Here's this week's reports & news....

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RIDE REPORT
The Pilgrim's Way 24/02/08

This was our 2nd PHC+ ride, a longer and faster ride that gives us
scope to get a bit further afield. Once again we had 12 riders as we
set off towards Downe for our morning stop. This is where the
difference between a PHC+ and a normal ride is most noticeable.
Although we're not racing (especially up hills), we made it to Downe
within 90 minutes whereas previously, this has been a lunch stop. We
used Christmas Tree farm for the first time. It's a working farm aimed
at children but with free access to the refreshment kiosk and toilets.
It was interesting to see a Rhea up close, a kind of mini emu rather
than the Greek mother of the Gods (look it up!)

You've got two choices to get from Downe to Cudham and both involve
the same ridiculous hill but from different approaches. We opted for
the one that passes Charles Darwin's house, noting that it has been
refurbished and now looks like something that could be featured on
Grand Designs. The downhill swoop along Berry's Hill is swiftly
terminated with Church Hill, a steep climb topped off with a T
junction at the top of the 1 in 4 section. Not everybody rode up!

The lanes after Cudham are lovely. A couple of punctures slowed our
progress so we headed down Sundridge Hill into Brasted for lunch. I
wasn't sure where we'd end up for lunch as there'd been talk in the
week of going further afield if we were making good progress.
Subsequently, no one was expecting us and the first pub had a 45
minute wait for a table. The second pub was a locals bar and didn't do
food (but had a dartboard & pool table) and the third pub claimed to
be closed (although we later saw people going in). At this point it
was getting desperate. A sign pointing to the Fox & Hounds looked
promising but a local said they were often busy on Sundays. A few of
us decided to play safe and try a cafe and although they only had
toasted sandwiches on offer, it was still better than trooping off
aimlessly to find a pub. Some of the group tried to reach the Fox &
Hounds but what we didn't know was that it was over a mile uphill
towards Toys Hill. They came back to the cafe after a while.

We hadn't done an awful lot of the Pilgrim's Way at this point so we
rode directly up after lunch. It's a long section of country lane that
heads towards Titsey but I'd planned to pick up the North Downs Way to
ease the climb back onto the Downs. Unfortunately, half of the group
failed to wait for me at the junction with Westerham Hill so while we
climbed steadily on a gravel track to enjoy the lightly trafficked
lane it leads to, the others were busy climbing a much steeper hill.
We reconvened at Beaver Water World, a reptile zoo with a small cafe.

Normally we'd fly down Beddlestead Lane but it drops too much and you
have to climb back up Hesiers Hill. Instead, we used the cycle track
adjacent to the Limpsfield Road, heading for Beech Farm Rd which gives
you about 4 miles of downhill riding all the way to Gravel Hill in
Croydon. That's from the highest point in Greater London to Gravel
Hill in about 15 minutes! And after some of today's climbs, Gravel
Hill's cycle track felt that little bit more manageable today although
the corresponding descent down the other side was met with a short
shower.

We crossed Purley Way and used a bit of the Wandle Trail to get to
Beddington Lane which is currently closed in the middle, making a
pleasant return to Pollards Hill. We did about 46 miles and were out
for just under 8hrs. See the pix on Flickr at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pollardshillcyclists/sets/72157603979809011
or
http://tinyurl.com/yqd4ed

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THE ALTERNATIVE RIDE

John B had offered to lead an alternative ride at our usual pace. 4
riders headed out towards Beckenham Place Park for a morning stop.
Afterwards they headed towards Dulwich where the leader's rear axle
snapped in half! Fortunately, having taken out cycle breakdown cover,
help getting home was easily come by. One other rider had to be home
early so the ride was abandoned.

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THERE ARE 300 OF US!

Congratulations to Meghann for being the 300th person to join this
email list. Whilst not everybody has email access and there are a
couple of you on the list who haven't made it onto a ride yet, I think
this fairly represents the amount of people who've been out with us.
After two and a half years, we of course now have a revolving pool of
regulars but we're still getting plenty of new faces out on the rides
as well.

Locally, from the leisure rides groups, only the mighty Southwark
Cyclists and Greenwich Cyclists can claim to have more people on their
email lists. Whilst this doesn't really mean too much, it's a good
barometer of how successful we currently are. Wouldn't it be great if
all 300 could come out and celebrate our 3rd birthday in July? Or at
least half so we can beat Addiscombe CC's record of 122 on a club
ride!

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NEXT WEEK

We've called it the Sensible Route to Gatwick but you could easily
substitute that for Scenic. An ingenious way of getting up onto the
Chipstead plateau makes this ride suitable for everybody, as long as
you're prepared to push your bike for about 60 yards up a steep stony
bridleway. (I'm tempted to offer a prize to anyone who rides up!)
Oak's Park provides the most sensible stop on the way out but if we're
making good time, we'll definitely drop into Fanny's Farm for a quick
look if anyone hasn't been there before. Lunch is at the cheap and
cheerful town centre Wetherspoons in Redhill so bring a lock. No
afternoon stop is planned as we're going to get a train back from
Gatwick, using the secret cyclist's lift to get into the South
Terminal. The ride is partly on tracks but it should suit all bikes as
they're well surfaced, with the exception of one rutted farm track.
9:30am at the library. Train tickets as low as £2.60 for the return to
East Croydon using Group Save.

Mark
PHC Co-ordinator
07711 688189

http://www.pollardshillcyclists.org.uk