Sunday 2nd July. DA Event. 2 Weald Ride from Wisborough Green.

Weather was sunny all day and very hot reaching about 31C. Tarmac was melting later in the day.

The DA Event organised by Horsham Section involved a choice of 4 loops from Wisborough Green so members could choose from between 25 and 100 miles for the day. Phil and Mary and myself decided to go for the 100. I took the train to and from Billingshurst for the Event. Phil and Mary rode there, did the 100 and rode back, phew!!

The event was well supported with 24 taking part from various Sections and doing various distances. Alan and Liz came up car assisted and did the northern loop. Nicola came up early on the same train as me and did 2 loops before the heat built up too much.

Richard and Ernie rode up from Walberton Pond and met up with everyone for lunch.

At the end of each loop we enjoyed the hospitality of Horsham members with comfortable seats and cold drinks and Cakes

Phil and Mary and myself did the hardest loops first to the west and south and we were joined by John Maxim. After lunch we finished with the east and then north loops, enjoying over the day a wide selection of scenic lanes in the Weald between the North and South Downs.

My mileage for the day including travelling to and from stations was 116. Average speed on the Event was 13.5 mph.

Edwin

Sunday 2nd July. John and Phil and Mary riding out of Wisborough Green

Sunday 2nd July.Resting at the Wisborough Green Control

Wednesday 28 June. Evening Ride to the Anglesea Arms, Hanaker, Felpham Start.

I led this ride and in line with recent weeks turnout was well down with only Graham joining me. Weather was very good, warm with clear blue skies.

We took a direct route via Colworth and Tangmere. Jeff and Beatrice were leading the Chichester start ride. John had almost joined them but his fork broke just before the start and he had to lock his bike and catch a bus home.

Jeff and Beatrice left the Pub soon after we arrived to get home before dark. Graham and I took a similar route back to our outward ride.

Edwin

Sunday 25 June. Ride to Dragons Green

Colin was unable to lead this ride and as he had difficulty contacting anybody in the Section able to lead it Ernie agreed to lead.

Weather was warm and dry about 23C but mostly overcast. Ernie was joined at the Pond by myself (Edwin) just back from the States and Phil and Mary.

We rode out via Madehurst and Houghton to stop for elevenses at Wiggonholt. Here we were joined by Nicola, Richard, Mike, Alan & Liz and Eric. There was a good gathering of cyclists with Arun Adur members on a short ride and a large contingent from West Surrey.

Our Bognor/Chichester group split in 2 with some making their way direct while the Walberton Pond starters took a long route on lanes via Barnes Green, At the Pub we met up with John Maxim who had been there for 45 minutes.

Just as we went to order food the Pub decided to suspend food orders for a while because they were overwhelmed with numbers. We eventually got some food just as we were planning to move on elsewhere.

We headed back to Wiggonholt for tea in different groups. On the way back we took the Kyber Pass route to Burpham for a change noting that there were still Buffalo in one of the fields.

The ride home from Arundel was during the England match. Yapton was like a ghost town and Bognor was so quiet that I used the normally busy A259 into town.

My mileage for the day was 67.

Edwin

Sunday 25 June. At the Pub at Dragons Green

Evening Ride - The Black Rabbit, Arundel (Felpham Start)

Disappointingly, no riders turned up at the start point for this ride, so it was cancelled.

This is the third week in a row where the absence of any riders has meant no evening start from Felpham.

Graham

Sun 18 June: Fast ride to Hogg's Lodge, Clanfield
On a hot and sunny day Phil, Mary & Steve set off from Chichester Cross for the Hoggs Lodge. The route took them via elevenses at Rowlands Castle to the lunch stop at The Hogg's Lodge in Clanfield,where I met up with the rest of the
group.

Since we arrived quite early (11.30am) we had our sandwiches in the large and deserted pub garden before the pub opened at 12.00. Since none of us were ordering food from the pub we left quite early, at 12.30, for the cross country haul to Tangmere. We had discovered that the Tea room at West Stoke where we were originally going to have afternoon tea was closed, but Avril had kindly offered to provide this at her house in Tangmere instead.

Out route to Tangmere took us through Chalton, Compton, East Marden, Chilgrove, Lavant and then skirting the north side of Goodwood airfield before arriving at Tangmere. We made good time on this, despite the heat and the steep hills, arriving at 2pm 90 minutes after setting out from Clanfield.

Since we were early we stopped off at the Tangmere Aeroplane museum for refreshments. Unfortunately since a party of school children had recently visited there were very few refreshments left, so we made do with what they had and sat outside for an hour until it was time to set off for Avril's.

Upon arriving at Avril's we discovered a supine Mike relaxing in the front garden in one of the chairs provided. We made ourselves at home and soon after the other groups arrived, namely the Stansted Garden Centre contingent and Arthur's Moulton group, making for a fair size gathering of cyclists.

We had a slap up meal of strawberries and cream with a selection of excellent home made cakes, washed down with cups of tea. After a pleasant afternoon at Avril's, we made our own ways home.

My mileage for the day was 85km.

Adrian

WSCC Joint Rides programme -Bognor Library to Aldingbourne Country Centre
Although this ride clashed with England's first World Cup match of the 2006 competition (v Paraguay), glorious sunny weather and perfect riding conditions helped ensure that no less than 9 riders set off from Bognor library. Six came as a result of the entry in the Rides and Walks publication, from as far afield as Rudgwick, Worthing, and Boxgrove.

We set off via the back streets of Bognor, over the railway and through the industrial estate, to reach the quieter lanes of Shripney. A short bridleway cut the corner off to reach the A29, then Hook Lane, Aldingbourne Church, and Crockerhill were all passed to reach our destination.

After a suitable refreshment break the return route took us via Level Mare Lane, Northfields Lane (which was as potholed as ever, but quite rideable), Eastergate Lane and Barnham station, where Alan and Liz departed for shopping and our Worthing rider left for the train home.

The rest of us continued to Yapton via a short stretch of the old Portsmouth-Arundel canal towpath to Tack Lee bridge, where our friends from Rudgwick took some photos.


Tack Lee bridge, Yapton










From there it was an easy run to Bilsham, Middleton, Felpham, and then via the seafront to central Bognor Regis and the library.
Mileage from the start point to finish was 19.5.


Graham

Evening Ride - The Newburgh Arms Slindon (Felpham start)
Despite a beautiful evening with no wind, resulting in excellent cycling conditions, no-one (save the leader) turned up at the Felpham start point.

The ride was therefore cancelled.

Graham

4 June 2006 Awayday Ride starting at Petersfield
After a cold and wet May our first June ride was late Spring at its very best - clear blue skies and warm sunshine all day. The countryside was all very lush and green. We met very little traffic along the maze of narrow lanes.

Avryl (leader),Alan, Liz, Jan, Christine, Harvey, Bruce, Adrian, Joined by Phil,(leader) Mary, Chris, Gill and Clive, who started the ride from Chichester and joined us at the station car park.

It was a circular route from Petersfield, going west towards Ramsdean, turning south to go up Hyden Hill where we had a welcome stop at the Sustainability Centre.

We had lovely views going along the ridge at Teg Down and then south west to Westend Down. Most of the ride was then downhill heading due south until we reached The Horse and Groom at Ripley where we stopped for lunch.

In the afternoon we headed east going through Denmead, to Denmead Mill, Hinton Daubney,Hinton Manor to Clanfield We then had a long slow uphill climb to Butser Hill where we walked to the top to enjoy the views. Our reward for the climb was a whizz down Harvester Lane to the tea stop at a barn where some of us sampled their delicious cream teas.

We returned to Petersfield where the six riders from the Chichester start continued on their way

We clocked up 33mls. and all felt a little more weary than the mileage depicts!

Avryl

Wednesday 31 May 2006: Evening Ride to the Spotted Cow Hunston
Another fine summers evening as 3 of us (John, Karen, and myself)set off from The Fox at Felpham, continuing the summer evening rides programme.

We headed off into the surprisingly quiet centre of Bognor Regis, then west along the promenade to Aldwick and Craigweil where we took Stoney Stile Lane to Rose Green, then Nyetimber, Summer Lane and across rough tracks to the Pagham Rife Bridge and Bowley Farm. The ground was hard packed and the riding quite smooth, although our progress was hampered by the presence of 1 billion (approximately) midgies; the air was literally thick with them.

Having survived the worst of the insects, we continued across farm tracks through Fisher until we arrived back on tarmac at Hunston Church. From there it was a short run to the pub, having ridden for exactly one hour. We found the group which started from Chichester had already made themselves comfortable in the garden.

The return route stuck solely to the tarmac via North Mundham and Runcton. On arrival back at Felpham I had covered just over 16 miles.

Graham

Sunday 28th May Pulbrough Leader:Harvey, from Walberton
A fine sunny day with NO RAIN and warm. Perhaps summer is going to come after all. Just three of us,Harvey Steve and I, set off from Walberton and after a few minutes a group of cyclists headed towards us - Arun and Adur, going in the opposite direction.

We made our way to the lunch stop via The Spur, Madehurst Amberley and Wiggonholt where we were joined by Tom and Colin for elevenses. At The Oddfellows Arms Mike Alan Liz and Eric appeared and a group of riders from the Horsham Section were well installed inside.

On our return just the three starters kept together, the others making their various ways back. We came on a very pleasant and quiet route through Greatham West Burton Bignor and Bury to Whiteways and back to Walberton.

32 mls

Avryl (on behalf of Harvey)

Sunday 21 May
Today the weather was rain all day until mid afternoon as forcast.

I was due to lead the ride to Stedham so I headed up to the Cross to see if anybody turned up. Sensibly nobody did so after waiting 5 minutes I headed back taking a different route on backroads via Colworth.

17 miles for the day.

Edwin

14 May 2006. Chichester Cross start for ride to The Putting Green Cafe, Arundel.
Harvey, Avril, Jo, Tony and myself met at Chichester Cross on a cool & overcast day. We set off east through Westhampnett, Halnaker, Eartham & Slindon, and then climbed up Whiteways hill via Madehurst.

We stopped at the refreshment hut there for elevenses. As always the car park there was teeming with motorcycles of every description. After a while we made a fast and rather chilly descent into Arundel, arriving at the Putting Green Cafe a mere 20 minutes after setting out from Whiteways.

We met up with Mike & Richard inside the cafe (it was a bit too chilly to sit outside) who had cycled straight there from their respective homes. After a pleasant hour or so we departed, travelling along back roads through Binsted & Walberton to Aldingbourne, where the rest of the group had afternoon tea. However I travelled straight home at this point.

My mileage at the end of the day was 103km.

Adrian