West Surrey CTC in Powys

We’ve been quite lucky with the weather so far.

On Saturday we cycled along the Montgomeryshire Canal and visited both Welshpool and Newtown.

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Sunday was a grey day with quite a few showers around;  not good for photographs.  We visited Montgomery with its castle, the town of Bishop’s Castle, and cycled to the top of the road that crosses the Stiperstones ridge, at which point we saw a large grey cloud heading our way and ran for home.  That was the one shower that got us, and we only had our waterproofs on for half an hour.

On Monday we rode to Llanfair Caereinion and then meandered around the hills between Welshpool and Lake Vyrnwy.

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Train assisted ride – 16th April

Train-assisted rides are great for getting outside your normal orbit, but surely not as far as Canada!

Helen led a group from Haslemere station via Linchmere, Redford and Iping to Aylings Garden Centre at Trotton, where a fair few West Surrey CTC members were easily outnumbered by Portsmouth CTC.

Near Redford

Near Redford

Many, sunny, twisty miles later (on wings of speed?) we arrived here:

Louise - "Great to be so close to home!"

Louise – “Great to be so close to home!”

 

"Great to visit exotic places"

“Great to visit exotic places”

Is there any truth in the rumour that we left one small piece of black PVC tape stuck to the signpost?

At the foot of the South Downs

At the foot of the South Downs

From Quebec more twists and turns heading east at the foot of the South Downs took us to Cocking, where an excellent, though not cheap, lunch was provided by the Bluebell Inn.  Then a few more such lanes before turning north through Selham and Lodsworth to Gospel Green.  Some returned to Haslemere while others accepted Helen’s invitation to tea with hot cross buns at her home by Witley Station, whence the rest returned home.  It was uplifting to do something out of the ordinary on a day when the weather too was out of the ordinary.

 

Bluebell Evening Walk ~ Wednesday 16 April

Chris Howard, Chairman of the Surrey Hills Society, is leading a walk on Wednesday evening, 16 April. The walk starts from the Percy Arms Pub, Chilworth- just opposite the Chilworth Railway Station at 6.30pm. The bluebell wood to be visited is somewhere on St Martha’s Hill and it’s in perfect condition for it to be seen at its best.  West Surrey CTC members are now all members of the Surrey Hills Society so now’s you chance to mingle and meet the boss.

No doubt a swift one at the Percy Arms to round the walk off is on the cards too. Only sorry I can’t make it myself!

Mark