Sunday, January 31, 2016

31 January - Neil's Mystery Tour

All week the forecast for Sunday had been bad. Some days a little bit bad, some days dire. So when I woke today and it wasn't raining I thought we may be lucky.

But by the time I left home it was already raining. Not heavily but that light drizzly rain that hangs in the air and soaks you. I was certainly soaked and miserable by the time I got to Morrisons, Reigate.

However there were seven happy souls inside, drying out and eating and drinking. We took our time in the hope that the rain would abate but finally we had to leave with it still raining.

Bob, Mike and Dave W left for places various. Janice toyed with riding on but finally decided she was too wet and went home. That left a quartet of Lilian, Dave S, Jeff and me to cycle on to lunch. No-one had any appetite for a long ride so any thoughts of Tandridge were abandoned and we agreed to see how the weather went and make it up as we went along.

Heading south we took Lonesome Lane to Meath Green, then past Hookwood to Norwood Hill where The Fox Revived was closed, fenced off and looking very unloved. Whether it will ever be revived again remains to be seen.

We headed for Newdigate before turning north to Leigh. By this time the rain had finally relented and there were even brief glimpses of  blue sky and the sun! Zig-zagging to Brockham we then took the A25 and Pixham Lane to reach Pilgrim Cycles at Westhumble.

Whether this was lunch or afternoon tea no-one knew but we sat in front of the open fire, eat, drank, and discussed bikes and accessories. There was even a book about Frank Patterson with a copy of his drawing of "The Angel at Thames Ditton" on the cover.

See you there next week!


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