FNRttC to Brighton - recce ride

[Flying Dodo]

apologies to those who texted - Kats and I set off earlyish and wandered down to Brighton via Sutton, Pebblecombe, Newdigate, Faygate, Warninglid and Devil's Dyke. It was overcast, but stayed dry. The roads were in decent shape, although the Warninglid variation is definitely only for a clear night.

I managed to lose the front wheel going down Pebblecombe, which is good going since I've been taking that hill without braking for 38 years. Expect safety talk. And the level crossing at Betchworth is still as rubbish as it was when it through me off all those years ago, so there'll be a safety talk and a man with a red flag....

Eek! Glad I dithered and went to Essex.

That hill will be interesting in the dark. I reckon tigerbitten could achieve supersonic velocity down there.

 

[gbs]

Given that I am off games for a few weeks I may as well plan a little. So, dzq, please help me pin down some of the options.

EDIT: Having written the following and after sussing yt logical E-->W progression I poked around google maps and answered some of my own questions as to locations.

There's the 'nunnery path', the A22 which is dull - never tried it

White Hill Lane which is horrible to get to - Chaldon to Bletchingley? Why horrible access?

Farthingdown which has a dangerous descent - Coulsdon to Chaldon?

the A23

Markedge Lane which is dangerous - I can see that at night in a large group that could be perilous; I believe a sportive rider was killed there in 2009.

Reigate Hil


Wray Lane which goes nowhere - only if you can find it! edit: now found, off Reigate Hill, quite steep at first and rotten surface if I remember correctly.

Pebblecombe - nice hill but rather fast for a motley group

Little Switzerland, which is the most beautiful, but hard work to get to - do you mean Lodge Bottom, running NE-SW, north of Box Hill? If so agreed re beauty; I enjoy the approach from Epsom Downs and Langley.

and the A24 - reasonable cycle path on both sides



Do you regard the more westerly routes such as Critten Lane and Combe Lane as inappropriate for large groups? I would not disagree if that is the case!

 

[dellzeqq]

Little Switzerland is indeed Lodge Bottom - cyclists have, apparently, been calling it that for sixty years. The difficulty is - extra climb up from Epsom, raised water service cap in the middle of the carriageway on a blind bend at Headley Road and Tumber Street, which is tough enough in the daytime.

White Hill Lane is just an itsy-bitsy windy roundabout route that would be grim to waymark

And Farthingdown is sort of west of Chaldon - as you say, you go south from Coulsdon, over the cattle grids, past the public loos, listen to Ed tell you he was conceived on Farthindown back in the 1930s when there was a tram service there (as good an argument for public transport as one could ask for) enjoy the view back to London and then drop of the edge of a cliff....I think that Martin M crashed there and broke a hip, and he's been doing that route for decades.

Critten Lane, which I call White Downs is just too far west - and leads you over Leith Hill. Not good for a night ride

Combe Lane - no chance. The last bend is a killer. Actually I've seen someone go off at the first righthander, but the last lefthander is lethal. Which is a pity, because I'd love to take the FNRttC through the ford and past the allotments in to Shere

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Combe Lane - no chance. The last bend is a killer. Actually I've seen someone go off at the first righthander, but the last lefthander is lethal. Which is a pity, because I'd love to take the FNRttC through the ford and past the allotments in to Shere

Could we not have a gather just short of the bend and send people off in two's and three's? It is a delightful ford (that I only ever ride my mtb through)

 

[dellzeqq]

Could we not have a gather just short of the bend and send people off in two's and three's? It is a delightful ford (that I only ever ride my mtb through)

In all honesty it's a bit out of our way, even for Faygate, but even if it were not I'd be very reluctant to use it for a sizeable group ride at night. I do lead the C+M down it on my all-time fave day ride, which is North Cheam, Shere, the Haven (via Gibbons Mill), Capel Church and back to North Cheam.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I want to come on one of your day rides now!

 

[dellzeqq]

the last one was advertised... https://www.cyclechat.net/

 

[GrumpyGregry]

passed me by

will keep a better eye out in future

 

[Tim Hall]

And Farthingdown is sort of west of Chaldon - as you say, you go south from Coulsdon, over the cattle grids, past the public loos, listen to Ed tell you he was conceived on Farthindown back in the 1930s when there was a tram service there (as good an argument for public transport as one could ask for) enjoy the view back to London and then drop of the edge of a cliff....I think that Martin M crashed there and broke a hip, and he's been doing that route for decades.

Yes he did crash there (pot hole near the M25, now filled), no broken hip, a perforated large intestine and spleen damage instead. Boyish good looks took a battering too.

Combe Lane - no chance. The last bend is a killer. Actually I've seen someone go off at the first righthander, but the last lefthander is lethal. Which is a pity, because I'd love to take the FNRttC through the ford and past the allotments in to Shere

See that picture to the left? That's the aftermath of doing a corner on Staple Lane (the shallow bit of Coombe lane) in a northerly direction at $TOOFASTBYHALF on the Pino. I was the passenger. What larks.

In answer to GBS, Wray Lane is one way, so going down it isn't possible.