Sunday Ride: 25th March 2018

 

A trip to Anerley’s favourite cafe at Pooh Corner. Hartfield is a fair distance and the weather was a bit grim – but dry!

Tom V took us out via Marden Park and Lingfield to East Grinstead. So far, so good. Then Tom hit tyre trouble on the descent to the River Medway lake/dam {Did you realise this the same tiny river becomes a major estuary at Rochester?]. He pressed us to go on and Uncle Jim led us up the grind to the ridge at Wych Cross. Then a nice float down to Hartfield.

It was far too cold sit intside but luckily the weather had put many off and we had a table inside. But someone got George’s chair first!

We waited and waited for Tom chaperoned by TomTom [TomTomTom?] to join us. The mobile telegraph brought more bad news. Tom had punctured again and had a split tyre. We were not to wait.

Sadly we saddled up. But just as we were pushing off TomTom & Tom came into sight. And what a sight it was!

A packet of Walker crisps, flavour unknown, was serving as a tyre boot [you can just see the edge of the packet poking out]. And a cable tie was holding everything together. Ingenious! Though this fix is more appropriate to disc brake wheels than rim brakes. This meant TomTom & Tom played safe and headed for the nearest train station and home.

Uncle Jim & George headed straight back home. Jeremy, Gorman & myself meandered our way to the Plough at Dormansland or Gormansland? Nice to have a pub that does food but still has tables for those that go no farther than replenishing their crisp collection.

Another meander up to Old Oxted, the delights of the A25 and back up Marden Park. 58 miles at 12.67 mph.