Circular
Dear fellow members and friends
3 May 2010
Bumper issue this time – and I've saved some good material for next time.
Someone who always enjoys these circulars is Peter Roscoe, our national treasurer. After the last edition he sent me an email. Here's part of it:
Brighton is blessed with its descriptive writers. The success of West Lothian and North Cheshire was celebrated at the Easter Meet. But I say what about the success of Brighton - in my book a model club for the leisure cyclist.
Well, I think both the other sections mentioned fully deserve being 'celebrated', as I'm sure Peter does. But it's always nice to know someone out there thinks we're doing OK too!
Boots, Spurs and so on
Members will have already received the message forwarded from Giles (North Cheshire) which goes a long way to explaining why the two sections Peter mentions are justly celebrated
Future Rides … for the rest of 2010
Sundays 30 May; 13, 27* June; 11, 25 July (Leon?); 8, 22 August; 5, 19* September; 3*, 17 October; 7, 21* November; 5*, 19 December.
Offers to organise/lead rides are more than welcome. The ones marked with a * are ones I already know I can't make - and there are likely to be a few others. I'd particularly like to hear from anyone who can take on 27th June.
Angelika is planning what I think is a very exciting ride in September. In her own words it's a 'greencircular route starting from Clapham Junction. It would go through 5 parks (Wandsworh and Wimbledon Commons and Parks, Richmond Park and a bit of the Thames). No cycling on major roads will be necessary.'
More brilliant suggestions please!
Possible Charity Rides?
Earlier in the year someone - sorry, can't remember who - suggested that if there's no Toll Bridge Ride this year (can't see anything after a quick search in the web) we might take on another charity ride this summer. Anyone got any definite suggestions? If so send me the details and we'll run it up the flagpole in the next circular.
Cycle Forum
The next meeting is on 11 May and agenda items are requested by 4th May. So please send your concerns to Roger who'll be representing us. He's on hinton@clara.net.
Brighton Festival Open Houses and a Concert
Tessa and others will be at 38 Lorna Road, Hove between 11 and 6 for the first 4 weekends in May. (I've already forwarded her flyer) She says 'Anyone who turns up on a bicycle earns a cup of tea/glass of wine!'
Fred will be showing prints at the Dragonfly House, 48 Ditchling Road.
And Tim reminds me that Anna will be directing soloists from the Southern Winds Musical Theatre Ensemble's recreation of the 1920s surrealist classic by Walton with poems by Sitwell Façade. It's a 8 on Friday 7 May - this coming Friday - at St
Luke's church, Queen's Park. [And there's no Brighton Jazz Club that evening Roger!]
* * * *
The Origins of the Clarion Cycling Club and cycling in the 1890s latest episode is as usual, at the end of the circular.
Ian
The Next Ride
Please be clear that while all are welcome to join us we each take part in rides at our own risk.
Sunday 16 April 2010
Thorney Island
Don't get too excited: there aren't many thorns and it's not really an island.
We start at Chichester and head west through Fishbourne and Bosham. I've tried to time this ride so that the tide will be high as we cycle along the coast, so we'll need to take care at Bosham where much of the road around the harbour is likely to be under water.
We will continue on to Southbourne after which we head onto the 'island'. It has a footpath all the way round the edge but we won't have time to follow it: we'll see its start and its finish. We can't visit the island's 'interior' since it is largely occupied by Baker Barracks, a former wartime RAF base and now home to the 12th and 47th Regiments Royal Artillery.
The Island had a population of 1,079 at the last census but the only village (West Thorney) is now part of the military base and so out of bounds (except the church, which you can walk to round the coast).
Lunch will be in Emsworth at the Ship Inn, which we'll reach via a footpath across Slipper Mill Pond: there was a tidal mill here in the 18th century; this footpath is certainly the narrowest strip of passable land I've ever seen.
After lunch we head inland to return to Chichester. We will follow the Sussex Border Path as far as Lumley Mill before crossing the A27 (by bridge) and then joining some fairly familiar country roads.
Practicalities
Meet: at Chichester Station at 11:20.
Getting there: 10:17 train from Brighton (10:26 from Hove) - be at Brighton station by 10:00 for a chance of a Groupsave ticket.
Ride length: About 24 miles
Hills: The first half is flat; the return journey has some gentle ups and downs.
Traffic: Quiet roads apart from a few short sections on the A259
Off road: Good surfaces except for a mile or so of footpath.
Catering: Lunch at the Ship Inn (Emsworth) - the menu includes full meals and light snacks. Tea and cake by the canal in Chichester, train times permitting.
Getting home: Direct trains leave Chichester for Hove and Brighton at 53 minutes past the hour. Or catch the 35 minutes past and change at Littlehampton.
My mobile: 0789 985 1172. Please let me know if you're coming but not meeting at Brighton Station.
Roger
Dieppe Weekend
Fred's 'thank you ' to Joyce sums it up:
Big Thanks to Joyce for a fantastic Clarion Dieppe weekend -
glorious weather, fabulous food, great fellowship and terrific
cycling (tho I did wimp out of the hilly one!)!
There was supposed to be a Friday report too – but there seems to have been some mix-up over who was going to do it. Not me, Guv – I couldn't make the trip. But we have reports from Anne and Jenny.
[I adapted my blog posting in lieu of a Friday report - Fred]
[Lots more photos on Flickr, and if you took some, please add them to the Flickr group for all to see]
Friday 23 April - Fred's report
I was worried about the rush-hour train ban on non-folding bikes, but as my folder couldn't handle panniers I thought what the hell and set off. After picking up the cheap internet tickets I'd booked in advance, we got on the Seaford train no bother and picked up a few more of our group at Lewes. At Newhaven it wasn't at all clear what we cyclists were supposed to do, but eventually joined the cars and after showing our passports to a person in a hut, were on board the good ship Seven Sisters attaching our bikes to Deck 3 with rope. That was it - no tickets, metal detectors, frisking or confiscations - though Amanda did get a grilling for her New Zealand passport!
But where was Nick? It was 20 minutes before the departure time of 9.30 and no sign. After frantic texting it appears he missed his train and was at the terminal - and they wouldn't let him on! The next ferry was at 10.30 that night. Meanwhile the 4-hour sailing was calm and uneventful. I bought a cup of tea (ie given a teabag at the cafe till and a token for the coffee machine!) and a croissant. All the cafes had a Sussex theme - the cafe was called The Lanes; the bar was the Beachy Head - but all the staff were French! At Dieppe, we stood around in a cloud of fumes as the huge lorries left the ship, then it was our turn to mount the gangplank onto French soil. After being checked out by a Douane chap with gun at the roadside (we were still inside the barbed wire enclosure), we met Peter Avis and cycled over the two bridges into town and the Etap.
At the Etap we signed in and our bikes were stowed away under the stairs. Mine was first in so that was the end of any more cycling on the first day. So after spotting a brochure, a few of us popped by the Post Office to a lovely 1928 Modernist building called Villa Perrotte to take in some Art. The art wasn't that interesting - apart from the giant insects in the garden - but it had a lovely red window. Then it was a quick whizz around the cathedral-like Eglise St Jacques and a coffee ('tres tres chaud', said Angela) at a cafe opposite. Back to the hotel to meet the others, we then trekked to the Bar O Metre at the far end of the beach to meet Peter Avis again, and then off to Le New Haven, by the harbour, for supper. I had fish soup, mussels and chips, followed by a chocolate pancake, all washed down with a bottle of Pelforth Brune.
It was Jenny's birthday and Tessa had organised her pudding to appear with two candles. The whole restaurant sang Happy Birthday, first in English and then in French! Then it was back to the hotel to await Nick, who'd spent the day in Brighton. Amanda went off to fetch him and after a few wrong turns he arrived about 4am.
Fred
Saturday 24 April (Anne reports)
Blue skies and green leaves on springtime trees in park opposite our 5th floor window greeted us on day two. Stomach felt bloated by over-indulgence in creamy Normandy cuisine previous evening at the New Haven [sic] Restaurant, but throat craved usual morning cuppa so we descended for breakfast. Small dining room for Etap and sparse buffet which Fred described as 3 kinds of cake for breakfast, not the hearty muesli to which we are accustomed, but ample tea and orange juice and chance to catch up on other Clarionettes. Glad to learn that Amanda had succesfully met Nick off the 3.30am boat, and, eventually, found the right roads back to the Etap, but dismayed that she was now having to wait outside the breakfast room, as a strict queueing regime was enforced by the hotel manager. Joyce told us to buy our picnic lunches at the market and asked us to be back at the hotel for 10.30 start.
Fun at the market which stretched through several cobbled streets, to bump into our party and swap foodie suggestions. We all marvelled at the local farmers' products with their fine arrays of myriads of vegetables, cheeses, cooked foods, eggs, honey and piles of fresh fish from the fisherman. Bakers and delicatessen shops on either sides of the stalls were well stocked and well supported by queues of locals. Mick was disappointed to learn that a bakery had sold out already of his favourite rillette sandwich, but we found another with wholesome bread and deli with salmon and brocolli quiche and quiche lorraine, in tasty wholemeal pastry. The ficelle with bacon, seeds and nut bits was so tasty that I ate most of it while shopping and had to run back and buy another. When we returned to Etap our bikes were already being retrieved from their safe storage by Joyce and Jim and stacked in the park. After photos of us all propping up the granite cube scupture in the park, commemorating the town's war dead in Vietnam & Algeria, we were off!
Joyce led off her group at a good pace considering the uphill start through the town with its wriggling topography & 6 kms to go before the Avenue Verte starts at Arques la Bataille. More photo ops as we reached the trees and vistas of rolling hills and level cycle path, all explained on the maps and plaques. Very friendly local folk and considerate drivers on the way to the Avenue and at its start, welcomed us and a kindly passer-by attempted to perform the group shot with Fred's camera.
The track curves around a number of ponds and lakes and we spotted a heron and a grebe then were enchanted by the huge balls of mistletoe hanging in the trees way above us. Pink and purple blossom was out on trees and the track is smooth and wide. Birds sang their french songs and all was peaceful and calm. We passed a silver geodesic dome which is a covered swimming pool, a french stonehenge of a climbing wall, looking like a lesser, more artificial version of Tonbridge Wells High Rocks, but far superior to any climbing walls I've ever seen in England, as with the pool, for such a small village they are well blessed. The Avenue Verte gets some funding from the EU Interreg 111A programme and it is hoped to extend it from St Paul's Cathedral to Notre Dame in time for the 2012 Olympics and what a fine addition to the health and well-being of us all that will be.
Ten miles from Dieppe we came to the splendid Parc Naturel Educatif Guy Weber, an eco wet-land pilot project [EU Interreg] for an active relationship between adults with learning difficulties in Sussex and Normandy, linked by a green corridor of 'The Vanguard Way' and 'Avenue Verte' connecting the Railway Land Local Nature Reserve in Lewes , directed by Dr John Parry and River Ocean in Brighton. Here we found ice cold drinks, picnic table and plant stall, but the centre also provided leaflets, information and a wonderful garden with many unusual breeds of chicken, sculptures in the garden of sorcery including a shiny silver tree, a witch and several lovely fish, one diving into the water, a large fitness trail/section with much inviting equipment to stretch on, flower meadow, reed beds, orchard [apple conservatory], vegetables, medicinal herbs, willow arboretum [over 100 of the 350 varieties of willow], a yurt, rabbits, pond and bird reserve, and Socrates the donkey, plus a welcome WC! Could have stayed there all day, but not if we were to fulfil the planned route.
A few more serene miles under our wheels and we needed lunch. We passed a picnic table but it was already occupied by a group of friendly French cyclists, spreading their cloth over it, so we continued until a suitable green verge with magnificent views and some shade was reached. Market fare was enjoyed and shared. Broccoli and salmon quiche was chosen by 3 of us, olives passed around by Jim [later he unfortunately discovered they'd shed their olive oil marinade all over his panier], cooked new potatoes and huge radishes by Fred, banana flapjacks & orange melon from me, strawberries from Annie etc - all gorgeous grub gratefully gorged on soft green grass in warm spring sunshine. By now Angela was tired as she hadn't had the cycling practice due to other pressing caring commitments, so she and Jim decided they'd head back slowly the way we'd come. Fred had already ventured the extra mile forward and back to boost his mileage to his world record. [28miles return, though we all eventually managed 31 miles]. John had a last look round before we left and discovered a black and red Clarion badge. It wasn't Fred's and Joyce thought it wasn't hers, but the chances of another Clarion group having picnicked in the very same spot were v. low, so maybe it was.
Our progress had not been as swift as Joyce had planned as she'd hoped to make Freueville with its lake and chateau {?} for lunch. So, at the next junction we veered right and off the Avenue. We now tackled the hills that surround the ex-railway line. We'd passed a number of intersecting roads up till then, with their cute little brown and white striped railway cottages, one with a garden full of plaster animals and colourful, crafted parrots in its trees.
Now we entered more bourgeois territory with a guard dog at every house gate or high fence. The first one who greeted us looked like a polar bear with great furry paws showing over the gate. Fortunately the fences were high and dogs secure, but the lanes echoed with dogs barking to see us off. The houses beyond varied but one delighted us with its green roof, looking a bit like Leon's Mohican. Mick has a photo which I'll try to upload. Fred photographed an 'aeoliennne' windmill and the few people we did see all waved cheerily to see a stream of a dozen cyclists passing by their rural tranquillity. Roads were much more undulating now than the Avenue, which we could see below us on the opposite side of the river Bethune. What had seemed like a Southern headwind on the way down, now seemed to change to a Northern headwind on the way back! We tried to locate Joyce's previously chosen picnic spot and ended up down a lane which bore a sign on a tree saying private property. There may have been a way down there to the lake, but since our lunch was already eaten we didn't try to risk it. After a few more hills, lanes, barking dogs and waving locals, we arrived at the splendid gatehouse towers leading to a ruined two turretted chateau, one of which seemed entirely covered in ivy, inviting Rapunzel to climb down from her prison. We had a pause at the near-by village for snaps, drinks and rest. We soon rejoined Jim and Angela at the end of the Avenue Vert and went for a welcome drink in the pub by the start. It was showing all sorts of horse races on a giant screen and betting seemed to be going on, but they were most hospitable to cyclists, refilling our flasks with ice cold water and our tea-pots with boiling hot tea. After such fine refreshments we returned to Dieppe in an orderly fashion, though more tired and spread out and reached the Etap for a 90min rest before dinner.
Saturday's dinner was at the Sarajevo Restaurant near to the hotel. We had a long table at the back. Opposite us was a large French group and the radio behind John, Annie, Jim and Angela was chattering away in Bosnian, so it was rather noisy. Peter Avis joined us again, so we were 15. Those on my right loved their meal; best omelette ever for Nick, even better than last night's mussels for Amanda, huge praise for the provencale scallops for Angelika and joy at the pepper fritters for Fred. However, on my left, beneath the Bosnian broadcast, disappointment rumbled and we all thought last night's New Haven meal superior. My fish soup was devoid of fish and my trout was covered in cream, which had already upset my delicate metabolism yesterday, then when I thought mint tea would settle it all a bit, I managed to drink too much of it and bloat myself all over again, with aching gut all night! So I might be biased. It was a jolly evening, however and fun to be able to sample Bosnian cuisine [from Mick's plate].
I walked home with Joyce, Nick and John, who all decided to head off to a bar to try and walk off some of the excess cream and excess food and see a bit more of Dieppe night-life. Thanks to Joyce for a wonderful, well-planned day, full of fun, adventure, eco-tourism and Clarion fellowship.
Anne
Sunday 25 April (as reported by Jenny)
Once again, bikes and riders congregated in the park opposite the hotel, and Joyce led us all in a series of exercises and stretches, including restraining imaginary balloons and passing them to each other, much to the bemusement of passing French people - Les Anglais! Pah!
There had been a lot of discussion about what route to take: To the forest? (Q. Will there be bears? A. Probably not). Along the littoral west to Pourville? (Q. Will there be hills? A. Yes, and nothing but.) Unusually for the B&H Clarion Section we chose the hilly option, except for Angela and Fred who decided instead on a leisurely cycle along the prom to play crazy golf. The rest of the party set off at a cracking but gently slowing pace up the first long undulation, which everyone managed with an ease that surprised us. We paused for breath to admire the vue panoramique from the Château Musée, Dieppe's beautiful castle, noting that there was no sign of Fred and Angela on the crazy golf course below – it later emerged that they had spent the morning cycling idly between bars and cafes instead, in more traditional B&H Clarion style.
Onwards! And yet again upwards! The next stop was at another viewpoint overlooking Pourville, a pretty town cherished by Monet according to Peter Avis's very useful A Taste of Dieppe guide. Here Joyce decided to turn back as she had arranged to meet Peter for lunch. When she arrived at the Place des Martyrs opposite our hotel, there was a ceremony taking place at the war memorial, complete with mayor and fire-fighters' brass band. It was commemorating wartime deportees, and she reports being very moved by its simple dignity.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Pourville the catch of the day had just been landed, and we paused to watch and to peer into the local Huitrière, where the air was full of the salty tang of oysters. Some wanted to return to the restaurant there for lunch, but others were less keen. Further on we nearly stopped at a cafe, but a motion was tabled that we press on (and up) westwards to try and find a lighthouse that was marked on the map. Motion carried by a fair majority, so on we went up yet another even longer and steeper hill.
When the stragglers finally caught up with the leaders at the top, a minor rebellion took place, with Amanda, Angelika, Jenny, and Tessa declaring UDI and heading back down for a shot of caffeine in Pourville. The remainder continued To The Lighthouse. The breakaway gang of four enjoyed an adrenalin-burst of terrific speed down the long hill again, and later discovered they had all had the same thought on the way – did we really cycle up that just now? Incroyable! Jim later reported his maximum (downhill) speed on the return journey as an almost record-breaking 28.8 mph.
We were enjoying conversation and coffee on a seaside terrace when Nick arrived to say that all the others, except John, had given up on the lighthouse and were now on the way back to Dieppe without us. Hah - Fellowship is Life suffers another blow. But the spirit of Clarion prevailed, and one by one they came back to find us. So we all toiled up hill and down dale back to Dieppe again, to find our lunch venue. While taking a rest-break, Tessa had a very alarming experience with a French public toilet, which suddenly sprayed jets of water all over her feet in what she described as 'a foot jacuzzi'. She emerged laughing, not screaming as most of us would have done - what a good-natured lot we Clarionettes are.
Joyce and Peter, along with Angela and Fred, were lunching at Au Grand Duquesne, a hotel restaurant with an impressive vegetarian menu, and most of the rest of us decided to join them. Amanda and Nick went off in search of a baguette and another look at the charms of Dieppe. Some of us lunched facing the window where we watched the world go by, including some extremely chic French ladies, and a man with a double bass in a case strapped to his back, off to a jazz gig somewhere no doubt.
After the enormous lunch there was just time to return to the hotel and collect our luggage, then as usual like unherded cats we all ended up taking different routes to the ferry terminal. Some of us came across John enjoying a leisurely coffee with Peter outside a bar, having put us to shame by cycling some 30-40 miles (he thought) to find the elusive lighthouse. He reported that it wasn't much to write home about, so I will not.
At the ferry we had a long wait, alongside a group of motorcyclists one of whom was having a nap on the hard ground. We serenaded his slumbers with a cacophony of bicycle bells and hooters, and much merry banter. The voyage home was more subdued than the outward one, as we snoozed and read the papers. When we disembarked (disembiked?) at Newhaven the English weather assaulted us with chilly breezes and drizzle, so we scattered to our various destinations by bike, train or car without too much delay.
What a lovely time we had! Thank you so much to Joyce for all the work she put in to organising a truly wonderful weekend full of classic Clarion fellowship.
Jenny
The Last Ride – Suzanne's report
Sunday 2 May 2010
Balcombe Circular
[Lots more photos on Flickr, and if you took some, please add them to the Flickr group for all to see]
Joyce, Richard, Roger and Suzanne met on Brighton Station concourse at 9.45 on a rain-sodden Sunday morning. Joyce was the only one going to Barcelona. The remaining three yellow jackets immediately turned green. But on to the train those three jackets climbed, and off they climbed again at Balcombe, to meet Jim who had got on at Preston Park. Leon then loomed down the steps onto the platform having cycled (the long way round, from having taken the wrong way) from Hassocks.
Balcombe is not a busy station, so in the absence of either a tame passer-by or a delay-action camera, we took two photos just to prove we were all there. And then we could not delay the start any longer. It was off into the rain.
The first half of the journey was 'undulating' … in an upwardly direction, or so it seemed. Yes, we hung on to our brakes as we skittered down to Ardingly Reservoir, but, boy, was it a push up the other side. After the delights of Paddockhurst Lane and Back Lane, a little detour took us into the grounds of Worth Abbey - and somewhat quickly out again as the temperature of the day was not rising and the rain was still certainly falling.
Our next adventure was the Bridle Way through most delightful woods where the absence of bluebells (almost ubiquitous elsewhere) was compensated by the delights of coppiced trees, mossy knolls and carpets of brown fallen leaves. And by the way, did I mention it was raining? As we all know, officially no-one ever falls off their bike on a Clarion ride. That is the story Roger is going to stick to, but bridle ways will be bridle ways, and in the rain (have I said it was raining?) they do take on a perverse tendency to be slippy, soggy, slidy, muddy, squelchy, rutted, rough, potholed, puddle-infested and treacherous.
Eventually we reached the little bridge over the main train line and could see for ourselves the fascinating junction where two lines from the south become four lines to toward the north, thus allowing a fast train journey up to London. Parish Lane then led us uneventfully over the M23 and to the Black Swan at Pease Pottage where an excellent meal was had by all - so good, in fact, that when a lady came round with a clip-board to survey our impressions, we all gave the food, the surrounding and the cleanliness 10/10. Particularly welcome were the forceful hand driers in the loos and the candles on the tables, all of which were put to good use in drying out gloves and trousers.
It was with great difficulty that we dragged ourselves back onto our bikes (perhaps I should point out that it was still raining) but were rewarded for our morning's uphill pull by the wonderful Grouse Lane which sped us down to Slaugham. The white telephone (erected 1938, Grade II listed and one of only 3 in England, so Google tells us) was dutifully photographed, but four soggy individuals (Leon had valiantly opted to turn off toward Warninglid and ride all the way back to Hassocks) were able to resist squelching round the interior of the church.
Several ups and downs (spiritual, mental, emotional and physical) followed Slaugham, although we savoured the well-manicured delights of the lawns along (private) Whitethroat Lane which eventually brought us out to a splendid distant view of Balcombe Viaduct and a swooping ride down before one last pull up into Balcombe … in the confident knowledge that Jim had fixed it for the Balcome Tea Rooms to still be open and for them to actually be expecting us. Just time to down numerous cups of tea and teacakes (with 'lashings' of butter) before an easy two minute ride back to the station for the 4.23.
As it was a day for surveys, we all agreed that the ride was a 10/10, and into the bargain, Jim has perfected his Clarion rainometer which was also registering something like 75%.
Very many thanks to Jim for an excellent ride … so I won't mention that it rained most of the day.
Suzanne
The Origins of the Clarion Cycling Club and cycling in the 1890s
60. The Scout and astonishment created at the Manchester Labour Demo.
But first a message from the 'I-can't-read-my-own-writing' department. The last issue had this sentence –
All are invited, whether they ride solids, customs, or pneumatics.
I assumed (moral - never assume) that 'customs' probably meant custom-made tyres. But it should have been 'cushions' - no, don't ask me!
Swiftsure's "Cycling Notes" on 11 May 1895: continued
Have you red all about the Clarion Cycling clubs? Have you seen the splendid offer to the committee of the National Clarion Cycling Union (sic), by a Clarion cyclist?
Without exaggeration The Scout is interesting to all from beginning to end.
This is neither an advertisment nor a "puff" but an expression of opinion, therefore set upon it without delay.
* * *
What the crowds of spectators thought of the Labour Demonstration in Manchester last Sunday, I cannot say, but a genuine sensation was caused by the unexpected appearance of upwards of a hundred cyclists, who led the procession throughout.
Riders from many of the surrounding towns had come to see the demonstration, eleven from as far away as Blackburn.
And without the slightest pre-arrangement, they all fell into line, and marched with their machines in perfect order, on on each side of the roadway.
Beyond a doubt it created wonderment in the minds of the populace almost beyond expression.
What bicycles had to do with a Labour Demonstation was impossible for them to tell. We astonished the natives of Ashbourne at Easter, but I think we created even greater astonishment to the inhabitants of Manchester and Salford.
Next time. From Blatchford's "Clarion Post Bag"