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CROYDON'S BRIDLEWAYS - 6th August
6 of us gathered at Pollards Hill Library this morning for the bridleways ride. I suggested that we change the structure of the day, as we should get to the morning break stop early anyway, but we needed to get to the lunch pub soon after 12 noon as good pubs tend to fill up quickly and by 1pm when PHC rides usually stop there would be no space. Everybody agreed to that and some seem encouraged that the lunchtime pub was already being talked about before we'd even set off.
We took a standard PHC on-road route to East Croydon, and soon after went along our first off-road section, a bridleway between Coombe Road and Croham Road near Lloyd Park. After negotiating some temporary traffic lights on Croham Road we went along Conduit Lane (a second bridleway) to our morning break stop at Coombe Wood Cafe. Only 50mins to get here, but less than 7 miles done so far. Most of us just had drinks here as lunch was promised to be only another hour or so away.
We picked up three more cyclists at the morning break, who were Croydon-based and didn't fancy the trek to Pollards Hill and/or such an early start. The nine of us took in a couple more bridleways before I decided we'd better do Littleheath Woods, as we had at least 3 keen/serious mountain bikers with us. The bridleway in Littleheath Woods is poorly designed as it goes over not one but TWO hills. We got to the top of the first hill, waiting for those who walked, and then at the bottom of the hill we turned left to go across a bumpy, grassy path across a field, instead of going up the steeper second hill. 6 of the group got up the steep little slope to the road, but I gave up and walked, as did CTUK Mark, but he'd only just finished building his mountain bike from recycled parts so wasn't very familiar with it ! We went along two more bridleways through Forestdale and then up Baker Boy Lane. Mark's proposed route had suggested 3 bridleways but two of them were too steep, so we muttered about how typical it was that someone on some 'business trip' to Australia would devise an impossibly steep route for a ride he wouldn't be on! On the way up Baker Boy Lane we encountered two fallen trees, which didn't have paths round them. We had to lift our bikes over the first but with the second (smaller) tree, Tony organised us to drag the tree off the path! From the top of that bridleway, we crossed Farleigh Common to The Harrow (pub) for lunch, arriving at 12.05pm.
We got three tables under the same huge umbrella at the pub to keep out of the sun. Some of us had one of the pubs 'Small plates' which were less than a fiver, but a couple of riders had full Sunday lunch plates (perhaps they were aware of what was to follow?!). We set off just after 1pm, after finding that everybody must have gone on holiday because the pub still wasn't THAT busy.
We next pedalled along the bridleway to Farleigh Church, then on the one, which is part of the Waterlink Way, through Holt Wood. Left at a crossroads and up Ledgers Road, overtaking another small group of cyclists. We went on a Byway (Open to All Traffic, and known as BOATs) to Limpsfield Road, and then sharp right to come down again on the shared use cycle/footpath by the side of Limpsfield Road. This path is quite narrow and needs widening as we met two group of cyclists coming up that path as we went down it, including the group we'd overtaken on Ledgers Road earlier.
We went slightly downhill on a fairly flat bridleway from Ledgers Road back towards Chelsham Common. A chain broke on the uphill bit of Crewes Road, but was soon fixed. We used another bridleway on the other side of Limpsfield Road and then the bridleway round to Riddlesdown. We went down Dunmail Drive, which is a really bumpy footpath for the top two-thirds of the route. The signs say Dunmail Drive is a footpath, but it is included as a green cycle route on the London Cycle Maps.
3 riders left at the bottom of Dunmail Drive having worked out that they could get to Purley without having to go up another hill. The remaining 6 of us went up Mitchley Hill (steep, but a sealed, proper road) to Sanderstead and then we went down to Selsdon so that, having saved the best until the end) we could go along (down) the bridleway down the middle of Croham Hurst Golf Course. We fairly flew down that route (the last of 19 off-road sections for the day). Another rider left at the end of this bridleway, and the remaining five of us headed down to South Croydon and along to central Croydon on roads. Then we took the proposed LCN+ route west from Croydon and along Mill Lane and into Beddington Park to the cafe there (arriving just before 4pm, nearly three hours after lunch! After that break we used the Beddington Sewer path and crossed Mitcham Common to get back to the library, which only took an extra half-hour.
The only injury in the whole day was suffered before the start, when one rider cut his face above a cheek on a sharp edge on his car rack while unloading his bike. I believe the story/excuse for this injury has now been embellished to be grazing his face on a tree while going down a bridleway at ~40mph, or something 'more glorious' !
31 miles, back just before 5pm.
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