I was pleased that Ann could take time out of her busy schedule of skiing, marathon running and cycling to take delivery at Elevenses of her 'Over the Top' trophy awarded to her and Steve for their organisation, over many years, of the hugely popular Easter Tours.
On the Grand Union canal Team Maddie stopped on the Gallows Bridge for our traditional photo:
For the benefit of anyone who didn't know where we were:
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B Group 24th May
I have cycled and run a lot in the past North of the Thames over the years, so planning a route off-road along canals, parks etc was a pleasing task, I put this route together but was a bit concerned there would be too much off-road for the group, nice to find out the opposite.
I had 2 sub-leaders, Ray Y and Maddie, so 3 groups. We took the river Crane path to Twickenham, then to St Margarets and on across the A316 to Isleworth, through Syon Park to the Canal towpath. This took us to Hanwell flight of locks where we turned right along the River Brent and under the Wharncliffe viaduct into Churchfields Recreation Ground with time to admire the Hermitage thatched cottage being re-thatched.
Then on across Brent Valley Golf Course and a detour due to a path/cycle path being resurfaced. M or off-road into Perivale Park and a brief stop at a memorial bench to Nicky Hopkins, no relation, a very famous session player to most of the top bands and singers, see photo. Past the Athletics Stadium, fond memories of racing 5ks there in times gone by. Along to the foot/cycle bridge over the A40 next to the Mylett Arms.
Then over Horsenden Hill where we lost Alan C who was backmarker, he got caught at the lights, we waited further on, a phone call revelled he had joined the next group. A left turn into Whitton Avenue and a mile or 2 brought us to lunch at the Greenwood Hotel, a Wetherspoon.
Soon all 3 groups were the delicacies of Wetherspoon and the chatter was continuos. But all things must come to an end and time to depart. We headed south to Northolt station and left to cross Northala fields, then heading South through Rectory park, across the Ruislip road and cycle paths to the Willow Tree open space and the Willow Tree foot bridge across the Paddington arm of the Grand Union canal where Diane was waiting for us and took our photo, then along the towpath to the junction at Bulls bridge.
We then took the cycle path alongside the Parkway to Cranford. WE were soon entering Hounslow Heath, where Paul notice my rear tyre look soft, it was, a quick squirt with an air canister, and we were off again, the along the Hanworth road it went completely flat. C%&*, I asked Diane to take the rest of the group to tea while John C and I set to work to replace a tube. We were soon on our way and long the Crane river path, we came out on the cycle path of the A316 where we met a lost Maddie's group, We joined forces and I led us to tea at Pheasantry where the other groups were enjoying cake and beverages,
It was nice to welcome Anne and John Connaughton from the C group on their first ride with the B's. Many thanks to Ray and Maddie for sub-leading and to the back markers and everyone for your company.
Tony..
Signing
in sheets will be circulated once you are sitting down. The AGM Agenda, 23/24 Annual
Report, Treasurer's Report and Minutes of the 2023 AGM, are available to
read in advance online via links below. Please take the time and trouble to
do so as this will help the meeting run smoothly and get us all back on our
bikes quicker. 😀
We have to vacate the Hall and return it in “as found” (and vacuumed) by 12:30.
No rubbish please.
As
the last two years, a reduced number of papers will be printed and will be available
on the day to share.
Please note that AGM Agenda includes the motion to revise process for electing Chair, Treasurer and Hon Sec at the AGM.
Regarding the current process for the formal
election of the CUK specified roles of Chairman, Treasurer and Hon Sec at the
AGM, at present any club member can seek nomination and seconding at the AGM
without any advanced notice to other members. It is hereby proposed that in
future, these roles should be advertised in advance of the AGM (including where
existing officers are prepared to stand for re-election) with a suitable
deadline for applications before the AGM.
Any new applicant will be required to be nominated
and seconded by two unrelated (to the applicant or each other) club members.
Existing officers advertised to be standing for re-election will be deemed to
be nominated and seconded if there are no further applicants for that role by
the deadline but must still be subject to a re-election vote at the AGM.
This change in process will ensure all Members have
a more inclusive opportunity to apply for or influence the Committee
composition. This process was followed this year in relation to the appointment
of the new Chair”
Optional Bike parking (Shown “B” above) has been arranged behind the hedge in the adjacent parish managed private Vauxmead grounds. The gate on Burwood Rd will be unlocked between 10:30 and 11:00 and locked again for the duration of the AGM. Security however cannot be guaranteed, no “sentry” will be posted, and there is a pedestrian gate on Faulkner’s Rd for access to the Girlguiding hall which may or may not be locked on the day. So please feel free to use your urban locks and to lock two or more bikes together or make alternative arrangements to park bikes elsewhere.👍
Always read the small print, dear reader, and don't be misled by little blue signs, that's the moral of this sorry tale! Anyway, I jump ahead of myself. Encouraged by a glimpse of sunshine and fortified by an Elleray Hall elevenses, a couple of dozen or so of us set off in three groups from Teddington. In my group were Sue C, Paula B, Gill H, Keith R, and Dave E, as well as Dave V, who very generously back-marked all day (it was remarkable he was on the ride at all as he had ridden the Hilly 50 course yet again the previous day).
Of his group's experiences Clive writes -
My group consisted of: Jennie, Steve D, Brian, Richard and Dave F. We set off prettypromptly from Teddington heading north through Twickenham.
After skirting the rugby stadium, we turned off Whitton Dene and followed the path alongside the Duke of Northumberland’s River which passes through the Mogden Sewage Treatment Works. Mogden, according to it’s sign, is the UK’s third largest water treatment plant and has capacity to treat 0.79 million cubic metres of sewage per day, enough for 1.9 million people. The largest works in the UK, and in Europe, is the Beckton Sewage Treatment Works in the London Borough of Newham. Beckton can treat 2.3 million cubic metres of sewage per day and was built by Joseph Bazalgette whose blue plaque we passed a few weeks ago on the London ride. To put Beckton’s capacity in perspective; the world’s largest sewage treatment works, the New Delta Wastewater Treatment plant in El Dabaa, Egypt can treat 7.5 million cubic metres per day.
Incidentally, The Duke of Northumberland’s River is so named because the Duke is the lord of the manor of Isleworth and Twickenham. The river is a man made tributary of the Crane and was constructed in the mid 16 th century for the purpose of supplying water to the mills and farms on the Duke’s land.
We continued through the residential areas of Isleworth to the relative calm of Osterley Park where we saw a heron perched by the lake. From there we made our way to the bridge on North Hyde Lane and Grand Union Canal where were passed by the second group led by Neil W.
We left the canal path to go along Blyth Road and and the old vinyl record factories where we stopped for a photo by the big dog.
As announced on the Wayfarers Blog last December, I will be standing down at the next AGM on May 8th, when I look forward to welcoming you all for my last formal duty as your Chair.
I am delighted to announce that Sue Foster has come forward and will be standing for election at the AGM as your new Chair .
Formal details of the AGM will be posted on the blog shortly.
You are invited to join the ride startng from the Day centre at Elreray Hall, Teddngton.
Lunch will be at the Greenwood Hotel, Norholt. 15 miles to lunch and around 15 miles back to tea at Bushy Park.
Lots of good off road and canal towpath. Please Whatsapp me ASAP direct if you would ike to join the ride.
Tony..
John writes:
It was great to see a good turn out of B riders at Tanhouse Farm for our ride that promised to go further south than usual. We did indeed make it to Southwater, about five miles south of Horsham, which in itself is further south than usual.
Thank you to Tim G and Francis for being subbies, especially in light of the fact that they had already turned out for a recce that was somewhat interrupted by cold, heavy and continuous rain.
~ John A
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| Elevenses at Tanhouse Farm |
We continued towards Barns Green and the southern most tip of the route, Southwater. Then it was straight up to Horsham and lunch at the ever-dependable Lynd Cross pub (the 14th-century name of the junction between the Bishopric and Springfield Road, now the site of the Wetherspoons pub).
Post lunch, it was a straight forward ride back into the familiar territory of Parkgate and Brockham, then a short ride to The Old Clunker in Dorking for Tea.
A great route from John A, taking us to new interesting territory south of Horsham. My thanks to all the riders for their company and to Geoff for his diligent back-marking.
~ Francis
Tim C writes:
For Tim G's team the adventure began before we set out, when Madeleine discovered a flat tyre on her front wheel. She had the wheel out in no time and with a group of experts wrestled the new tube into place. There was no need for the usual analysis of who had the shiniest and most efficient pump because Madeleine had trumped our old technology with a compact CO₂ inflator.
After an unintended burst of escaping gas Madeleine attached another cyclinder and screwed the connector onto the valve. With a new whoosh of gas the tyre was quickly up to what felt like 150 psi. Time to unscrew the pump from the valve. But sadly, neither Madeleine nor any of the wise men in the team could get the thing off.
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| Madeleine's puncture party |
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| We couldn't get the thing off! |
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| Ready to go |
We suggested trying to ride with the gizmo still attached. Somehow she made it to Holmwood Station (3 miles away) to catch a train to Horsham where she left her bike with A D Cycles and joined us all for lunch. If these gadgets can be such a source of amusement I think I'll get one!
Meanwhile the rest of us had a good ride, and a good lunch at the Lynd Cross. It was a long day. Some (many ?) did the ride on a train-assisted basis. Our team skipped tea, some of us to catch a train from Dorking.
Thanks to John for his A Group view of the world and to Tim for leading us so carefully.
~ Tim C
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| Two photos by Pete |
Do join me on next Wednesday's 'A' group ride. From Teddington we'll be heading out into 'leafy Bucks' for lunch at that old favourite and real ale lovers' paradise, the White Horse, Hedgerley. This time around we'll be approaching from a less familiar direction - see https://connect.garmin.
On Wednesday 17th April, nine intrepid riders gathered
at Enzo’s café in Weybridge. We had not been to Guildford for some time and
decided to go and try a different route into the town and lunch at a Weatherspoons
pub that I had not tried before. We set
off with the intention of cycling along the cycle path through to Heath Road
but were stopped by road works that blocked to route through the car park, so a
quick change of plan was required. So, it was back to the Church Street and the
traffic and along to Heath Road where we took the cycle path up the hill to
Weybridge station. At the station we turned left, ending up down at the river
Wey. We then cycled along next to Brooklands and emerged at Byfleet. Then along
Pavis Way cycle path, feeling quite chaffed with our selves having avoided a
long line of traffic going into West Byfleet due to road works. At West Byfleet
station we used the tunnel to cross the railway line and proceeded along a normal
route to Woking where we joined the Mars cycle route to Jacobs Well. Then we
went along Salt Box Road, passing through Stringer’s Common before turning left
at the traffic lights into Grange Roa Road / Manor Road, Woodbridge Hill and left
into Weston Road. At the end of the road, we entered a cycle path that took us
across the Worplesdon Road, under the A3, and onto a cycle path along the side
of Medleton Road before turning right to cycle along the side of the river Wey.
Then onto to Walnut Tree Close and Bridge Street where we found the pub. We
were then joined by Grant who had cycled here on his own, who then joined us
for the ride back to Shepperton.
Lunch was the normal Weatherspoons Affair. With prompt service
and cheap prices. What’s not to like?
Our trip to the Ferry café at Shepperton was via the back
way out of Guildford, using Bedford Road / Dapdune Road, through Stoke Park and
along Parkway cycle track to London Road. Then left into Weylea Road, through
to Clay Lane cycle path and onto the A3 cycle path towards Ripley. We then
followed a normal route to Shepperton, passing through Send, West Byfleet and
Addlestone.
Thank you, Tony, for helping me divide the group into easily
manageable numbers and Paula, Steph, Caroline, Lillian, Liz, Grant and Pam for
the company and entertainment along the way.
Ray Y
Our dynamic climate meant I planned and reccied the ride in early warm conditions, come the actual ride there was an offputting chill and earlier forecast of rain which, added to the distance of Tanhouse and challenge of Blackdown factors meant we just made double figures of hardy adventurers.
Andy was off first ..
My group consisted of Brian, Dave W, Frances & Sue C.
We left a rather busy Tanhouse Farm for an "adventure" to tackle Blackdown Hill in West Sussex via Jayes/Tennyson Lane.
Cool for mid-April, perhaps cold for some (I had 4 layers) we headed west into the North-Westerly wind.
Just after The PunchBowl Inn we came to a halt. Road resurfacing prevented following the route so out came the OS 187.
It appears "hole filling" allows access but partial/complete resufacing (without a pedestrian walkway) is more difficult.
And in this instance nay impossible, courtesy of a well trained "jobsworth".
During the three mile detour we were caught (& overtaken) by Neil's trio.
To re-group on Brewhurst Lane in Loxwood.
Quiet, unfamiliar & undulating lanes took us to lunch at Northchapel & The Half-Moon Inn where the landlord appeared to be a hoarder/collector of all manner of stuff....on the walls, ceilings and just about everywhere else.
A museum in itself, it definitely requires a revisit but probably a solo trip where I can linger.
We were down to a quartet (Dave headed for Haslemere BR) ,so after the obligatory photo opp at the top..
.. the fast/tricky descent of Blackdown the route took us north to tea at Shalford where we said goodbye to Frances & Sue, bound for Guildford BR.
Today's challenge of climbing Blackdown proved easier than staying on Daniel's wheel along the A246 back home.
Thanks to my group (backmarker Dave on the way out) & Neil's meticulous planning to ensure the ride's success.
My group left about 5 minutes after the first group, and kept to a genuine medium pace, Patrick split at Nudigate for home as he sadly has not recovered enough for the challenge. We tried to note the lunch stops we regularly use on the way - the Crown at Capel, the Punchbowl, Milk Churn, Fox at Rudgwick, but Ged wasn't able to help after the Crown .. crossing the A24 there was a hiss behind then a loud shotgun close by .. but no, it was Ged's bike rim expiring explosively! After a full musing over this we went on and Ged had about a quarter mile to Ockley station, as he said, it was a good place to fail, much better than on a remote downhill section.
We picked up the pace, stopped at the Brewhurst Bridge, (to be caught up surprisingly soon by the other group), Brewhurst Lane is a charming out of the way part of Loxwood. Its has many stories related to it, including brewing, a water mill, economic prosperity from the canal, a brethren community which had quite a big social impact in the area, decline as railways took over, and in our times community voluntary action that restored the canal to leisure use.
After Kirdford we took Pipers Lane, a long ideal cycling lane, we paused at a good viewpoint for Blackdown to see our challenge, and the orchid, but too chilly to linger, onto Northchapel and into the Half Moon >> the old curiosity pub <<. Stuffed to the gills with curios, the landlord told me he won the large ancient cycling trophy, (it was only £4 at a local auction!). In the far room was one of the earliest TV sets, with about a 5 inch screen, and a similar vintage vacuum cleaner, also a large telephone exchange operator console and maybe its operator - a real human skeleton standing over it(!). Lunch was fine, with excellent amber beer from Dorset or beyond, it went down well.
Climbing Blackdown was again an interesting experience, at the top we were split fairly evenly on whether the Jays Lane climb was easier or harder than Whitedown, but for sure its on a par with it. At the top was a sign informing us, (quelle surprise!), that Blackdown is twinned with Mt Tiede in Tenerife!
