Early start to make the best of the light.

Guaranteed better weather than June’s attempt at this ride. Country lanes, the traffic free Cuckoo Trail and a final amble along the coast to some much-deserved fish and chips and a beer. Maybe your last chance for a long summer ride.

In order to keep the ride moving we plan to picnic along the way – bring food for lunch and, as always, snacks. First main food stop for picnicking will be at Eridge station after about 40 miles – we should have its covered front waiting room to ourselves. After that we can picnic on the Cuckoo Trail as well if we need to – we pass a supermarket for supplies for this stop.

Pease note – although there are no drawn out ascents and no terrible gradients (apart from our ultra-short Cudham favourite) the first 50 miles of this ride are fairly challenging. After that we float the last 25 or 30 miles down the Cuckoo Trail and along the coast.

Suitable for all bikes.

Total distance about 75 miles. Bring lights as it may be late by the time we train it back to London.

Fast train from Hastings back to London – since we are training it  from the end of ride we’ll change our normal practice of early arrivals getting the full benefit of 4 for the price of 2 Groupsave deals – instead we’ll split equally between everyone the benefits of Groupsave and Network Card discounts.

Early start to make the best of the light. Cutty Sark Gardens at 8:30, Ladywell Fields at 9:) for prompt departure.

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Report

11 of us by the time we had picked up at Cutty Sark Gardens and Ladywell Fields. Mix of regulars, occasional regulars and new folk. At Ladywell Fields the part Euro-funded works appear to be going well. Should be nearing their completion as I was told over the summer that they had carefully scheduled things to be over by September when rain was anticipated. Ah well.

Our normal route to Downe, then the hellish (but mercifully short) climb to Cudham where Eric, who has apparently been getting some serious training in, shot ahead of us. We all got to the top at a variety of paces - and I won’t mention who walked, not even our ever-impressively attired racing companion – I’m sure walking boots come in fetching black leather as well as standard issue bedubbined brown.

Breath regained, after about five minutes we set off to find Eric drifting back towards us. He’d been waiting further on. A swift left which we definitely all made, then a by now traditional pause at those crossroads for irritating photo and toilet stop.

After about five minutes wait we began to climb, then waited at the top to check we had everyone as there’s an extra turn here by the pub. Realised we were one down and eventually figured it was Eric. Waited and waited, then Rob very generously went all the way down the hill to the crossroads, then came back up to report no sign. Later forensic studies of the crossroads pic revealed that Eric hadn’t been there though we’d seen him barely minutes before. Nothing like a little mystery on a Lewisham ride, so we rode on.

Judith turned back at Ide Hill as she’d had a crash a few days before and didn’t want to overdo it.

Nine pressed on uneventfully to Groombridge where we sat outside the pub to eat our picnic lunch (thanks to everyone for actually reading the ride invite) and have the odd beer – inevitably regretted for a good ten miles afterwards but it’s just too hard to resist.

Steeled ourselves for the final 10 miles or so of climbs with a particularly bad off-road climb just before Heathfield. Signs of potential mutiny at this point but the odd threat and we finished the climb to hit the 50 mile mark when I finally delivered on my promise of a final 25 miles of pootling.

Down the Cuckoo Trial, exited around Hailsham to hit some wonderful country lanes across the flatlands, then along the coast through Bexhill and St Leonards to Hastings about 5:30.

Four took the train straight back and five of us went for the fish and chips.

Great ride – very evenly matched field in the end – a few aching limbs reported but we all made it without mishap. Good to finish it after the summer’s wash-out. Roll on autumn.

Paul