then you're a tougher item than I am. The curve at the bottom of Bury Hill is pretty terrifying at 50mph.
In truth Bury Hill is do-able - it's easier than Ditchling by a way - but there's absolutely nothing pleasurable about it. Any sense of achievement is deferred until you get the view over Amberley and North Stoke from the top - and it is a magnificent view. The hill itself has horrible noisy tarmac, and cars zoom by in the fast lane at fifty miles an hour. It is, however, far safer than the other way up the hill - doing the moving roadblock thing last year was probably my all-time FNRttC low point.
Bear in mind, peeps, that I've been cycling around Chichester these last forty years, so I've got a fair idea of the roads. I'm intending to come in via St. Pancras, go on to East Street, take absolutely no notice of the 'no cycling' signs outside Caffe Nero (I'm pretty sure they don't apply at that time of the morning), shoot straight up to the Cross, and then go out past Waterstones and the Cathedral, down Westgate and through rather grotty underpass beneath the A27. If there's a lot of us I'll stop the traffic on the A259 using my speshul powers. If you want to throw some palm fronds our way, M-man, then can I suggest the Cross - we'll be going through as a group. Whether you think it sensible to introduce your beloved to thirty grubby FNRttCers ('look, darling, these are my friends...oh...you're saying the wedding's off???) is for you to decide.
The A27 from the roundabout below Slindon and west holds no fears for me if the weather is decent. I'll be at the back, giving the following cars the hard stare. If it's raining I'll probably go south of the A27, but the additional time will probably do for the Bosham diversion. The Halnaker Road is really not suited to group rides - it's both fast and narrow....... but, Chessers, if you really want to throw yourself off the South Downs in a big way, Duncton Hill on the A285 going north is an absolute honey. The bend at the bottom is a double apex job and the second apex is tighter. It takes real skill (aka dumb luck) to avoid going across the white line and in to the oncoming traffic. I've completely run out of road on that one and take to the opposite verge. It is more dangerous than Pebblecombe, and that is saying something.
