New Ash Green – Saturday September 29 

Please note – this is a replacement for the previously announced Windsor and back ride cancelled due to foot and mouth. 

We’re heading off to New Ash Green for a very quick look at a 1960s planned town in the Kent countryside but this is basically an excuse to pootle down some rather nice Kent Lanes. We’re climbing over the North Downs so some climbing, but you’ll be rewarded by a nice long amble along part of the Pilgrim’s Way. 

If you want to check out New Ash Green itself, go to: 

www.span-kent.co.uk 

Or start googling. 

Pub lunch. 

Suitable for any bike – there is a short severe off-road climb but since anyone on anything other than a mountain bike or mountain goat will have to walk this anyway, you won’t be at a disadvantage on a racer. 

Total distance 65 miles MAX, hence relatively early start. 

Opportunity to catch a train back from St Mary Cray after 50 miles if you prefer. 

For folks from the east who don’t want to go back to Greenwich, we’ll be returning via New Eltham. 

Bring lights. 

Meet Cutty Sark Gardens at 8:30, Ladywell Fields at 9:00 for prompt departure. 

For a report and pics of the last time we did this ride, check out:

Report

mm. Slightly grumpy start to this report – sorry.

 No-one at Cutty Sark Gardens at all for an 8:30 meet designed to give us the best of the daylight and ensure that we didn’t have to take it too quickly. Tempted to think that it may have been the fault of the grey start to the day that looked set for steady rain after a night’s deluge. Check the Digital Freeview rolling three-hour forecast folks or the similar thing on the Met Office site – that would have clearly shown that the day was going to be essentially dry.

 Met up with Ian and Jack at Ladywell Fields and we were off. Stopped at Christmas Tree Farm for a coffee. I passed as I’d already had four espressos but nibbled on my homemade cycling snack (recipe on request) – Ian turned it down but the Farm’s Labrador seemed keen enough.

 Over the North Downs to Otford, pootled along the wonderful Pilgrims’ Way, then hit Wrotham where we had sort of planned to stop at the friendly George and Dragon for lunch but its kitchen was closed so the decision was made to press on to The Black Horse which I’d been keen to check out anyway. Paused in Wrotham awhile to marvel at two local newspaper teaser boards outside a newsagents – “row over village pub strippers” read one – short debate about whether this would increase the takers for a future ride as long as we showed due neutrality by sourcing male strippers for a future visit. The other side of the board – “patient’s records sent to garden centre” It’s all happening in rural Kent.

 Off to this ride’s unique feature –a clamber up a hillside – may offer a free beer to anyone who manages to ride this next time – kind of think my wallet will be safe.

 Not unnaturally deserted lanes at the top, then a long glide down to The Black Horse. Now more tables, a wonderful view out of the back, decent food, though maybe the special had succumbed slightly to the nouvelle cuisine – that horrible product of the 80s that brought so much else to choke on. A bit unfair – pretty good food, well cooked and well done potatoes brought much needed cycling fuel. Jack hit the suet for afters while I savoured the beer. We’ll almost definitely come here next time. Join us do.

 Up after lunch to pass the wonderfully sited and rather special war memorial (so special the original was nicked – what you see now is a copy) then off down some more lanes before climbing to New Ash Green. As usual, got somewhat lost exploring here for ten minutes or so then off back to the country lanes.

 A wrong turning was salvaged by checking the maps and we did at least get some nice extra riding through a wood. On to St Mary Cray, shouted at by a yob in a slightly ageing black BMW (such nice folk the Germans – pity about some of the folk they let drive the things) then back the new improved way to head for Lewisham. None of us needed to get back to Cutty Sark Gardens so we went through Hither Green, then split near Lewisham High Street.

 Despite two good sociable stops, the evenly matched group had meant we had sped along and I was back home just after half past four with the evening ahead of me. Oh – it was dry all day and even a fair amount of blue skies which brought the shades out.

 Thanks to Ian for taking the pics after my camera packed in. If you want to see more pics of this ride, you can check out the gallery for March 2007. Hope to see more folk when next do this in 2008.