11 riders left Newlands Corner at 9.30 and headed west along the top of the North Downs.

The path drops steeply to a wooden bridge crossing the River Wey. Immediately after the crossing we start climbing back to the top of the Downs. Interestingly the whole of the ride consisted of sandy trails, some deep enough to prompt pushing!

We reach Puttenham Common, the furthest point of the ride when another club member joins the ride, Matt Swan, he must have a very good sense of direction and more than a bit of luck to bump into us, as we were repairing our only puncture of the day on Frans bike.

Single forest tracks through ancient woodland took us through Eashing, Hurtmore and onto Compton where we stopped for tea. With a stop of 40 minutes it was time to join the sandy lanes towards Newlands. Two obstacles stood in our way. St Marthas Hill, where we stopped for a group photo and the 270 ft climb in 0.4 of a mile back up the North Downs to the end. Someone with time on their hands might like to work out what angle of attack that is.

Dave Rickets.