The Famous Four discover the NorthWest Passage; Beddington Saturday riders 17 January

It has been freezing or raining for weeks except this week for the club rides on Wednesday and Saturday.  Yet on a coldish but sunny day folk cried off.

Thus there was only the core of Beddington Park riders, the Famous Four, at the Pavilion Cafe but this meant we could go on a ride entirely of our own choosing, and with a full evening diary we decided that good old Elmers End was the place for us; the other option being Merton Abbey Mills, but that would involve slipping and sliding on the saturated banks of the mighty River Wandle.

So we stuck to the tarmac to exit Beddington Park.  The traffic seemed inordinately heavy around Purley Way but otherwise the trip through central Croydon, past the Croydon Stadium and through South Norwood Country Park was fine.  Elmers End, though, was as clogged with traffic as we have ever seen it; no matter, we got to Branching Out, where for the price of a chat with Maggie a lovely fellow vacated his table so we could sit together indoors.

The route home was familiar through Shirley Oaks and we nearly but not quite forgot to take a photo.

On Gladeside, between Elmers End and Shirley Oaks 

It was heading west out of Croydon that it got a bit interesting.  There was an horrendous traffic jam on Waddon Road with several buses in front of us on a busy but narrow road and as there were only four of us we elected to go exploring.  So we turned North and took the path by the tramway North from Waddon Park and crossed the Purley Way at the Sainsbury's lights, hoping to find a way through the industrial estate to the Asda car park and Beddington Lane.  We had nearly given up when Maggie saw a path behind the fence and our leader remembered passing the entrance, so we retraced our steps and ventured on this path, which turned and twisted between the car parks and warehouses and spewed us out in Beddington Village.  Thus we had discovered a hitherto unexplored way through territory we thought we knew like the back of our handlebars.  

We were do pleased with ourselves; why go to Majorca or Japan for cycling adventures when such excitement is awaiting discovery on your own doorstep?  We're going to be spending our Summer holiday meandering through the Beddington Park Industrial Estate to seek out any other unknown routes.