Dear fellow members and friends
12 November 2004
Two really easy rides to tempt (I hope) some of you who have been ‘meaning to’ come out with us for ages – but haven’t got round to it. You couldn’t get more ‘minimalist’ than the next one. The ‘social’ side – as befits the season – will be even more predominant than usual. See also provisional arrangements for Christmas get-together below. We will suspend operations till the New Year after 5 December (19 Dec is too close to Christmas) But try to keep the morning and lunchtime of New Year’s Day free (and not too befuddled) for a special event. Details next time.
Next Rides
Sunday 21 November
(Late) Morning only 'Brunch' Ride to Carat's Café at Shoreham Harbour
(Palace Pier to Palace Pier – 9/10 miles only)
Totally flat and using the seafront cycle track for most of the way – and the 'Power station road' which is traffic calmed and not busy – especially on Sundays. Ride out to the Café spend a while eating 'brunch' then return along the seafront.
Meet at Palace Pier at 10.30. If you live East of Palace Pier why not join us en route? Work out the time we'll be passing and join us, eg behind the King Alfred or wherever convenient for you. If you let me know you're coming we'll look out for you. But come anyway.
Sunday 5 December
Berwick Circular – only 13/14 miles
(and we can make it c 3 miles less by cutting out Selmeston if that’s the vote on the day)
All on quiet country roads from Berwick station to Chalvington and Golden Cross (where we can have a stop at the pub of that name) then back down to Ripe then Selmeston and back to Berwick.
Catch 10.40 from Brighton Station or meet at Berwick Station at 11.13. Aiming for return by 15.04 from Berwick arriving Brighton at 15.35. Both trains involve a change at Lewes.
Christmas Get-Together
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm trying to find a date and time which suits as many people as possible, and – very important - avoids anywhere smoky, for an informal get-together for both members and friends. This is not set in concrete, so let me know what you think. My proposal is
Date: Saturday 11 December
Time: 1 pm
Venue: The Swan at Falmer
This is easily accessible by either public transport or bike, it is non-smoking throughout (I've checked). Brian Hutton recommends the food. And it's not necessary to book. That said, if you know you'll definitely be coming let me know and if it looks necessary I'll ask them to reserve us a table (or two).
The New Website
Have a look at the excellent job Fred has made of this if you haven't already done so. And you may be able to help.
Fred the Webmaster says: please send a message along the following lines to anyone appropriate: 'The Brighton and Hove Section of the Clarion Cycling Club now has its own website at www.brightonandhove-clarion.org.uk. If your organisation or Section has a website with links, would you please consider adding our website and we’d be happy to reciprocate by adding your website to our links page. As you may know, the more links there are to a particular site, the more likely it is to be found by search engines such as Google.'
The Last Ride – Sunday 7 November
Centurion Way, West Dean, Charlton and Goodwood (only about 17 miles)
After an inauspicious start in which Andie, Joyce and I were refused entry to a South West train (apparently you have to make a reservation at £2 a go and then only two bikes are allowed) we arrived at Chichester via a more accommodating Southern train, where Ian was waiting. He'd already done a recce so knew that the entrance to the Centurion Way is down by the side of the station. It is another ex-railway track surfaced much like the Cuckoo Trail.
Heading north through the drizzle (or as Peter Kay would say: 'that fine rain that wets you through') we passed several interesting sculptures fashioned from sleepers, then off the trail and past the impressive Lavant railway station (London Brighton and South Coast Railway, AD 1880).
We then turned right onto about a mile and a half of main road to Singleton before turning off onto the little country lanes. We stopped for a pint at the rather topically named The Fox Goes Free described in the Good Beer Guide as 'a fine sixteenth century inn' at Charlton and met Bob Harber sitting by the fire.
Bob joined us back to Chichester via the road past Goodwood racecourse – flat season had finished so there were no race goers' cars to contend with but it ran up a steepish (for me!) hill through the mist then a nice run downhill.
We then cut across to East Lavant and returned via the Centurion Way to Chichester where we took tea and toasted teacakes in a vintage clothing market. Curiously, most tea shops seemed to be closed. On the (Southern) train back to Brighton we bumped into a few CTC riders.
Fred
View from the 'Lanterne Rouge'
The hill was 'steepish' and long – my fault for abandoning the original plan of returning via East Dean! Will know next time.
Boots!
Ian