South Bucks Joint Ride Report.

Sunday 13th May: Joint Ride with South West London CTC. 

This year, it was the turn of our friends at SW London to organize our annual get together and what an excellent event it was.

Tony Hopkins was in charge and he had planned two rides, 20+ and 12 miles in the Cobham/Ripley area of North West Surrey. The rides had attracted a large group of local members, probably 25+ from SWLondon, which stretches from Hillingdon to Croydon, including one lady who had recently moved to Kings Lynn and made the journey back especially to take part.South Bucks mustered about a dozen, of which five came from Chiltern Hills and the others from the Thames Valley group. No doubt, Anona or Robert will report on the outing from the Thames Valley perspective.Us old 'uns from Chiltern Hills, Barry, Brian, David W. Simone and JC had an easycar assist along the M40 and M25 to meet the others for coffee at the giant supermarket in Cobham. With the exception of super-fit Brian (who despite his 75 years has hardly aged since his days at Anfield he was chased round the pitch by the stewards after he crept under the turnstiles into a match without paying), we had opted for the shorterride, joining five SW Londoners.

We were somewhat delayed by David, who had snaffled an abandoned bike in the car park, but eventually we set off on a bridleway over the flood plain of the river Mole to Downside, then to Effingham and the Horsleys before turning north west to Ripley, where Tony had hired the Village Hall for lunch. The catering was superb and a collection was made for the Air Ambulance, which raised over £64.

Replete, the whole group set off to return to Cobham, passing the famous “Anchor Inn” on Ripley High Street, scene of some historic rides in the early days of cycling,when young bucks would ride out from London on the High Ordinaries, and then in Ockham, the infamous “Hautboy Hotel” which made the news in 1898 when it refused admission to the coffee room of a lady cyclist wearing “rational attire”. This was challenged by the Cyclists’ Touring Club who challenged the hotel proprietor’s right to refuse admission to part of a licensed establishment. Of less interest perhaps, we also rode by the abode of the current Chancellor of the Exchequer, before reaching Pains Hill Country Park for tea.This was a really enjoyable day out and many thanks are due to our friends at South West London CTC.