Ride to Chiswick House on Saturday the 21st November

  After dire weather forecasts for snow showers and freezing gales, it was a relief to arrive at Morden Hall NT cafe at 1015 to find the sun peeping through the clouds and four hardy riders, Tim, Toni, Dave and Stephanie well wrapped up and ready for the off.  The wind, however, was nearer to the forecast speed and was right in the face for the ride down the Wandle Trail to the mouth of the Wandle in Wandsworth.

  Luckily the route is fairly sheltered until you get to the tower blocks and road works in Wandsworth Town Centre where a major rebuilding is taking place on the site of the former Ram Brewery. Wandle mouth spit saw Toni briefly slip up on wet wooden boards by the entrance. This is a draughty spot with new luxury flats and the old Wandsworth dump on each side, though no deterrent to the numerous waterfowl. We then rode along the Thames Bank through Wandsworth Park to Putney Bridge and the more sheltered side of the Thames in Fulham Palace Park.

  After a brief detour to admire the hidden gem of Fulham Palace we rode past Fulham FC ground and onto the riverside path, where the wind was so strong that cormorants were having to work hard to fly against it. The sun was now fully out and once we turned the corner under Hammersmith Bridge it could even be described as warm out of the wind. The ride along the river to Chiswick old church is very scenic and always bustling with activity with the rowing clubs getting ready to venture out on the water and in no time we arrived at Chiswick House and garden and the excellent cafe which was nice and warm.

  Finishing our snack, we did a brief circuit of the gardens and the historic camellias in the glasshouse before continuing along through Dukes meadow to Chiswick Bridge, which we crossed and joined the Thames Path on the south side of the river. We turned off by the National Archive building and rode through back streets past Kew station to the rugby club entrance by Twickenham Bridge where fans were making their way to a match. Richmond Green was full of people enjoying the sunshine, as was the riverside at Richmond with the wind falling lighter and from behind. This presaged a cold night to come and after riding along the bottom of Richmond Park to New Malden we ended the ride after 25 miles at 2.45 pm.

  Stephanie took a photo of us hiding out of the wind in the glasshouse at Chiswick House, where, as you can see, the Camellias are already in flower.

Saturday 21st November

Saturday 21 November Harry will lead an all day ride to Chiswick House in London. Meet Harry outside the the Garden Center in Morden Hall Park at 10:20 to leave at 10:30am.

This all day intermediate ride will follow the Wandle Trail to the exit into the Thames, into Putney and over the bridge to Bishops Park. Then along the North Bank through Hammersmith Riverside to a stop at Chiswick House cafe. Return will be via Chiswick and Richmond to New Malden. This is a shorter ride, around 30 miles, due to the short hours of daylight and Harry aims to finish by 3:30pm. Lights, however, are essential, as are waterproofs. There will be no hills to be climbed.

Ride to Godstone on Saturday the 17th October

  10 , including a tandem, were ready at Nonsuch Mansion for this ride. It was overcast with a chilly NE wind and stayed that way most of the day, unfortunately muting the Autumn colours, but no rain fell.

  The ride is urban along the back of Sutton and Wallington, across Purley Way and through South Croydon and then becomes more suburban along Croham Valley Road. This was a long incline to the crossroads at Selsdon but the road surface is good quality and we had a following wind.

 Up to the top of the Downs at Farleigh, where you hit a more rural setting, it was a bit more lumpy to stretch the legs and we rolled through Warlingham and the descent to Marden Park down Bug Hill at 17%. This was accomplished without incident and the ride along the valley past Woldingham School never fails to please.

  We then swooped down over the M25 to Godstone and arrived at Knight's Garden Centre cafe after a ride of just over 2 hours. There was some muttering from the cafe staff about so many (9!) turning up without prior notice, but we all got served eventually and it was pleasant to get out of the cold wind.

  After riding up to Bletchingly we descended past the Golf Course to join Sustrans route 21 at the foot of the Downs to rejoin the road just before Merstham. The ride up Markedge Lane to the now closed Fanny's Farm further tested the legs, as did the final climb up Rectory Lane to Woodmansterne where the majority peeled off.

  The ride was Approx 35 miles, with no punctures rather surprisingly considering the road surfaces in places. Thanks to Stephanie for back marking.

  All day rides on the third Saturday each month during the winter months will still take place except for one in December and I will announce details on the Blog a week or so before.

  I will draw the line at ice, snow and heavy rain and gales but otherwise remember, there is no such thing as bad weather, only wearing the wrong gear.

AGM notice

The AGM for CTC South West London will commence at 11:02 in the Hersham
Amenity Hall on Wednesday 11th November.

The date and time coincides with Armistice Day so we will observe the 2
minute silence before the meeting starts. Please be in the hall by 10:50 to
ensure you that you have time to find a seat before 11 o'clock.

Signing in and distribution of the agenda and other paperwork will take
place after this moment of quiet.

Should you arrive late the silence will be observed in the cafeteria and
throughout the premises by the staff and regular clientele of the Day
Centre.

It is the custom to award the Arthur Jessop Shield to recognise outstanding
achievement in the club. If you wish to nominate someone for this award
please communicate with the secretary or a member of the committee.

Tim Court
Secretary

All day ride on the 17th October.

The last ride of the traditional cycling season will leave from
Nonsuch Park at 10am on Saturday the 17th October with a destination
of Godstone.
  The route will be via South Croydon, Selsdon, Farleigh and Warlingham
and that stretch will include some hills. Thereafter, a fast descent
of Bug Hill takes us through the scenic Marden Park, where the trees
should be in full colour, and down to lunch at Knights Garden Centre
in Godstone.
  We will then ride through Bletchingly and Merstham before ascending
the North Downs to Chipstead Bottom and Banstead.
  There will be some hills, so this is not a ride for the inexperienced,
but I will maintain an easy pace and no one will be dropped on the
climbs. The distance is around 30-35 miles and we should finish by
4pm. Lights are not needed unless it is raining.

All day ride on the 19th September

  Many thanks to Tony for leading on a very enjoyable ride from Waterloo to
Woolwich.  In addition to The Barrier and ferry crossing there are many
features to note, The Greenway, Regents Canal and other paths, Limehouse
Basin, views of the City and all those dreaded paving stones are just a few.
  Tony chose good weather and good company, The Woolwich Arsenal Museum cafe
offered a varied menu and we were lucky not to suffer any punctures or
mechanical problems.  

  Happy days all.

David

Surrey Churches ride on Saturday the 12th September

  This is part of the Ride and Stride Day to stimulate interest in Churches in Surrey and Southwest London.

  Shirley led us on a ride around Stoneleigh, Ewell, Chessington and Epsom with the intention of visiting 11 churches. In the event, we managed to visit 7 and had a tea stop at the historic St Mary's Chessington. The other churches were in the modernist style, reflecting the era they were built in.

  After leaving St Mary's we were told of a cut-through to Horton Country Park which consisted of a steep descent on a gravelly track and a bumpy stretch across a field to the old railway line surfaced track.

  As we were running late, we sped through West Ewell to the final stop at St Barnabas, Epsom, managing to lose a couple of riders on the way in the maze of new housing around Chantilly Way.

  Despite a forecast of showers, it was a mainly sunny afternoon.

Many thanks to Colin and Shirley for planning and leading the ride.