Top of Puddledock Lane
Front wheel puncture for Jeff
As news of an impending drought is on the horizon,Bough Beech reservoir in Kent looks worryingly low right now.
Just approaching Woldingham schoolThe Chiding Stone
The freeze, and the short spell of cold weather this winter, is over. After the mild but
overcast days a cold front had brought out the sun and a fine day for some February pedalling.
Our route to Westerham took us through the site of the old Croydon Airport – where now we
cross the A23 can you imagine Hercule Poirot stepping onto to an Imperial Airways Handley Page airliner to the continent to solve a crime that had eluded the police? Past south Croydon we pedalled up Croham Valley Road, dismounted to walk to Edgecoombe Road, and left behind suburbia as we headed along Featherbed Lane. Pedalling up Beddlestead Lane it sometimes
feels as if the highest point will never be reached but eventually the wireless station appears and cliché can be forgiven here because it is downhill all the way to elevenses.
The February sun was warm as we rode past Chartwell. Ramblers and horse riders encouraged us that we were nearing the top as we pedalled up Puddledock to see the splendid view. Bough Beech reservoir is need of some rain – which we will certainly hear more about in the coming
days – and, compared to usual numbers, today the twitchers too were somewhat a rarity.
Following lunch at the Castle Inn at Chiddingstone we took a short excursion to see the stone after which the village is named and then continued through the pretty Wealden
countryside. The telephone boxes designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott were painted red to stand out and, in the long downward sweep from Markbeech to Edenbridge, a freshly painted one does
just that. We rode on to Oxted for tea and then, across Woldingham in the dusk, made our way home.
It was a fine day’s cycling – sunny and not cold and the opportunity in February to leave London’s urban sprawl and experience some great countryside.
From Mike
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