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THE SCENIC ROUTE TO LEATHERHEAD The best route from Mitcham to Leatherhead isn't actually down the
A24. Instead, 13 people ventured on a meandering countryside route in
warm sunshine that started with the pseudo countryside of Mitcham
Common and the sewer path down to Beddington Park. A lap of the lake
at Carshalton in pretty Grove Park led us to the cute cottages of West
St Lane and onto the LCN 75 backstreets route towards Sutton.
One of the most aesthetically pleasing roads to cycle along locally
has to be Park Lane in Cheam with it's pretty wooden cottages. And that
leads us straight down to Nonsuch Park where today I noticed for the
first time that all the signposts actually carry an image of Henry
VIII's former palace that once graced the grounds. It was a specular
house with 3 giant towers, build partly with the stones from Merton
Priory and so grand that it easily eclipsed Hampton Court.
The well-used bridleway behind NESCOT is a great way to get to Chalk
Lane and Epsom Downs. We took the road past the RAC's golf course and
into the interestingly named Pleasure Pit Road which leads you through
Ashstead Park with it's exclusive houses and school (Joe Strummer was
educated here).
So far, the route from Nonsuch was exactly the same as a ride I did
with the SW London CTC on one of their recommeded 2pm Saturday
afternoon rides. However, theirs headed towards a footbridge over the
motorway so I took a chance on the tracks down to Green Lane where
there's a step-free bridge. The one track had lots of raised tree
roots and climbed slightly so it sapped a lot of energy but the
downhill momentum towards the motorway made up for it.
An empty beer garden plus a two for one offer on food tempted us
towards a pub in Leatherhead High St. But no food on Sundays. So it
was down to the originally planned stop of the Running Horse which I
had mistakenly remembered as being on the river instead of 20 yards
away. Not a problem as it was virtually deserted and their home
cooked, generously proportioned, well priced food arrived in a very
timely manner whilst we soaked up sun and beer in the garden.
Without completely retracing our tyre tacks, there's no really nice
route back so we rode along Barnet Wood Lane for a mile or so, towards
Ashtead station where we zipped into the network of cycle tracks on
Epsom Common. Away from traffic, the common feels very rural and the
tracks are mostly level. You could spend a good hour or so exploring
the area.
There can't be many places as close to London that are as pretty as
Ewell. With over 300 listed buildings, it's hard to miss them. Passing
Fitznell's manor, a tudor farmhouse now a doctor's surgery, on the one
way system is a delight. A path from Church Street towards the A24
seems steeped with history, especially as it leads towards to former
village of Cuddington, demolished by Henry VIII to make way for
Nonsuch Palace.
After afternoon ice creams, back at the cafe in Nonsuch Park, we
headed up towards St Helier and back to Mitcham Common for a quick nip
past the ponds and onto the library. 33 miles (instead of 29) and out for 7.5hrs.
Sunday 22nd April OSTERLEY PARK 15 met at Pollards Hill library to embark on this ride on a pleasant sunny morning. However there was a slight chill in the air to remind us that, despite global warming (this is likely to be the warmest April on record), this was still April.
There were plenty of route options for this ride but we chose the flat option alongside the Wandle and onto the Thames path. The ride was offered the opportunity to stop for elevenses at Putney, but democratic as ever, the majority wished to continue. This proved to be a double edged sword; one rider took their unexplained leave as we crossed the end of Putney bridge but for another there was the opportunity to chat to a young lady we passed running along the riverbank. There was the possibility that we would be down to 13 but he rejoined with the knowledge that she already had a boyfriend.
Being such a pleasant morning it was inevitable that it would be busy along the Thames and we had to thread our way through joggers and people walking their dogs. We also had to make way for the cyclists wishing to ride faster than us, one of whom was resplendent on a new £69 bike from Decathlon. The river itself was also full of activity with rowers a la Redgrave and Pinsent, luckily the coaches now have dinghys with outboard motors, they would have been hard pressed to keep up on a bike on the riverbank dodging the general public!
We stopped briefly near Kew Bridge and approached Richmond Lock from the tidal direction. For the uninitiated Richmond lock acts as a barrier to prevent any more of the Thames being affected by the tide. As the tide was out the difference between the water levels on the Richmond and Isleworth sides of the lock were quite marked.
After lifting our bikes to the other side of the river via the lock bridge we retraced our wheel tracks to Syon Park for lunch in the garden centre. In retrospect it may have been better to have stopped in the nearby London Apprentice. There was not a great deal of food choice, and it was expensive, moreover no alcohol was available. Although no comment was made about the latter the former was remarked upon. However as one rider said, "you have to try these things".
After lunch we ventured north of the A4 (was it my imagination or was the temperature dropping the further north we went?) and into the scenic Osterley Park which, like many such places, has a large listed house as a central attraction. After a quick lap of the park we rode briefly alongside the A4 to cross at the next set of lights.
"What's that noise coming from my front wheel?" one rider asked as he stopped to pull the offending article from his tyre. Upon which there was an escaping of air and his tyre rapidly deflated. He had ridden over part of a stiletto heel as he crossed the main road. It was ironic that this should happen on the smoothest part of our ride.
After repairs were made we proceeded back past Richmond lock (the tide was even lower now) across Richmond Bridge and up the hill to the Park gates. After regrouping we rode to the tea wagon in the park for a cup of German made refreshments. Then it was back across Wimbledon Common to Wimbledon where we began to disperse.
Many remarked that it had been an enjoyable day, and indeed much of the ride had been off road. However despite my cycle computer being hopelessly optimistic we still may a have done a tad over 30 miles - don't tell Mark!
Sunday 15th April MUGSWELL The feedback from this ride marks it out as an early contender for Ride of the Year! A delightful route south through Carshalton makes its way upwards to the rural Little Woodcote area with its market gardens and black weatherboarded houses. Just round the corner is the award winning Woodcote Green nurseries with its fine coffee shop.
You're now entering a very rural area with great views towards London from Woodmansterne Lane on the way to Banstead. The descent through Park Downs brings you to Chipstead station and the inevitable climb. It's too steep for a lot of people to ride so everyone re-assembled at the White Hart car park. However, in just over a mile you get the magnificent 30mph+ descent of White Hill and enough momentum to coast to the pub.
The food at the Well House is very good but the kitchen staff were feeling the pressure today. It took over 2hrs for everyone to get their food and digest it. We won't be able to take a large group there again in the future if they can't cope with it. That's a shame.
Ebbisham Lane used to lead to the old Walton Road up and over Epsom Downs. Not it's a dead end lane that deteriates as you progress along it. Eventually you come to a gate and a grassy climb up the Downs. Once you're at the top, it's a great swoop down to Tattenham Corner and along the actual race track past the grandstand. A little bridge leads you directly to Chalk Lane and another smooth descent.
From here it's the well-used bridleway towards Nonsuch Park for cakes and ice cream and then the back roads to Carshalton and back up to Pollards Hill. Report relayed by Mark W. No photos today.
Monday 9th April HAPPY VALLEY 27 people met up at Mitcham Junction for the Bank Holiday Monday joint
ride with Central London CTC. This bought back memories of our first
Bank Holiday ride where 23 of us descended on a country pub and
flipped the manager into Basil Fawlty mode, refusing to serve meals to
half the group. I hadn't told the Harrow at Caterham we were coming -
best to get there early then!!
We set off along the Wandle Trail to Carshalton Ponds and then
meandered through various parks to the Telegraph Track and the Little
Woodcote market gardens on our way to the Woodcote Green garden centre
for morning coffees.
After a gentle climb, we arrived at the Woodcote village green on the
William Webb estate and stopped by the stocks whilst I did my best to
recount the story of how the village was built. Then we cruised down
Silver Lane, past some of the most exclusive houses in the London
area. It's tricky to know where to cross the A23 so we opted to brave
the gyratory at Purley before climbing up and over the railway and
along the quiet roads and lanes that run parallel to the A22.
Portley Wood road is a twisty steep climb to the top of the valley.
It's also a private road which means hardly any traffic uses it. The
view at the top whilst you catch your breath is well worth it.
We managed to get to the pub about 12:40 and just before it got busy.
Most of us got our food fairly quickly although a few got stuck in the
inevitable backlog. But no problem, that just means a longer rest in
the beer garden whilst soaking up the sun.
After a fair bit of hill climbing, the idea for the return was to use
the cycle lanes of the A23 to shoot us back to the Wandle Trail.
However, the Waddon branch is closed at the moment so I had to put one
more hill climb in. But not before the great descent off Farthing
Downs and the views of Happy Valley. You'd never believe you were just
outside Croydon.
The additional climb was a tough one - up to Clock House. Then we used
the Hatch Lane bridleway to Woodmansterne and down the hill to Oaks
Park for ice cream. Suitably refreshed, it was back onto the Telegraph
Track between the black weatherboarded smallholdings and downhill all
the way to Carshalton and back to the station. 28 miles, out for 7.5hrs.
Sunday 1st April SOUTH PARK Today's April Fool was very effective. Despite the National Rail
website claiming all was ok, the witty rascals had actually decided to
swap our train to a bus once it reached Purley. Despite the fact that
the Oxford Tube busses take bikes and there's a very effective coach
service taking bikes to Europe, the rail replacement ones won't even
consider it. One rider opted out at East Croydon but the remaining 5
soldiered on, determined to reach Merstham and complete the ride.
Meanwhile, 2 riders already underway to meet the group at Merstham
bumped into another potential rider on her way home after realising
there were no trains. A total of 6 were actually at the station and decided to carry on using their own route when it became apparant that the others weren't coming to Merstham
The route from Purley to Merstham involved a fair bit of climbing,
going up the tracks to the top of Happy Valley to pick up the lanes.
But once on top of the North Downs you do get to enjoy the subsequent
descent.
A late morning stop in Bletchingly at a pub put the group behind
schedule but afterwards it was into the wilds of South Park and
everyone enjoyed the fantastic open countryside. There are 5 miles of
traffic-free cycling, mostly on hard packed tracks. A very short 10 metre
section of deep mud was the only evidence of the recent rain.
It was 2pm by the time we hit Outwood. The original choice of the
Castle was a bit pricey so we cycled on to the Dog and Duck where we
lunched with the Anerley BC a couple of weeks ago. And there,
finishing off their meals were the other six riders! Service wasn't as
good as our last visit with one meal taking over an hour to arrive.
There'd been a fair tailwind on the way down and no one really fancied
riding uphill into it so a decision was made to carry on south to
Horley. A quick look at the useful, free Surrey maps was enough to
come up with a route along mostly quiet roads to the station, where
trains were running as normal. 23 miles instead of 18. Report relayed by Mark W.
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