Sunday, 19 July, 2009

Staplefield and Brockham

“North Cheam or not North Cheam?” That was the first question of the day. Whether ‘twas nobler to lead the ride from Cheam or sally forth direct, to join the ride at the mid-morn meet of Beare Green. Cheam won, whence Keith, Paul and Jeff accelerated southward over the Downs, through Walton-on-the Hill, down Pebble Hill to Betchworth, Brockham, Root Hill and soon the Blu- Moon Café at Beare Green, where Bob was already in waiting. As numbers swelled, tea flowed and bacon sandwiches multiplied. At the tolling of the half hour it was time for the off, some opting for a shorter ride, some opting to go all the way, the ladies alas in the former camp, but promising a tea-time rendezvous at Brockham.

With grey skies and scudding clouds, the Met Office fortune-tellers were hedging their bets with evasive prognostications of scattered showers. With lunch at Staplefield less than 18 miles away, we could twiddle our way into the south-westerlies and hope to skirt the rain. After a quick scurry along the A24 it was a familiar route to Capel, Clark’s Green and Rusper. Then a quiet diversion through Wimlands to Faygate and the haul up Tower Road to Colgate.

When Blackhouse Road met Grouse Road, great was the amazement of the group to be led off the tarmac onto a bridleway through woods and down to a stream to be faced with a grassy hillock with little sign of a path. So granny gears it was and up over cow pats and thistles to the blustery ridge, where the path emerged, soon to become a farm track of concrete slabs through the fragrant yard of Newstead Farm to join the High Weald Landscape Trail. This led us up to the B2110 from which it was no more than a couple of miles or so through Slaugham to our staging post of Staplefield, occupied already by the MG Owners Club.

Decision Time again: The Victory or The Jolly Tanners? Victory for The Victory. Staple food taken at Staplefield, then up and away – destination Balcombe. However, at Balcombe Road, a first aid stop for repair by committee of Andy’s antique Carradice and route revision, as plan A via Ardingly Reservoir might not get us home in daylight. We therefore took to the B2036 through the outskirts of Crawley (in time to find the first and only shower of the day), then Gatwick, Charlwood, Leigh and Brockham.

We arrived at the tailend of the Victorian Fair, well in time for tea and cakes and to greet some easy riding ladies, who had been on what I understand is a traditional treasure hunt. Time then to wend our separate ways in pleasant, early evening sunshine. For me, a final fling up Pebble Coombe, then home with one mile short of three score miles and ten behind me, for some no doubt a good few more.

Jeff