Our rides (in groups of no more than six) will restart from Sunday 6 December.
No elevenses was planned for next Sunday, but let's celebrate the occasion, in a socially-distanced way, by adding one in!
So, see you at The Wilde Brunch, Walton Bridge from 10.00 am on Sunday. Lunch stop to be confirmed (could still be West Horsley, depending on interest).
Dave
It dawned cold and damp but no mist. Simon met me for an early start from my house at 9.30 and we headed North to Heathrow with some exploritary off road tracks. Through Harlington, and memories of being knocked off my bike by a police car.
. Simon
knocked for me at around 10.30 and we headed into the wind for Cobham,
via Esher. Heading to the Patisserie at Stoke D'Abernon and Cobham
station.
This sign is in the window, so we shared one of their rather large sausage rolls and with a coffee each, the bill came to £1.80, and lovely coffee it was. On then to Leatherhead and a loo stop, then Simon took us on roads new to me and a very pleasant route to Ashstead then across the common (so many people on the common) and down to Ewell and a visit to Ed.
Then off to face the
mayhem of Hampton court roundabout and the many cars, bikes and general
public. Onto the high street at Hampton hill where we parted company. A
really nice time on the bike today, thank you Simon.
On a different tack, I phoned Alan Anderson this evening. He is well and still unable to cycle as caring for his wife takes all his time, he now has no Parkrun which he used to do pushing his wife round in a wheelchair. But takes her round just the same minus the company of the other participants. He is just the same and tried to talk me into a joint venture on one of his madcap inventions for unlimited free energy.
Tony..
It was a wind is rising, leaves falling off the trees sort of day with rain forecast around noon. So I set off in the late rush hour on NCN4 for central London. During my last visit in May traffic had been nonexistent and it's still well below normal levels.
I'd no planned route as the map reveals! Well perhaps a trip down memory lane: Albert Memorial (the 1987 Great Storm), Admiralty Arch (FNRttCs and early L2B rides) and Victoria (15 years of commuting).
Keeping an eye on the weather at the end of Embankment cycle path I turned north then west along Fleet Street. I had one more mission: to discover if this plaque existed hence the detour through Lincoln Inn Fields and Covent Garden. By the time I reached Richmond Park I was being overtaken by e-bikes such was the strength of the wind. Home by noon and the rain was at least two hours late.
Mark Gladwyn found this gem advertised on eBay. A typewritten newsletter from October 1951. Since the photos are published, I am taking the opportunity of reproducing them here. The original is still available at a very reasonable price of £5, only a little higher than the original price of 1½d. Comments welcome!
A mild day with some sun. I decided to meander and explore some new possible routes and was successful. Some lovely off road gravel paths through Hanworth park. Once at Feltham I thought I'd take Bedfont lane and pass the school where Feltham road club used to meet many years ago. But the level crossing has gone and the only way across is a footbridge, which is not yet finished.
There is another option by going over the bridge but I had made my mind up by then for a different option and headed up Harlington road west and the route through Heathrow and passed the vast, but nearly empty, Covid testing station.
I had decided to stop at the Costa Coffee at Stockley park as they have loos. Sadly the loos were closed but they did have a Christmas tree 😄 Sadly none of the presents had my name on it. Coffee and a sandwich sitting outside and off to explore some of the new paths that have now appeared.
Coming out onto the West Drayton road and past the old tractor that is now beginning to disappear in the overgrown fuana.
On past Hillingdon hospital and on to Iver and through the Orchards residential park where I met a group of 6 cyclists who had a variation on the rule of 2? I upped the pace and quickly passed this wayward group. Now down past the edge of Slough and into Ditton park and onto Datchet
Wraysbury, where it started to get colder and a brief stop to add a
layer,Staines, Ashford and down to Feltham and onto Hampton and home. An
enjoyable ride and some new paths, as it was getting chilly now me and
my shadow raced the last few miles, I wish.
.
Tony..
Left home heading for Runnymede and within a mille the puncture fairy struck my front wheel. Managed to sort it reasonably quickly and headed off again, within 500metres the level crossing barrier went down! More delay.Off again and I took the shortest route to 11's.
The Midweek Wayfarers have decided that from next Thursday 5th November all Wayfarer group rides are suspended until December. This decision will be updated on the Blog in the light of any further announcements made by the Government and any additional guidance issued from Cycling UK.
Subject to your agreement, It is proposed that, in the interests of consistency, other Sections and Cheam and Morden adopt the same policy.
Jeff Tollerman
A change to the advertised lunch venue due to the probability of the cafe being overwhelmed and only inside seating. So lunch will now be at the Rural tea room Goulds Green, about 11 miles from 11's and tea TBD. Some slight off road. I will take a sandwich. A suburban ride to pastures new, for most.😁😈
Tony's planned 8 November ride to Pinewood Nurseries has now been brought forward to 1 November but the elevenses meet will be at the Pleasure Grounds Cafe, Runnymede (instead of Magna Carta Tearooms).
Details for 8 November will follow next week.
Maybe we looked at the wrong forecast; it suggested that overnight rain would ease by early morning. At times this seemed to be true. So at least five set off from home in steady drizzle! and surface water; only three made it to the Cobham rendezvous. The "Waitrose" bus shelter was dry but surrounded by a veritable moat of standing water so I continued to the cut-through where Simon huddled under an archway. Sometime later Pam arrived.
By 11 the rain had stopped and Simon headed home. To rebut accusations of two easy points, Pam and I rode through Downside, Ockham, Send and Cartbridge to Old Woking. After a safari into suburbia we emerged in Woking Park beside the bandstand. Soon it commenced to rain attracting a mob of unruly kids.Hurriedly finishing our snap (as they say in Yorkshire) we headed for the station. The subway is no friend to Pam so we veered onto Victoria Way to inspect the improved Chobham Road bridge (not quite finished!). Leaving the canal at Monument Bridge Sheerwater, Woodham came next and then Liberty Lane where we went our separate ways at the A318 junction.
I was home before three which rather wasted a perfect autumnal afternoon. 40+ miles door to door.
Dear All,
A cautionary word.
Today I received an email purporting to be from one of our former members, saying ’hi’ and inviting me to click on a link.
This member’s name is Harold Fifield. Some of you may remember him.
I mention this only because he died several years ago.
Beware!
Jeff
If you're interested in what Cycling UK is doing and what its priorities are, this presentation from the AGM gives a good indication. The voting results are here.
The first ride of winter will start from Cobham. After that extra hour in bed I'm hoping you'll arrive earlier rather than later.
If it's dry we'll assemble on the "cut through" between the main road A245 and the RBL where there's seating. If wet there's a bus shelter opposite Waitrose but if October 4 is anything to go by...
Ride will go through Woking to Addlestone or Walton Bridge. Once again lunch will be the bandstand beside the Woking Leisure Centre.
If there's any interest we could try out the new bridge over the canal in the town centre.
Change of lunch stop. Lunch will now be at the small tea caravan inside Blacknest gate at Windsor Great Park. The original stop would not now be viable.
Tony..
This is just for the nerds
For a long time, the CTC/CUK has worked to a financial year starting in October and ending in September, though for the rest of us our financial year starts on 1st April. That is why our attendance record has been Oct. to Sept. and our AGM dated accordingly. Way back on Sept. 27, 2020 we were notified by CUK that the end of its financial year had been moved to 31st March. So it seems that our attendance record should be shifted accordingly. Yawn! MWW already works to April to March. In the interests of harmony, it seems that we should adjust accordingly. At least, we have the track and trace statistics, however we use them.
We might commission the Office for National Statistics to audit and adjudicate accordingly. However, consultancy charges might dent our bank balance. For me, both Graham and Dave have served C&M valiantly and deserve all our support and appreciation.
Both deserve a free virtual meal on the house at our 2021 virtual annual lunch, for which I am more than happy to give them virtual support. How about you?
Jeff
From 17 October residents of any London Borough or Elmbridge Borough will no longer be able to meet anyone who is not from their own household in any indoor venue, not just within those areas, but anywhere else outside them in England as well. This will cover many, but not all our members, but the restrictions will also apply to anyone from outside when visiting the restricted areas. Complicated, isn't it!
The good news is simpler - there are still no restrictions on meeting outside (with or without refreshments), or riding in socially-distanced groups of no more than six, so we can carry on cycling!
At this time of year weather can often be the deciding factor anyway, so I suggest we don't bother attempting to change all our existing programme formally, just take it week by week and see nearer the time whether the next planned ride is okay as it is, or needs changing to an all outdoor affair.
Please therefore note that the rides list is subject to change in the light of new Government regulations, and check this blog for changes.
Nature Abhors a Vacuum
The good news: We now have a new attendance record sheet from 1st October 2020 to 30th September 2021, hungry for attendances.
The disappointing news: We already have an embarrassing gap where attendances on October 4th should be. This may be because of the reference in the Rides List to an AGM. Our old friend 'covid' has already wiped out agms. Does this mean 'nul points'? What happened on 4th October?
The challenging news: Oh dear! I cannot believe that this has happened for the third year on the trot!
After all those gruelling miles ground out in the past year, the record shows once again a near dead heat between Dave Ward and Graham Hill with 71 for David and 70 for Graham. This does not include attendance at the Annual Lunch on 9th February, which I believe was attended by Graham and not by Dave = dead heat. Subject to audit and appeal!
Life is never easy.
Jeff
Harris & Hoole at Tesco's, New Malden is a bit off the beaten track for us and I wasn't sure how many members it would tempt out, so it was great to be joined by Bob, Tony, Pam, Gill, Ray, Graham and, making a welcome return after a long absence, Chris. Harris & Hoole proved to be quite a good venue, and not too busy, once you had managed firstly to find your way into the Tesco car park, and then, secondly, to find where in the store the coffee shop was hidden!
After elevenses all of us except Bob set off in the sunshine to meander through the leafy byways of Horatio Nelson country, then along the banks of the Wandle, before the long drag up to Wandsworth Common. We stopped for lunch by an open air cafe on the western fringes of Clapham Common which wasn't too busy.
The skies had clouded over by now and we didn't linger too long as it had become quite chilly, and we headed off across the Common proper, a very busy spot today, but positively quiet in comparison with a heaving Battersea Park which we negotiated very gingerly indeed before crossing the Thames by the Albert Bridge.
Our route was then along NCN4 towards Putney and Richmond Park. NCN is quite fiddly in places with sudden, random turns in residential roads, and by Putney Common I was feeling quite pleased that we kept together on the trickiest parts, but pride always comes before a fall! Most unfortunately, a spur of the moment decision to veer off and inspect the rear side of the unofficial Marc Bolan memorial at Barnes Common led to us unintentionally parting company with Gill! Worse still, despite our best efforts, we could not track her down! Mea culpa, and sincere apologies! The moral is that a ride leader you must never relax your guard!
Anyway, we eventually carried on across Richmond Park, still hoping in vain to be reunited with Gill (the story did have a happy ending and Gill was very nice about it all). We ended up at the Flying Cloud, Teddington Lock, where some stopped for tea, and some headed straight home.
Thanks to all for your company, and to Graham and Tony for your help.
