We were praying that the good weather at the end of March would hold for our first ride as leaders on 12th April from Nonsuch Park to Charlwood – and we weren’t disappointed! Sunscreen, shades and shorts were liberated from winter hibernation for the 45 mile round trip through some beautiful Surrey countryside.
Arriving at Nonsuch Mansion Café half an hour before departure we found several keen early-bird riders ready and raring to go! Anne’s group with Lilian, Alice, Paul, Peter and Rob, with Sandy as back-marker set off at 09:50. John’s group with Bernard, Sabina, Sue, Frank, Ken and Karl, with Karen as back-marker followed 10 minutes later. Both groups took the same route through the Nonsuch estate, past Nescot, through Alexandra Rec and up to Epsom Downs. From there we climbed steadily to Tadworth and on to Walton-on-the-Hill for coffee where Anne’s group was joined by Jane and James. The Village Café was unusually quiet – a real bonus as we got quick service and were able to bag all the outside seats for refreshment in the sunshine.
Our route from Walton took us down Pebble Hill Road, a thoroughly enjoyable run, made all the more satisfying as we knew we wouldn’t have to climb back up on the return leg! On to Brockham looking particularly splendid in the Spring sunshine, and then along the Wheelers Lane route to Leigh. Smalls Hill Road followed – lived up to its billing – to take us into Deanoak Lane where the sound of gunfire from the Surrey Shooting School started to feel a little too close for comfort. Upward along Irons Bottom Lane led eventually to a nice downhill spin along Norwood Hill with clear views of aircraft landing at Gatwick before finally reaching the pretty village of Charlwood and lunch at the Half Moon. We were warmly welcomed and had an enjoyable outside lunch – mainly uneventful but for a wayward parasol attempting to crush an unsuspecting Rob, who coped manfully with the challenge!
A number of cyclists visited the beautiful church of St. Nicholas with its spectacular murals dating from around 1300 – a real find in this quiet (aircraft noise excepted) part of Surrey. Charlwood may not always have been quite so peaceful, and John’s group were reminded of the area’s more turbulent past when visiting the village gaol at the start of the return leg. Dating from 1792, a heritage plaque informed us that village ‘wrongdoers’ were once held here awaiting trial. The return route took us past the impressive Lowfield Heath Windmill which presented a photo opportunity taken by both groups. On we climbed to Partridge Lane, again through very pleasant Surrey countryside with the North Downs now more clearly in view. Returning through Brockham, we followed the A24 cycle path to Leatherhead for tea at Lucio’s. This was the first parting of the ways as some riders headed directly home, a small group returning via Ashtead and Epsom to Nonsuch Park.
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| The Lowfield Heath Windmill |
Anne and John
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