Changed Arrangements for Sunday 31 October 2021

Sunday's ride will now begin at the Sunrise Cafe, Upper Halliford, TW17 8SE (and not Squires GC, Stoke d'Abernon).    Tony Hopkins has very kindly devised a route to lunch at The Good Yarn, Uxbridge and will lead us.

Sunday 24 October 2021 - Return to the Saddlers Arms

 

An elevenses meet at Leatherhead always seems to attract a good crowd and today Bob, Tony, Keith, Graham, Simon, Ed, Pam, Gemma, Ann, Ray and I were lured out by the promise of good weather.   All of us except Bob continued via Bookham, Effingham and various lanes to lunch at The Saddlers Arms at Send Marsh.

This pub used to be a favourite haunt of ours until a few years ago, well before lockdown, when they stopped serving lunches on Sundays.   Happily they have now re-started.   The menu is largely centred on roast meals, but there are a few other options, two-course deals are available, and they were happy to serve us 'child-sized' portions (they must be intended for very large children, I reckon).   Service was very welcoming and friendly and we will certainly call again.

After enjoying our meals in glorious autumn sunshine on the terrace we headed back to Walton Bridge via Pyrford, West Byfleet and Addlestone.    That was the last ride this year when we did not have to hurry home before dusk.

Thanks to Graham for kindly back-marking and to everyone else for your company.

Change of Plan for Sunday 24 October

As last Sunday's ride ended up at Mortlake my planned ride this coming Sunday from Tolworth would have involved a lot of overlap.   

Apologies therefore, but a complete change of direction is called for and elevenses will now be at The Edmund Tylney, Leatherhead, with lunch provisionally at The Sadlers Arms, Send Marsh (now apparently serving food again on Sundays).

Sunday 17 October 2021

 I arrived at an overcast dew drenched Nauticalia to find Bob and Mark seated (but no Dave as previously announced). In time we were joined by Ed, Pam, Ray, Richard, Simon, Terry. We had no leader but I had a plan for something different. In truth parts had not been executed in years and lunch would reveal I had no maps!

Just five (me, Mark, Pam, Ray, Simon) headed off on a most familiar route (Shepperton High Street, Squires, Lower Sunbury, Hampton, Bushy Park) to cross the Thames at Teddington Lock. We climbed to Ham Cross, past the Pen Ponds cafe and out through Sheen Gate. The Ship at Mortlake (overshadowed  by the 10 year derelict "Watney" Brewery) was reached at 1245. Lunch was tasty if a tad tardy.

We were off by two leaving Mark to find his own way home. After Chiswick riverside took us to Brentford. At the end of the High Street a democratic vote was for an hour long detour along the Grand Union Canal. From the Waste Transfer Facility we made the 50+ ft climb beside the Hanwell Lock Flight to pause at Windmill Bridge where the canal crosses a railway and is crossed by a road.  We turned off at the next cobbled footbridge.

I knew our route was to our left but no more. And so it proved when we reached Norwood Green and the northern entrance of Osterley Park where tea was taken alfresco. Another senior moment occurred when I wrongly signalled first left after the Piccadilly Line. Across the A4 we took the first left and all was well! From Isleworth station we continued  to Old Isleworth. Alone I might have taken to the riverside for Richmond - not a great option at weekends. But Simon knew of the C40 cycle route (brand new, not even in Wikipedia). For us it paralleled the busy A309 and quietish roads brought us to Twickenham station. Here Simon turned right for home; later on Pam and Ray turned right at Pope's Grove; for me it was a second crossing of Teddington Lock and a first glimpse of sunlight. Home by 1630 and around 30 miles.

Attendance

 Until better arrangements can be made the attendance can be viewed via this link 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wOFYODAuA53KifoBt2vePlbM2p8ICOugPaOIlAVUYqs

This runs from April 2021 to March 2022 unless advised otherwise by HQ.  

Jeff highlighted a missing ride. If you can provide (double?) evidence of attendance.....

Pam has provided a list of ten riders. It's probably too late to establish who did what so I've awarded everyone two points.

Ride Report - Sunday 10 October 2021 (Cobham and Epsom)

 

Despite a cool and overcast start ten of us (Bob, Terry, Simon, Graham, Lilian, Pam, Ray, Ed, Maureen and I) met for coffee at Caffe Capital.   We all continued to lunch at Epsom although Bob and Maureen made their own ways there.   The main group rode via Bookham Common, Fetcham, Leatherhead and Ashtead Common (where we were piloted by Graham).

The promised afternoon sunshine did not appear while we were enjoying lunch at Wetherspoons but it was a little brighter and not too cold to stop us using the terrace seating.

Half made their own ways home from Epsom.   A group of five us continued to Hook and from there to Squires Garden Centre at Long Ditton for tea (by then, of course, we were bathed in sunshine)!

Thanks to all for your company, to Simon for back-marking, and to Graham for navigational assistance!

C&M attendance record

 I'm sure that many of you will have noted that the C&M attendance record expired on 26 September, 2021. I have asked Lisa Colombo to update the template for the coming twelve months, from 3rd October 2021. I don't want to destroy it myself as a farewell reminder.

As I am now a shadowy 'éminence grise' within C&M, spotted on a ride as often as a yeti, the time has clearly come for an active and diligent C & M aficionado, to assume the privilege of monitoring our members' weekly attendance. The powers that be will no doubt be well able to manage the throng pressing to take on the rôle. To my successor I wish: 'bonne chance', and to all those whose company I have greatly enjoyed, since my first ride with C&M on 30th April, 2008 to an unknown Dragon's Green, I  bid an appreciative 'adieu'.

Jeff

October 2021 - Forthcoming Attractions....

October 10 - Elevenses at Caffe Capital, Cobham as published.   Suggested lunch stop - The Assembly Rooms, Epsom (Wetherspoons with plenty of outdoor seating).   Tea at Long Ditton or Hampton Court.

October 17 - Elevenses at Nauticalia, Shepperton.   Possibilities for lunch are The Perseverance, Wraysbury, The White Horse, Longford, or The Sun, Windlesham.   Let me know if you have any preference.

October 24 - The intended lunch stop doesn't have any outdoor seating so I will probably change this whole ride.  A possibility is for elevenses at Court Farm Garden Centre, Tolworth and lunch at Mortlake or Barnes where there are some interesting cafes to try.

If you have other suggestions for any of these rides don't hesitate to let me know.

3 October Bagshot x3

A serious drop in temperature alerted us to the change of season as we followed the yellow brick road to Bourne Valley Garden Centre for the first ride of autumn.   Bob, David, Pam, Tony, Ed, Lilian, Graham, Jennie and myself were delighted to be joined by Vic, who we haven't seen on a C&M ride since before Covid struck.

Serious discussions at 11s

The cold grey weather for our ride to 11s was replaced by cold but beautifully sunny weather as we assembled for departure.   Bob, Vic and Ed headed home, and Tony also headed back after a short distance as we followed a very zig-zag route to Bagshot.  On the Basingstoke canal towpath we saw quite a few runners, part of the 40,000 running the 'virtual' part of the London Marathon, (in addition to the other 40,000 who were running around the London course).

Around Horsell we encountered a familiar rider: it was Elliott, who had read the runs list rather quickly and gone to Bagshot for 11s.   Realising his mistake, he followed the route in reverse to join us.   At Pennypot ford, after the heavy rain of yesterday, we all sensibly took the footbridge option - except one.   David rode straight into the rather deep ford...at one time all we could see was his snorkel, but he emerged out the other side saying "it's a bit deeper than the last time I did it", and giving all the credit to his Sealskinz socks for keeping him dry.

No pictures of the ford, unfortunately, but this is the lock at New Haw

The King's Arms in Bagshot offers a great range of food at extremely reasonable prices - on weekdays - but still at quite reasonable prices on a Sunday.  We were served very quickly and sat outside, enjoying the company and the sunshine.    Elliott was now reunited with his car, but elected to do the afternoon ride to Shepperton and then ride back to Bagshot for his third visit of the day.   We don't know if he had three meals there.

Outside the King's Arms, Bagshot

Due to forecast rain in the afternoon, I shortened the route a little.  The quiet road to Sunninghill that I enjoyed on the recce was infested by rather fast 4x4 drivers today, and we arrived shaken but not stirred, before finding some quieter roads to Windsor Great Park.   Going round the lake probably wasn't a great choice on a Sunday afternoon with plenty of people around, but with the smooth tact and diplomacy that C&M riders are famous for we managed not to knock anyone over or get into any fights.

Elliot's bike gets a little TLC from his domestiques.

We had one short but heavy shower on our way home, and were visited by another during tea at Shepperton, where we sat outside but under cover (is there a James Bond theme developing here?) watching the cars queue for petrol on the High Street.  Suddenly Graham recognised Ray and shouted.   Ray had been delayed at the start due to a flu jab, and had then chased us (more or less) around the route trying to catch up with us.   After he couldn't find us at our usual haunts at Shepperton, he was on his way home when Graham spotted him.

A beautiful clear but cold day out, with beautiful people.