All day Saturday ride 9th May

A Grand Day Out From Roger Stiff legs and uncertain knees confirmed the next morning that it had been a good ride. We had chosen a lovely day to make our way to Egham when eleven of us set off from the Mansion. We split into two groups a few minutes apart making the usual way Ditton and on through to the rear of Sandown Park where it made commonsense to let Paul G, Ann and Alice ride on ahead lead by Kirsten as they were so much quicker on their road bikes I was on my trusty Anytour electric and Ken, Helen and Anna were on electric bikes too. Sue on her conventional bike had no problem keeping up with us. It was tempting to sit all day in the courtyard of the Barn theatre café at the Walton coffee break and we savoured the ten or fifteen minutes extra time in the sun while Kirsten and her crew toiled on ahead of us. Walton to Chertsey bridge was uneventful except for the Bee line navigation to sometimes decide to switch off or to issue directions just a hint too late. At Chertsey bridge we began a delightful ride alongside the river, just us, the sun and the Thames – the Thames path was as lumpy as ever but had few walkers and everywhere the gardens were in bloom and even the Swans looked freshly scrubbed and polished. Stains was the usual conundrum of busy town centre roads and fast traffic and the problem of ascertaining how we could safely get onto the cycle track back over the bridge without threading through pedestrians. We tried crossing the traffic by stopping it (which was surprisingly easy and effective) and once on the correct side of the road, we soon found the cycle track. All day we had to deal with road works and closed carriageways, but they saved the best until last when they dug up the pavement and carriageway under the bridge leading to Egham town centre and the high street. We did in the end find a way past and though the barriers and blocked off lanes and safely made our way through, to the usual warm welcome at The Crown. As previously, they were very bike friendly, letting us bring the bikes through the bar so we could keep an eye on them as we sat in the rear garden. The service was good and the burgers overstuffed and of the dimensions you could only eat in the company of friends. Again, the temptation was to just stay, replete in the sun in the back garden enjoying the company. We gave Karen a head start and were soon following Bee line towards Lyne and Shepperton and even negotiating Chertsey town centre avoiding the impromptu tour of housing and industrial estates Bee line had directed us to in the recce trips. This time the unrelenting head wind we had experienced as we checked out the route the week before, had relented into a refreshing breeze that allowed us to revel in the countryside as we made our way up the long gently rising gradients and the short sharp pulls where the road crossed and then recrossed the motorway and we could relax and enjoy the downhill. We easily found the almost hidden turning to the splendidly named Dockett Eddy Lane and on again to the Thames path, lined this time with six figure bungalows with gardens in full bloom and a wonderful view of the river, complete with a handy place to park the motor cruiser. At the ferry café by Shepperton lock the whole group were reunited and over coffee and cake, Sue announced it was her birthday. This brought forth a ragged rendition of “Happy Birthday to you” – and most of us knew all the words. A large slice of cake with a candle appeared which was ceremonially lit and extinguished and the cake pronounced delicious by Sue. Back on the bike, the Bee line had fits of staying silent when one needed reassurance, but by the detour round Sunbury, we were navigating by memory and experience and the route was just as lovely as ever. We found the track alongside the reservoirs and up into Hampton and eventually into Bushy Park where Sue showed us some alternative tracks which got us out to the foot of Kingston bridge. The ride ended at Kingston but the square was still busy with the meandering souls preoccupied with the smells from the food stalls, as we threaded through the square and onwards to home. Door to door we had covered 53 enjoyable miles enjoying lovely weather and good company and the electric bikes were a joy to ride, returning with an average of 45% battery to spare.