Cloud but not rain. I'd checked the iphone's weather app and there was zero per cent change. It was Saturday 7th March and while there was a mild, fine spitting of rain that left me damp but not soaked I definitely went out and my intention was to ride to Oxted and come back up Titsey Hill. The ride is pretty standard: up Church Way and then the B269 to Botley Hill before heading down Titsey Hill and riding through the Oxted suburbs towards the High Street.
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| Heading towards Clarks Lane from Tatsfield village, 7/3/26. |
Usually I find myself in Caffe Nero with a cup of tea and an apricot croissant but it was crowded and sometimes I just don't fancy it. I moseyed down the High Street and while I considered Costa and Starbucks, I settled on Coughlan's where the cakes looked a little brighter even if the tea could, on occasion be a little suspect. But not today! The tea and the Bakewell tart were both fantastic.
I sat and read Remind Me to Smile by Martin Downham, a truly amazing, feelgood book about the author's early life mixed in with memories of the early career of Gary Numan. I'd like to think that Numan has read the book and that if he hasn't he really ought to get on Amazon and order a copy. It's a truly great book.
I swanned around Oxted for a short while and then headed for Titsey Hill wishing I'd cycled to Westerham instead but telling myself that Titsey Hill was all in the mind, it wasn't that bad, especially once you pass White Lane on the right. I was, of course, right, and when I reached Botley Hill a sense of relief washed over me as I realised I'd done it and all that was left was the 269 where, incidentally, there was a lot of fog, so much that I used the off-road track all the way to Beech Farm Road where I turned right and followed the road to Washpond Lane and the turned left on to Ledgers Road before turning left on Church Lane and following the road round to the mini roundabout outside of Warlingham Sainsbury's. Not long to go now, I thought, and soon enough I reached home but not before I'd nipped in to Waitrose in Sanderstead to buy some food for lunch. I was running late because I'd left the house late, but it didn't matter as we were all confined to the house. We were having work done, a new bathroom no less and that meant that somebody had to be around.
After a brief snack I headed to the municipal dump with an old hose pipe and also a bag of clothes that I was planning to take to a charity shop nearby and once those jobs were done there was little to do other than slob around, watch a bit of TV and then have dinner before more television. I need to sort out this aspect of my life and perhaps read a little more when I'm home. Currently, I'm reading a lot on trains and in cafes.
On Sunday a drive over to Virginia Water to see pals and then a week at work, or rather three days in the office and then (as of tomorrow) two days working from home.
I've been walking from Redhill to Merstham all week, it's roughly 2.10 miles and takes around 40 minutes and I intend to keep it up as the weather starts to improve. I've even thought about riding in on one of my three days in the office, but not just yet, possibly after the clocks go forward in a couple of weeks.
