April - Redhill

Ride by Rob and Ruth

*****Report by Rob and Ruth

This was a day more in keeping with the dog days of late Summer than the usual expected diet of April showers. Gathering in the balmy sunshine of the car park at Redhill, there seemed a marked reluctance to depart in favour of a spot of sunbathing. Eventually, seven tandems set forth for what was to be a fairly gentle meander through leafy Surrey lanes, en route to our lunch destination at Dormansland.

After an exhausting 3 miles, the café at Redhill Aerodrome beckoned, the airfield looking a picture in the sunshine, whilst giving us a chance to rate the smoothness of the various landings and take offs. Unfortunately, our schedule was too tight to accommodate an impromptu flight, despite the requests of Sam, our youngest stoker of the day. Our route then took us past Outwood mill, Horne, Newchapel and Lingfield Racecourse, with a brief pause to replace an errant chain, before a loop took us past the unexpectedly extensive buildings of the St Piers Centre and into Dormansland, and lunch at the Royal Oak.

The way back after lunch took us through Newchapel and towards Copthorne, where we had tea al fresco at Haskins Garden Centre at Snow Hill. After tea, we finally encountered one or two hills, to justify the day’s calorie intake, the final one being the splendidly named Philanthropic Road, before completing the circle of our day’s ride, which amounted to 35 miles in all.

Our leaders - Photo by Chris Juden

Leaving St Piers - Photo by Chris Juden

The Dog and Duck, Outwood - Photo by Chris Juden

Coffee at Redhill Aerodrome - Photo by Dave

The obligatory repair photo for Tim's Pino - Photo by Dave

Waiting for Tim - Photo by Dave

St Piers - Photo by Dave

After lunch - Photo by Dave

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