a lot of our regulars rate this as their favourite, and, while, for me, it doesn't quite match Whitstable, one can see why it's highly regarded.
It's a ride with a decent story. We slip out of London quite quickly, and take off across the top of the North Downs before a precipitous descent down Pebblecombe Hill. Thereafter it's a sweet cross-country jaunt through Betchworth, Newdigate and Rusper to Faygate, the dark giving commuter belt villages a charm they don't necessarily possess, and beefing up the romance of the woodlands.
We take off up the main road from Faygate, but then glance southwards and wend our way through Horsham, which, whatever its detractors say, is still a compact sort of town. From then on it's up and down through more woodland before the road straightens allowing the boys to show us what they're made of. We regroup here
Then it's up and down, around and down and up and down through villages and woodland to North Stoke where we dismount and walk across the floodplain of the river Arun and a suspension bridge probably one hundredth of the size of the Humber Bridge
there's a bit of a hill after the bridge, which always seems a bit unfair, but the descent in to Arundel is nice, and the ten miles or so on to Felpham are pan-flat.
It's a tiring ride, but worth the effort. We see sweet cottages, and cottage gardens, and Amberley, in particular, is worth a small tour just for the horticulture. There's some main road - a couple of miles south of Sutton, a short stretch beyond Chiltington and a mile or so of a B road toward Amberley station which I rate as hazardous and will, therefore, insist on a bit of organisation.
The end of the route is perhaps the best of our regular rides - we happen upon the sea all of a sudden. Too much of a sudden for the place we'd booked for breakfast last time, so I'm afraid it's off to the Lobster Pot this time.
It's a mile and a half to Bognor Regis railway station, and there are usually some deals to be had on Southern - but, once again, it pays to groupsave it.
Grahame D
Bruce R
Rebecca O-B
Ian MacS
Sonia W
It's a ride with a decent story. We slip out of London quite quickly, and take off across the top of the North Downs before a precipitous descent down Pebblecombe Hill. Thereafter it's a sweet cross-country jaunt through Betchworth, Newdigate and Rusper to Faygate, the dark giving commuter belt villages a charm they don't necessarily possess, and beefing up the romance of the woodlands.
We take off up the main road from Faygate, but then glance southwards and wend our way through Horsham, which, whatever its detractors say, is still a compact sort of town. From then on it's up and down through more woodland before the road straightens allowing the boys to show us what they're made of. We regroup here
Then it's up and down, around and down and up and down through villages and woodland to North Stoke where we dismount and walk across the floodplain of the river Arun and a suspension bridge probably one hundredth of the size of the Humber Bridge
there's a bit of a hill after the bridge, which always seems a bit unfair, but the descent in to Arundel is nice, and the ten miles or so on to Felpham are pan-flat.
It's a tiring ride, but worth the effort. We see sweet cottages, and cottage gardens, and Amberley, in particular, is worth a small tour just for the horticulture. There's some main road - a couple of miles south of Sutton, a short stretch beyond Chiltington and a mile or so of a B road toward Amberley station which I rate as hazardous and will, therefore, insist on a bit of organisation.
The end of the route is perhaps the best of our regular rides - we happen upon the sea all of a sudden. Too much of a sudden for the place we'd booked for breakfast last time, so I'm afraid it's off to the Lobster Pot this time.
It's a mile and a half to Bognor Regis railway station, and there are usually some deals to be had on Southern - but, once again, it pays to groupsave it.
Grahame D
Bruce R
Rebecca O-B
Ian MacS
Sonia W
