill of the day, across Purley Way and back to Wallington.
by Paul
Another goodly crowd of more than twenty gathered at Nonsuch on Saturday. Richmond Park was down on the calendar for the long ride and Telegraph Track for the short one but Steve, the long ride leader, instead fancied a trip to Bocketts Farm and there were sufficient takers to run two groups.
Trouble is, you call out to everyone that we are going in two groups and the majority follow the first leader, so we had unevenly sized groups out on the road but I ended up leading a compact, easily manageable group of seven.
Distance between the two groups was achieved by letting three year old Thomas lead us out across Nonsuch Park. He did so enthusiastically for two thirds of the park, so we did not catch Steve's group until we met them at coffee.
After riding the no cycling path over the M25 to Leatherhead (No, I am not leading a Beginners group and a three year old around the Leatherhead by-pass roundabout) Thomas loved it when his dad rode down the steps. We held a conference on the route, because Bocketts is inconveniently situated half way up the A246 racetrack. The vote was that Guildford Road was a tedious hill, that the wooded path would probably be impassable given the recent rain, and therefore to take the cycle path to the A24 roundabout and go half way up the hill and through the muddy gate.
To go home we continued to the top of the hill on the car park road and then down Guildford Road to Leatherhead station, past Ashtead station and over the waterlogged Ashtead and Epsom Commons (the paths were OK).
In the woods on Ashtead Common our youngest club member had his second cycle of the day, and thanks are due to the rest of the group for their patience.
