Sunday Ride: 24th January 2016

Plane riding for some. Crispy for one

A good turnout on a relatively warm and dry day for January. We set out for Redhill Aerodrome through Purley’s back doubles for a new and very pleasant ride past the aerodrome at Kenley. Then through Caterham and down the Downs.

Our traditional cafe at Redhill was reduced to ashes but the new one built into a hangar is a decided improvement. The coffee table books included how to approach Gatwick (but only from a great height). Even a visit to the loo is an extraordinary aeronautical experience.

The cloud level was low so no flying on the day. But good enough for Tom’s photo.

We then set oup across country including a deviation to see the infamous farmer’s mock-Tudor castle still standing behind a protective barrage of tanks and armoured personnel carriers. More on it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-34768403.

Shortly afterwards Des suffered a frontal deflation. Not for the first time. The crisp packet serving as the tyre boot had failed. As had the five pound note that had been its predecessor. Indeed any and every material that can be inserted between rubber and tube appears to have been tried over the past two years. Would it have been cheaper to replace the tyre? We pressed on but that was not the last we saw of Des.

Blindley Heath came and went until the parting of the ways at The Barley Mow at Tandridge. The enthusiasts pressed on home. Four remained to test the rather expensive beer on tap – £10.50 for 2 pints of beer and an emergency repair kit for Des. But then Des himself re-appeared to confirm he had repaired (how?) before attempting to chase the enthusiasts down. We never saw him again so hopefully he got home to deflate another day.

We did the A25/Marden Park return. I was running short of my 50 mile target for the day so Tom Tom took me round some of Croydon’s back doubles to make up the distance. It wasn’t quite enough so I had to do another diversion only to discover I had a rather fast ‘slow’ on the rear with only a mile to do. Having left my crisp packet in the pub I had to do four re-pumps to get home.