Sunday 26th May 2024

A leisurely ride of new discoveries in leafy Surrey.

Is it safe to return to Squires, West Horsley?

Dave removed the café from his list of refreshment stops a number of years ago when they introduced a new system which slowed the ordering (& paying) process down considerably.

I thought it was time to revisit.

I arrived to find no queue, but a sign indicating to "wait" to be directed to a table.

Almost immediately, a waitress (electronic ordering device in hand) approached me " Hi, just a cappuccino please, nothing to eat, I'll be sitting with the cyclists" I said.

I joined Lilian, Simon & Terry later to be joined by Caroline.

Ten minutes later my drink arrived.

From memory, Terry's cake & hot chocolate arrived separately but other than that, we all received what we'd ordered.

Of course we still had to pay, slowing the process still further.

I think it works if you know what you want & order straight away rather than wait for a waitress to come to your table.

Also, there were plenty of staff on duty today.

I like the location because it was nice to climb Shere Road with "fresh" legs.....maybe nice is the wrong word but you know what I mean.

Caroline returned home to prepare the arrival of a new kitchen in the coming days whilst we crossed the Tillingbourne in Shere to pick up the lane going south called Hound House Road which slowly ascends passing Bentley Copse where I used to go on camping trips with the scouts.

A fork in the road and so to Barhatch Lane, with two arrows on my OS 187 indicating a steepness of greater than 1 in 5.

But of course we were descending and we were soon in Cranleigh where I had to ask directions to the Downs Link.

Copious amounts of mud for the next nearly 3 miles brought us to the restored Baynards station of the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway (1865 - 1965).

Lunch was at a busy Milk Churn just outside Rudgwick where it has appeared in the Guardian's (one of the) "best cafés in the countryside".

The route home included a stop at Holbrook Farm on Weare Street that had curious engraved names into a prominent rock formation beside the pond.

Church teas were imminent but not before checking out another new discovery, a wooden sculpture of a hook & chain beside the pond in Capel.

Our leisurely ride of new discoveries concluded with a brief visit to "hidden" St Mary Magdalene church at South Holmwood, built 1838.

Thanks to Simon for back marking & providing most of the photos & Lilian & Terry for your enjoyable company.