This ride is another of our signature rides. Most times we've run it the weather has been kind and not been wet. This year was the exception. As I got on my bike to leave home, so it started raining. Arriving at Three Bridges I could see Norman, Gordon and Pete S. However, Norman wouldn't be riding - he'd come over from Horsham but now had a puncture and that combined with the rain curtailed his riding for today.
Pete led us through Pound Hill and out on the Turners Hill Road all the way to the crossroads there. We headed on down through Ardingly and then to Lindfield. Here we were met by Anton - he was on his mountain bike again today - his normal road bike was in dire need of a new bottom bracket! We headed for Slugwash Lane and as we enjoyed its delights so the rain came down that bit heavier and I could start to feel the water soaking through my shorts. We carried on with the wind increasing and the rain easing off a touch until we pulled up at Ditchling tea-rooms. I plumped for poached eggs on toast and a pot of tea. Once we'd all finished it was time to pay the bill and get going again. I decided to put my waterproof trousers on as the rain seemed to have intensified and indeed, as we looked up at The Beacon, I could see that the cloud was now obscuring the slight view of it that we'd had earlier. The climb up the hill was hard as usual, but uneventful - except that Gordon completely battered it into submission with a superb piece of climbing. I crested last, huffing and puffing, but as usual I was totally able to ride all the way to the ice-cream van for my obligatory '99' cornet!
At the top the wind was pretty strong and the rain was just starting to sting. Gordon decided to head along the scarp and then drop down to Hassocks to catch a train home. Pete, Anton and myself decided to head on to Brighton and catch the train from there. Waving goodbye to Gordon as he set off into the clouds, we remounted and found the wind was slightly behind us as we sped across the the top to Old Boat Corner. Here we went over the top and down to The Lewes Road rather than our usual route into Brighton on Ditchling Road. The Lewes Road wasn't too bad and was relatively sheltered (being in a valley). Reaching The Level, we headed up the hill and used Trafalgar Street to get to the station. Tickets purchased we got straight on a train with plenty of space for our bikes and even had enough time to get a coffee before it pulled out.
So, this year we didn't actually make it as far as Brighton seafront, but we had a good ride and enjoyed it in spite of the weather.
Next weeks ride is a Horsham Pavilion in the Park start at 09:30, led by Anton it will go south and west of Horsham with a possible lunch stop at The Limeburners. Hopefully it will avoid the Barns Green area as there is a Half marathon on.
Sunday 23 September 2012
Friday 21 September 2012
Here's an extra blog entry for you - what a bargain!
A couple of weeks back, on the Arun Crossings Ride, Anton had suggested that he needed to acquire a bit more off-road experience. So a few days ago he phoned me up and suggested a trip to Deers Leap Bike Park.
We met up in the car park half an hour later than arranged as I was running late - you'd be amazed how busy life gets when you're retired! Anton had already booked us in and handed me the map as we gave our bikes a quick checkout before starting the ride.
It was the first time either of us had visited Deers Leap and the map suggested the riding would just be following a number of farm tracks around a farm. However, as we followed the track around the fields we spotted that each patch of woodland had tracks going through it. These were graded blue(easy), yellow(medium) or red(hard). We dived into the first one, singletrack amongst the trees with lots of roots to negotiate. This highlighted two of the most important features of off-road riding - correct gear selection and body position. We've both obviously been riding too much on the road as we were each using too long a gear but soon found middle at the front and second or third at the back to be ideal. Body position is important on-road but crucial off-road. When you're away from the tarmac you've got to move away from the saddle - backwards, forwards, side-to-side, up and down! It's important to keep your centre of gravity in exactly the right position otherwise you can spin out on the climbs, go over the handlebars on the descents or just plain lose it at any moment. Anton had a couple of minor offs as he grappled with this more active "cockpit" style and I failed a couple of simple root-crossed climbs as my lack of recent off-roading took it's toll.
Having traversed a couple of the woodland tracks we were now at a high point of the route and had good views all round. More importantly, Anton had a big grin on his face - he was enjoying the joys of the rough stuff! A hundred yards of slightly downhill, tooth-rattling farmtrack brought us to a junction of several tracks. Which way to turn? I decided we'd work our way through each of the location markers in sequence, so we now headed back up the hill on a different track. Here I could demonstrate the basic principles of finding the smooth line, dealing with ruts and how energy sapping it is riding through longish grass. Another rattly glide took us to a junction and an interesting looking bit of singletrack disappearing into the trees over a choice of two small wooden bridgelets. As we were about to do this we heard the whoops and shouting of a group of other riders, the first ones we'd seen in the park. There were about half a dozen 20 to 40 year olds on hired bikes and having fun. They climbed on up the main track and we set off into the woods. After the bridgelets and some rooty singletrack the path opened out and became a muddy track. We tried to pick the firm line at the edges but had to walk for a couple of yards where the undergrowth made the firm line impossible to use. Once again the path narrowed to singletrack and made its rooty way up through the woods before emerging at a field. We travelled up and around the edge of the field and then around the edge of another. This second field was a hive of activity as a rather large temporary hall was being constructed. As a couple of security guards waved us on, we had to duck under a surveying line and saw a young lady spraying paint on a large sculpture of a rider on a prancing horse. All this activity seemed to be in preparation for a major Scientology event. East Grinstead=hotbed of crackpot religions.
We found more singletrack and enjoyed a pootle through some woods which featured a red graded rooty, steep descent. I shifted my bum backwards off the saddle and ran down it with a modicum of front and rear brake - no problemo. From here a short technical rooty climb and the track brought us out at the head of a grassy valley. Consulting the map, we had a choice: either a gentle glide through the grassy valley bottom or another woodland way along the valley side. We opted for the latter and negotiated more rooty singletrack followed by a narrow grassy path through an expanse of bracken. Skirting the opposite edge of the field we'd recently travelled, we entered a largish area of young woodland and followed the track as it twisted and turned and use a couple of rickety wooden bridgelets over small streams. Then I spotted a north shore type raised boardwalk feature - about two foot wide, it undulated about 3 or 4 feet above the ground for 20 yards or so and included a couple of switch backs and three 18 inch drops. Dunnit! The exit was a bit worn and made it hard to move off a line that led straight to a tree, but it was easy enough. Now we dropped through the woods and reached a curving boardwalk that took us about 8 feet high over a stream, then had a very short flip up at the end and out of the woods, into the sunlight. We turned right here and travelled along a broad firebreak between the woodland on our right and what looked like a crop of willow (biofuel?) on our left. Next a small opening took us back into the woods and over another boardwalk, this time about 10 feet above the stream below. Some singletrack on the left beckoned to me but Anton decided to pass on it and travelled in a parallel direction on a broader track we'd used earlier. Once we'd met up again, we found a new track that headed north and then east around a 15 year old plantation of trees. As we climbed along it I noticed three small jumps constructed for bikes going in the opposite direction. Now we decided it was time for a break so swept down a broad path, found ourselves at the curving boardwalk, crossed it and turned left to travel the few hundred yards back to the park centre.
Here we had a cup of tea and a chocolate bar each, whilst chatting with a fellow rider and then the bike mechanic working in the centre.
Refreshed, we repeated the first part of the circuit, this time much quicker and smoother than earlier - I didn't even do a single foot-dab, let alone get off! We investigated a feature called The Green Lane but decided it would be too messy and then headed back onto the singletrack that started with the narrow bridgelet. After this was the muddy track and I decided that, rather than try to stick to the firm line at the edge, I'd test my tyre grip by ploughing right through the middle. It was a bit up and down, but six inches below the gloop it was firm enough and by keeping the power on throughout the pedal rotation i was able to drive right through it and out the other side. No problem. then we headed up through the wood on a little used track - mistake! it was so underused that it was covered in leaf and twig debris and by the time I reached the top, the combination of mud, leaves and twigs had added about 20lbs to the weight of my bike! Still, there were plenty of twigs to scrape the gloop off with and whilst we were doing this, we met up with that group of cyclists we'd seen earlier. A couple of them were moaning, but generally they seemed to be enjoying themselves. They asked if we'd seen any jumps and so I pointed out where I'd seen some. Continuing, what swam into view next? Yup, that raised boardwalk again. As I swept onto it I realised that mud covered tyres weren't going to help grip the slightly damp wood - I'd better be accurate and not do anything stupid up there. Up down, up down, drop drop drop and ride off. No problem again.
We pottered around through this patch of woodland a little while longer and then decided to head for home but with a little loop along a couple of the firebreak type paths. As Anton led us along the first one I noticed a deer in the trees just 10 yards ahead of Anton - he didn't spot it as he was so focussed on getting his line right through a small gully. Finally we climbed back to the park centre and made full use of their bike wash facility before packing our bikes away and heading home.
Deers Leap bike park is definitely not a full on bike park for hardcore mountain bikers but was certainly plenty of fun for us amateurs. At a mere £2.50 for a day there, it's quite cheap and certainly gave Anton and I a chance to work on our offroad skills.
We met up in the car park half an hour later than arranged as I was running late - you'd be amazed how busy life gets when you're retired! Anton had already booked us in and handed me the map as we gave our bikes a quick checkout before starting the ride.
It was the first time either of us had visited Deers Leap and the map suggested the riding would just be following a number of farm tracks around a farm. However, as we followed the track around the fields we spotted that each patch of woodland had tracks going through it. These were graded blue(easy), yellow(medium) or red(hard). We dived into the first one, singletrack amongst the trees with lots of roots to negotiate. This highlighted two of the most important features of off-road riding - correct gear selection and body position. We've both obviously been riding too much on the road as we were each using too long a gear but soon found middle at the front and second or third at the back to be ideal. Body position is important on-road but crucial off-road. When you're away from the tarmac you've got to move away from the saddle - backwards, forwards, side-to-side, up and down! It's important to keep your centre of gravity in exactly the right position otherwise you can spin out on the climbs, go over the handlebars on the descents or just plain lose it at any moment. Anton had a couple of minor offs as he grappled with this more active "cockpit" style and I failed a couple of simple root-crossed climbs as my lack of recent off-roading took it's toll.
Having traversed a couple of the woodland tracks we were now at a high point of the route and had good views all round. More importantly, Anton had a big grin on his face - he was enjoying the joys of the rough stuff! A hundred yards of slightly downhill, tooth-rattling farmtrack brought us to a junction of several tracks. Which way to turn? I decided we'd work our way through each of the location markers in sequence, so we now headed back up the hill on a different track. Here I could demonstrate the basic principles of finding the smooth line, dealing with ruts and how energy sapping it is riding through longish grass. Another rattly glide took us to a junction and an interesting looking bit of singletrack disappearing into the trees over a choice of two small wooden bridgelets. As we were about to do this we heard the whoops and shouting of a group of other riders, the first ones we'd seen in the park. There were about half a dozen 20 to 40 year olds on hired bikes and having fun. They climbed on up the main track and we set off into the woods. After the bridgelets and some rooty singletrack the path opened out and became a muddy track. We tried to pick the firm line at the edges but had to walk for a couple of yards where the undergrowth made the firm line impossible to use. Once again the path narrowed to singletrack and made its rooty way up through the woods before emerging at a field. We travelled up and around the edge of the field and then around the edge of another. This second field was a hive of activity as a rather large temporary hall was being constructed. As a couple of security guards waved us on, we had to duck under a surveying line and saw a young lady spraying paint on a large sculpture of a rider on a prancing horse. All this activity seemed to be in preparation for a major Scientology event. East Grinstead=hotbed of crackpot religions.
We found more singletrack and enjoyed a pootle through some woods which featured a red graded rooty, steep descent. I shifted my bum backwards off the saddle and ran down it with a modicum of front and rear brake - no problemo. From here a short technical rooty climb and the track brought us out at the head of a grassy valley. Consulting the map, we had a choice: either a gentle glide through the grassy valley bottom or another woodland way along the valley side. We opted for the latter and negotiated more rooty singletrack followed by a narrow grassy path through an expanse of bracken. Skirting the opposite edge of the field we'd recently travelled, we entered a largish area of young woodland and followed the track as it twisted and turned and use a couple of rickety wooden bridgelets over small streams. Then I spotted a north shore type raised boardwalk feature - about two foot wide, it undulated about 3 or 4 feet above the ground for 20 yards or so and included a couple of switch backs and three 18 inch drops. Dunnit! The exit was a bit worn and made it hard to move off a line that led straight to a tree, but it was easy enough. Now we dropped through the woods and reached a curving boardwalk that took us about 8 feet high over a stream, then had a very short flip up at the end and out of the woods, into the sunlight. We turned right here and travelled along a broad firebreak between the woodland on our right and what looked like a crop of willow (biofuel?) on our left. Next a small opening took us back into the woods and over another boardwalk, this time about 10 feet above the stream below. Some singletrack on the left beckoned to me but Anton decided to pass on it and travelled in a parallel direction on a broader track we'd used earlier. Once we'd met up again, we found a new track that headed north and then east around a 15 year old plantation of trees. As we climbed along it I noticed three small jumps constructed for bikes going in the opposite direction. Now we decided it was time for a break so swept down a broad path, found ourselves at the curving boardwalk, crossed it and turned left to travel the few hundred yards back to the park centre.
Here we had a cup of tea and a chocolate bar each, whilst chatting with a fellow rider and then the bike mechanic working in the centre.
Refreshed, we repeated the first part of the circuit, this time much quicker and smoother than earlier - I didn't even do a single foot-dab, let alone get off! We investigated a feature called The Green Lane but decided it would be too messy and then headed back onto the singletrack that started with the narrow bridgelet. After this was the muddy track and I decided that, rather than try to stick to the firm line at the edge, I'd test my tyre grip by ploughing right through the middle. It was a bit up and down, but six inches below the gloop it was firm enough and by keeping the power on throughout the pedal rotation i was able to drive right through it and out the other side. No problem. then we headed up through the wood on a little used track - mistake! it was so underused that it was covered in leaf and twig debris and by the time I reached the top, the combination of mud, leaves and twigs had added about 20lbs to the weight of my bike! Still, there were plenty of twigs to scrape the gloop off with and whilst we were doing this, we met up with that group of cyclists we'd seen earlier. A couple of them were moaning, but generally they seemed to be enjoying themselves. They asked if we'd seen any jumps and so I pointed out where I'd seen some. Continuing, what swam into view next? Yup, that raised boardwalk again. As I swept onto it I realised that mud covered tyres weren't going to help grip the slightly damp wood - I'd better be accurate and not do anything stupid up there. Up down, up down, drop drop drop and ride off. No problem again.
We pottered around through this patch of woodland a little while longer and then decided to head for home but with a little loop along a couple of the firebreak type paths. As Anton led us along the first one I noticed a deer in the trees just 10 yards ahead of Anton - he didn't spot it as he was so focussed on getting his line right through a small gully. Finally we climbed back to the park centre and made full use of their bike wash facility before packing our bikes away and heading home.
Deers Leap bike park is definitely not a full on bike park for hardcore mountain bikers but was certainly plenty of fun for us amateurs. At a mere £2.50 for a day there, it's quite cheap and certainly gave Anton and I a chance to work on our offroad skills.
Sunday 16 September 2012
Tour of Britain
Never fiddle with your gears the day before going out for a bike ride! I spent most of todays ride trying to adjust out various slight clickety-clacks and phantom gear changes! However, it didn't stop me overtaking two roadies as I passed through Tilgate and then charged (!) up Pease Pottage Hill. My bike appeared to be running quite well today (in spite of the gear chatter) and I arrived at Horsham Pavilion in the park on time. Barbara had also just arrived and waiting inside were Norman, Anton Marion and Pete S.
Three months ago when I'd posted this ride on the runs list it was just going to be an ordinary loop out to the north of Horsham but just a few weeks ago I'd realised it coincided with the last day of the Tour of Britain and that we could intercept it and watch the Pros go by. This meant we had a nine-thirty start but only 10 miles to travel (as the crow flies) and then a long wait for the race. So instead I took everyone on a small detour to the south and east of Horsham before heading for a lunch stop and then a race viewing point.
We used Depot Road and Comptons Road to head out through Doomsday Green and then north east on Grouse Road. Blackhouse Road took us to Colgate and then Tower Road was an enjoyable blast down to the A264. As we headed through Faygate and on to Rusper the road got very busy with lots of other cyclists, all heading north. A large contingent of them were on the last leg of a three day ride from Paris to London, the others looked like they were heading to The Tour.
We carried on and were met by Ros as we pulled up at our lunch stop, The Crown at Capel. Unfortunately their restaurant was closed for refurbishment and they had no food available but their beer was good and they didn't mind us popping over to the convenience store opposite and bringing some food back to eat with our beer.
Lunch over, we crossed over the A24 and then had the joy of Weare Street heading south (downhill). We crossed over a quiet A29 and then, after a short climb, burst out onto the route the professionals would soon be using. Quite a few people were already gathered there and the pub (which I'd originally considered for the lunch stop) was very busy, making me glad we'd stopped at The Crown. we picked our viewing spot and settled down to wait for the spectacle to begin. We noticed the following quality piece of spelling:
Here's a picture of most of our motley crew:
I can't think why Anton was hiding behind this hedge:
We were soon back at Horsham and saying goodbye to Norman and Anton. Richard, Marian and Pete carried on to Crawley with Ros and I following on shortly behind. I guided Ros through Crawley and onto the Worth Way using the shortest route through Tilgate, Furnace Green and Maidenbower and then got home myself by about 5pm having coverd about 48 miles.
Next weeks ride is another of my favourite rides (so much so that I'm foregoing a family luncheon so I can ride) - it's the Seaside Ride. Leaving Three Bridges station at 09:00hrs we will ride to Brighton seafront via Ditchling Beacon (we'll have elevenses in the village before tackling the climb). We'll have lunch on the seafront and then there's the option of returning by train or by riding NCN20. Come along, it's a good challenge but well within practically everyone's capability.
Sunday 2 September 2012
Arun Crossings - DA Event
This years final DA Event took place on Sunday 2nd September.
The Arun Crossings is a great ride that simply involves crossing the River Arun as many times as possible between Pulborough and Rudgwick.
Plenty of riders gathered together at Pulborough railway station at the appointed time, however we had one small problem - our ride leader was missing. We tried phoning him but without luck and, as we know he sometimes checks out part of the route on his way to the start, we were worried he might have had a mishap somewhere. We hung around for one more train to come in but to no avail, so it was time to make a decision. As I'd ridden this event a few times before (although the exact route varies every time), I stepped into the breach and thanks to Ray and Joanna who had a map and a printout from the DA website, decided on a route to use.
There were thirteen of us and we set off north along Coombelands Lane. Eventually we took a bridleway on the left and headed down to Pallingham Quay and our first crossing of the river.
Now came our first climb of the day as we followed the bridleway up and onto Bedham Lane. A few hundred yards of tarmac and then right onto another bridleway heading east and over Pallingham Lane. Here we went through a freshly mown hayfield and once we'd crossed it had to spend some time removing all the hay tangled up in our gear mechanisms and pedals! Whilst waiting, some of us played Poohsticks from the bridge marking our second crossing of the Arun.
There was a little drizzle in the air now as we gained a farm track and with typical timing, one of our riders suffered a puncture. As they were happy (and equipped) to deal with it themselves I decided to ride on to the end of the farmtrack and wait for them there - it's easier to mend a puncture/replace an inner tube when you don't have an audience of several cyclists!
Turning left onto Blackgate Lane, we climbed up slightly the 100 yards to the end of the lane and then onto a driveway before bearing right onto a bridleway and swooping down a stony track to cross first the canal and then, 50 yards later, the river. We were now approaching the elevenses stop at Wisborough Green, but as we were running late I decided we'd keep going - a decision helped by the fact that two of our riders were going to switch to a road only route from here due to one of them having a sore ankle which was being aggravated by the bumpy off-road conditions. They could pop into the cafe and check for other riders whilst the rest of us could take a short cut along a bridleway and on to Newpound Lane and up past Fishers Farm Park.
On reaching the road we took the bridleway that was straight ahead. The drizzle had stopped but this bridleway was quite wet and muddy. I thought about getting off and walking but reasoned that I would get very muddy feet and quite possibly slip over, so I just selected the lefthand rut and, quite literally, ploughed through the mud. Most of the other riders did the same but, as I was holding the gate open for my fellow riders, I heard a splut! and looked around to see Anton picking himself up from the mud. I let out an involuntary laugh before composing myself and checking he was OK. As he remounted, he said he was oka-a-a-a-a-a-yyyyyyyy SPLUT!!! he'd gone over again. This time as well as getting coated in mud, he'd bashed his knee on his bike. Once he was through the gate and into the mud free field beyond, he checked out his knee - just a scratch - and scraped off as much mud as he could.
Over the field we went and arrived at Rowner Lock on the canal where Ray took these pictures:
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Once we were back to the road we headed north and arrived at the The Blue Ship shortly after 1p.m. to be met by half a dozen other riders from the various West Sussex sections - including our missing leader. Safe and sound, he explained that he'd been late getting to the start due to being in the 12th coach when Pulborough station only has room for 8!! That meant going on up the line and then a long wait for the next train back - by which time we'd all left.
Lunch was very good (especially the beer at £1 a pint!!) and it was a bit of a wrench to get going again. Colin led us for the return trip and managed to use 5 different crossings from the morning ones. I don't know how, but he also managed to find 5 completely mud-free routes! This pleased Anton especially.
The Arun Crossings is a great ride that simply involves crossing the River Arun as many times as possible between Pulborough and Rudgwick.
Plenty of riders gathered together at Pulborough railway station at the appointed time, however we had one small problem - our ride leader was missing. We tried phoning him but without luck and, as we know he sometimes checks out part of the route on his way to the start, we were worried he might have had a mishap somewhere. We hung around for one more train to come in but to no avail, so it was time to make a decision. As I'd ridden this event a few times before (although the exact route varies every time), I stepped into the breach and thanks to Ray and Joanna who had a map and a printout from the DA website, decided on a route to use.
There were thirteen of us and we set off north along Coombelands Lane. Eventually we took a bridleway on the left and headed down to Pallingham Quay and our first crossing of the river.
Now came our first climb of the day as we followed the bridleway up and onto Bedham Lane. A few hundred yards of tarmac and then right onto another bridleway heading east and over Pallingham Lane. Here we went through a freshly mown hayfield and once we'd crossed it had to spend some time removing all the hay tangled up in our gear mechanisms and pedals! Whilst waiting, some of us played Poohsticks from the bridge marking our second crossing of the Arun.
There was a little drizzle in the air now as we gained a farm track and with typical timing, one of our riders suffered a puncture. As they were happy (and equipped) to deal with it themselves I decided to ride on to the end of the farmtrack and wait for them there - it's easier to mend a puncture/replace an inner tube when you don't have an audience of several cyclists!
Turning left onto Blackgate Lane, we climbed up slightly the 100 yards to the end of the lane and then onto a driveway before bearing right onto a bridleway and swooping down a stony track to cross first the canal and then, 50 yards later, the river. We were now approaching the elevenses stop at Wisborough Green, but as we were running late I decided we'd keep going - a decision helped by the fact that two of our riders were going to switch to a road only route from here due to one of them having a sore ankle which was being aggravated by the bumpy off-road conditions. They could pop into the cafe and check for other riders whilst the rest of us could take a short cut along a bridleway and on to Newpound Lane and up past Fishers Farm Park.
On reaching the road we took the bridleway that was straight ahead. The drizzle had stopped but this bridleway was quite wet and muddy. I thought about getting off and walking but reasoned that I would get very muddy feet and quite possibly slip over, so I just selected the lefthand rut and, quite literally, ploughed through the mud. Most of the other riders did the same but, as I was holding the gate open for my fellow riders, I heard a splut! and looked around to see Anton picking himself up from the mud. I let out an involuntary laugh before composing myself and checking he was OK. As he remounted, he said he was oka-a-a-a-a-a-yyyyyyyy SPLUT!!! he'd gone over again. This time as well as getting coated in mud, he'd bashed his knee on his bike. Once he was through the gate and into the mud free field beyond, he checked out his knee - just a scratch - and scraped off as much mud as he could.
Over the field we went and arrived at Rowner Lock on the canal where Ray took these pictures:
.jpeg)
Once we were back to the road we headed north and arrived at the The Blue Ship shortly after 1p.m. to be met by half a dozen other riders from the various West Sussex sections - including our missing leader. Safe and sound, he explained that he'd been late getting to the start due to being in the 12th coach when Pulborough station only has room for 8!! That meant going on up the line and then a long wait for the next train back - by which time we'd all left.
Lunch was very good (especially the beer at £1 a pint!!) and it was a bit of a wrench to get going again. Colin led us for the return trip and managed to use 5 different crossings from the morning ones. I don't know how, but he also managed to find 5 completely mud-free routes! This pleased Anton especially.
Saturday 1 September 2012
Shoreham Air Show
To avoid clashing with a DA Event, we decided to run the club ride to the Shoreham Air Show on Saturday this year.
Joining me at Horsham Pavilion in the Park were Pete E and Norman. As the main objective of the day was to maximise viewing of the aerial displays, I'd decided on a quick route down to Shoreham. We left Horsham on Kerves Lane then went on to Copsale, Maplehurst, Littleworth, Partridge Green and Steyning. Here we took Maudlin Lane which becomes first Annington Road and then Coombes Road before crossing the A27 and then using the old Toll Bridge to cross the River Adur.
The plan had been to then ride up Mill Hill and view events from the hillside up there, but we decided to just sit on the riverbank instead (as it was closer to the pub!).
Although it was cloudy, there was (just) enough space for the aerial displays to proceed and we enjoyed several breathtaking demonstrations of beautiful planes, both old and new. However, sitting still on the riverbank we were getting quite cold so we decided a visit to the pub was in order. We managed to get a table by a window and so could enjoy our beers whilst continuing to enjoy the flying displays.
Unfortunately, the star of the show, the Vulcan XH558 was scheduled too late in the day for us to wait and we were probably back home before it occupied the airspace over Shoreham.
To get home we decided to use the Downs Link - none of us had used it for some time, so it made sense to check it out once more. It was good and dry and we followed it all the way up to Christs Hospital. Here we used the bridleway north to Broadbridge Heath and then back into Horsham over the golf course. We'd been travelling at a pretty brisk pace back up the Downs Link and I was feeling tired so decided to use the main road back to Crawley. It wasn't too bad and I employed a defensive riding technique I learnt on a cycling course in London: by looking uncertain and as though you're about to do something unexpected (like a turn), you make motorists notice you and they give you a bit more space. The trouble is, you have to do this for every vehicle you hear approaching and it does get a bit wearing looking over your shoulder and doing random arm movements, still, at least I got safely home.
Joining me at Horsham Pavilion in the Park were Pete E and Norman. As the main objective of the day was to maximise viewing of the aerial displays, I'd decided on a quick route down to Shoreham. We left Horsham on Kerves Lane then went on to Copsale, Maplehurst, Littleworth, Partridge Green and Steyning. Here we took Maudlin Lane which becomes first Annington Road and then Coombes Road before crossing the A27 and then using the old Toll Bridge to cross the River Adur.
The plan had been to then ride up Mill Hill and view events from the hillside up there, but we decided to just sit on the riverbank instead (as it was closer to the pub!).
Although it was cloudy, there was (just) enough space for the aerial displays to proceed and we enjoyed several breathtaking demonstrations of beautiful planes, both old and new. However, sitting still on the riverbank we were getting quite cold so we decided a visit to the pub was in order. We managed to get a table by a window and so could enjoy our beers whilst continuing to enjoy the flying displays.
Unfortunately, the star of the show, the Vulcan XH558 was scheduled too late in the day for us to wait and we were probably back home before it occupied the airspace over Shoreham.
To get home we decided to use the Downs Link - none of us had used it for some time, so it made sense to check it out once more. It was good and dry and we followed it all the way up to Christs Hospital. Here we used the bridleway north to Broadbridge Heath and then back into Horsham over the golf course. We'd been travelling at a pretty brisk pace back up the Downs Link and I was feeling tired so decided to use the main road back to Crawley. It wasn't too bad and I employed a defensive riding technique I learnt on a cycling course in London: by looking uncertain and as though you're about to do something unexpected (like a turn), you make motorists notice you and they give you a bit more space. The trouble is, you have to do this for every vehicle you hear approaching and it does get a bit wearing looking over your shoulder and doing random arm movements, still, at least I got safely home.
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