Beare Green - Bolney - Tanhurst Farm
With the
tea leaves auguring balmy breezes, the longs and base layers were consigned to
the bottom drawer, despite an early nip that invited a modest show of goose
pimples. Sun and azure sky were temptation enough to seduce the eager from
points east and west to converge on the Blu’ Moon Café at Beare Green for morning
tea. Here we sunned and supped until some decided to turn north for home from
Holmwood, while the others looked over their shoulders to see who would lead
the way to unfamiliar Bolney in the absence of our convalescent Terry.
Ed started
off with Jeff and the others in hot pursuit along the A24, before heading S.E
to Newdigate and Rusper. Having breached the A24, it was on and up to Colgate
and the lovely ridge of Partridge Lane through St Leonard's Forest, to cross
Hammer Pond for the breathtaking single chevron climb that took us to Ashfold
Crossways. Then a succession of lovely, undulating lanes through Slaugham
Common via Warninglid, where a signposted deviation led us to our
destination of Bolney.
The Eight
Bells Inn was welcoming and we dined well outside in the shade of a parasol. Our
return was via Handcross and Pease Pottage, to retrace our wheel tracks through
Rusper and make an unscheduled tea stop at Tanhurst Farm, instead of the
scheduled Brockham, where an unsuspecting Daniel had headed to join us for tea.
Our humble apologies to Daniel!
The farm is an attractive place for tea. However,
with the last crumb of fruit cake consumed, a message arrived via pigeon-post
that Jeff’s No 1 son was just boarding his flight at Oslo and would be awaiting
collection at Gatwick South at 5.50pm. This meant an early departure for Jeff
to challenge the clock and head direttissima via Pebble Hill for home, to morph
unshowered and still in lycra from two to four wheels and head back to Sussex in pursuit of paternal duty.
No doubt
the others soon headed North via Newdigate and Dorking, safely to reach the
welcoming comfort of hearth and home. The ride was a great pleasure for me and
I hope for others, despite a somewhat spanking pace at times, with a distance a
tad over 60 miles.
Jeff
P.S. For
the record, I did manage to make it to Gatwick, despite the closure of Reigate
High Street, and having to abandon a traffic jam on Reigate Hill to run the gauntlet
of the M23.
No comments:
Post a Comment