Tatsfield Bus Stop and 'that rural bit we once visited'...and we didn't get rained on

There was a strong chance of rain, said the television weather forecasters and a few people in the office, meaning that there was a strong likelihood the rides would be called off to avoid a soaking. Fortunately, the rains stayed away and both days were absolutely fine.

Not far away, but in the middle of nowhere – Phil, Matt and Andy.

Saturday we headed for the Tatsfield Bus Stop, Andy, Phil and yours truly. We went the fast way and then sat there drinking tea and munching cereal bars. Sunday and we were going to visit the old bus stop again, until I remembered a destination that doesn't really have a name because it's in the middle of nowhere, there are no benches, no covered bus stops, just grass and hills. In fact, it's not really in the middle of nowhere either, but you have to get off the 269, head down Ledgers Road and then turn right into Washpond Lane before turning left and then riding for about 20 yards until you reach a rough track that leads down to (ahem) nowhere in particular.

The off-road path is steeper than I remembered it and there are concrete speed humps that merge into the landscape and can be dangerous if you don't see them coming. We all headed down the path, brakes covered and watching out for the humps and when we finally made it, we rested our bikes against a wooden fence and climbed over to the pointless stile where, on two previous occasions, we had enjoyed our tea and cereal bars.

Today, however, it was some excellent sausage sandwiches, courtesy of Phil, who had been to our local butchers. They were pretty tasty and were washed down with three cups of tea each. If the truth be known we went a little over the top with the water. Phil brought a huge flask with him and I bought the usual flask plus one of those Thermos cups. I also brought six tea bags so to have three cups each we had to use the second bag twice.

Phil's and Matt's bikes on Warlingham Green, Sunday 3rd November 2013.

While we were standing there admiring the view and drinking tea, a group of riders came down the footpath and carried on along a track that led to a steep climb some 300 yards away. We watched them to see if they would make it up, but knowing darn well that they wouldn't make it. Sure enough they didn't make it and then Andy figured he could do better and sped off down the track. He made three attempts, but did no better and admitted the path was too steep and too slippery.

We walked halfway up the footpath and then mounted our bikes and headed back along Beddlestead Lane and then turned right into Washpond Lane, left into Ledgers Road and then right on the 269 heading towards Warlingham Green where we parted company with Andy. We reached home just before 10am.

The weather this weekend was excellent. This morning (Sunday) there were blue skies, bluer than yesterday, but now, at 2120hrs,  it's raining, heavily, just as promised, albeit around 12 hours later than scheduled.

I went out in shorts and no gloves this morning, it was that warm, and yesterday the gloves were off too, although Saturday was a wetter ride thanks to overnight rain, which had left puddles in the road. The only reason I was wearing shorts today was because the track suit bottoms were soaked through due to the puddles.

Something else worth mentioning is our old pal, known by Andy and I as 'Dawes Galaxy'. That's the name of his bike, we don't know his name, but he joined us for a brief chat yesterday (Saturday).

This morning Andy was late due to a puncture and he got another one after he left us at Warlingham Green, he informed me in a text. My bike seemed fine and I couldn't hear the knocking caused by the bottom bracket for some reason, although I'm sure it'll return again soon.

Waiting for Andy on Warlingham Green, Sunday 3rd November 2013.

We met one of the gung-ho cyclists this morning, just Phil and I as Andy was fixing his rear wheel puncture. We don't know the guy's name, but he's alright and was showing off his new Yeti mountain bike. He'd bought the frame on Ebay and then built the bike himself. Not bad at all. In fact, it put my Kona to shame. The Yeti was lightweight and had 27 gears. The gung-ho cyclist was waiting for his pal to turn up, but it looked as if he wasn't going to show so the GHC went off alone and we continued to wait for Andy who came along shortly afterwards.

All things considered it was a good ride on both days. Alright, a wet arse on Saturday for yours truly (for having no mudguards) but a dry and refreshingly blustery day this morning – perfect for riding.

Thoughts on Montreal...

It was good to be back in Montreal as I like the city, mainly because the traffic is far less intense than over here in Greater London, meaning that riding a bike is not life-threatening. Some days the roads are empty and, as you can witness from my last post, it's possible to stand in the middle of the street and take a photograph of the bike parked against the kerb.

Room 535, Hyatt Regency, Montreal – a bit corporate.

The other good thing about Montreal is the way residential houses can mingle with the urban constructions of the city centre; you don't have to ride far before you find what look like affordable places to live. Now you could say that London's like this: get off the train at Victoria and you're only a walk away from residential property bang in the centre of town, but in London, of course, it costs a small fortune and for this reason the place is populated mainly by rich foreigners. "London is full of Arabs," as Elvis Costello once warbled.  Whether Montreal is the same, I don't know, but I doubt it.

The only thing there seems to be a lot of in Montreal is tramps and, oddly, they're mostly astute, young people, sitting there on the streets with pieces of cardboard explaining their predicament to passers by.

Montreal as seen from room 535 of the Hyatt Regency hotel

The last time I was in Montreal I walked a fair way along Sherbrooke and not once did things deteriorate. This time, on the Rue Sainte Catherine, things did deteriorate at either end, with the shopping area of the city somewhere in the middle. Carry on beyond it towards Cabot Square and things get a little dreary. In the other direction there's a couple of sex shops and a few sleazy establishments mingled in with pawn shops and other lower grade retail outlets.

I was staying in the rather corporate Hyatt Regency (room 534 on the fifth floor) which afforded a pleasant enough view of the city. What was quite impressive was the Complexe Desjardins, a kind of subterranean shopping mall with plenty of food outlets and a pleasant fountain as a centrepiece. I say 'subterranean' because to reach it from the hotel I had to take a lift down from the ground floor to the 2nd floor (starting from the 6th floor, which was odd in itself because the 6th floor of the lift near the bar was effectively on the ground floor). In other words, from the ground floor there were lifts going up to the rooms and down the the shopping mall.

Street theatre in front of a Bixi bike docking station, Montreal.

It was possible to walk through the mall and into the Chinese quarter of town, which I never got to explore even if I did promise myself another ride on the Bixi bikes later on (I had a 24-hour pass, which meant I could ride a bike, dock it, do something, pick up another bike and so on until my 24-hour period elapsed. Still, you can't have everything and I was there to work.

The shops were impressive – a woman's dream, no doubt, as there was Zara, Banana Republic, all the big brands you expect to find in an international city. My favourite shop was called Roots, mainly because of a fantastic bobble hat ($38) that boasted tea cosy proportions and would be ideal for the cold weather we're expecting here in the UK any time soon. I say 'any time soon', but let's assume that the early months of 2014, which are now weeks away, will be characterised by extreme cold, icy roads and snow. These days it seems that we never escape it, although a white Christmas is never, ever on the cards.

Montreal has much more severe winters than we do in the UK, but it goes without saying that the Canadians somehow cope without having to shut everything down. As I write this, it's minus 3 degrees in Montreal and there are clear skies. Here in London it's 11 deg C and partly cloudy. In fact it's mildly blustery too, but refreshing.

I was in Montreal for five nights and six days. I flew out British Airways on Saturday 19th October and flew back the following Thursday on a night flight. Both ways the flights were good, thanks to Morrissey's Autobiography, which I've probably mentioned before. The flight to Montreal is not long – only six hours – and it goes by pretty quickly as the service is good (if you fly BA). On both flights I had an exit seat (for more leg room) and apart from about 20 minutes of turbulence coming back, the flights were smooth and I seem to have conquered my mild apprehensiveness towards flying. This, of course, is fairly natural when you consider how often I have to fly these days...but I'm not complaining.

Cycling around Montreal...again!

The start of the journey on the Rue Sainte-Catherine.

The last time I was here it was late August 2012. Now it's October 2013 and it's a little colder. I had planned to take out one of Montreal's famous Bixi Bikes yesterday (Sunday 20th October) but a mixture of that slight bite in the air and general fatigue meant I postponed it until today. Even today was kind of on a whim. I was walking down the Rue Sainte-Catherine, a street that disects Montreal from one end to the other almost, except that this time, instead of going into the main shopping drag, I went the other way where things got a little ramshackle in places: graffiti on the walls and general sleaze. As I say, I was on foot, but then I spied a row of Bixi Bikes and decided that I'd go for it.

Every time I take out a bike, be it in Germany or San Antonio, it doesn't matter, I'm still going to get problems and once again, I spent hours trying to figure out what to do, and eventually discovering that the process was quite straightforward.

The port area adjacent to Montreal's old town.

Once the bike was out, I headed further along the Rue Sainte Catherine, moving away from the shops in the centre of town and heading God knows where. The traffic was mild so there were no problems on a safety front and the bike seemed to work well, even if the brakes were almost non-existent. I reached a busy road (Avenue de Lorimier) and had to turn right and there in front of me a huge bridge. I turned right on to Boulevard René-Lévesque Est, and followed an equally busy road using a two-lane cycle track, which took me back towards the city via the cobbled streets of the old town and, indeed, the old port where I stopped and took a shot of the Bixi with a boat in the background, then I jumped back on, retraced my steps towards the old town and enjoyed the tranquility of the ride.

The cobbled streets of the old town...

The skies darkened, threatening rain, but it was holding out and I was enjoying the fresh air as I found University and followed it all the way back to the Rue Sainte-Catherine where I turned left and headed back towards the bike station from where I had released the bike. Then, having replaced it in docking station, I walked back up the street, stopping in a small café for a tea and a pastry and then heading back up the Rue Sainte-Catherine towards the hotel. I stopped off at an excellent music shop – Volume – that sold some great old CDs.

All the photos on the journey were taken on my new iphone – which I needed because my old phone was only tri-band and most of the USA and Canada requires quadband. I know, very boring, but as I spend a lot of time 'over here' I needed to sort the phone out. And also I'm a big kid who loves silly gadgets.

As I write this, it's 2329hrs at home in the UK and 1829hrs here in Montreal. It's not a bad place.

The Bixi Bike station on Rue Sainte-Catherine

The rider's point of view...

Further along the route...on the Avenue de Lorimier

Fantastic Saturday, rainy Sunday

This weekend the BBC weather people got it right: they said – or rather their map indicated – that there would be rain during the night and then, by around 7am, the rain would move north, leaving the South East clear. I remember the rain in the night. It poured down and I could hear it hitting the conservatory roof, but by 7am, while wet and grey outside, the rain had stopped. When Phil arrived we both look skywards and while there was a nagging feeling that we might get a soaking en route to the Tatsfield Bus Stop (always a safe bet destination in rainy weather because it's covered) I put my trust in the weather people and headed off to Warlingham Green where Andy was waiting (and feeling a lot better after his cold).

From left: Andy, yours truly and Phil at Tatsfield Bus Stop, Saturday.

As we headed off along the Limpsfield Road, the skies above brightened, revealing blue skies and white clouds. We turned left just after Warlingham Sainsbury's and took the slow, more scenic route to the bus stop, albeit a slighter harder route in terms of general exertion. The quiet roads are far better than the 269, which always has cars racing in both directions. With the more scenic route we can talk more, except when we reach Hesiers Hill, which needs all the concentration we can muster. Hesiers is dangerous: a steep downhill lane with a couple of nasty blind corners. Only fools would descend without a wary hand on the brakes.

Once at the bottom, like a roller coaster, the road takes an upward curve and becomes Beddlestead Lane, a long, slow climb towards Clarks Lane, but very scenic with empty fields left and right and sunshine creating a strobing effect on the eyes through the gauze created by the shrubs and bushes.

Last week mist and horses, this week a hazy sunshine.

Reaching the bus stop is always a delight, especially once the tea and cereal bars are brought out. We chatted about what we'd do if won many millions on the EuroMillions. I said I'll buy a huge house on the South Coast, one with plenty of space, and then I'd build a ghost train and have it so that the entrance and exit – you know, the swing doors the trains crash through – are on either side of a grand fireplace.

I've given up buying Lotto tickets because I don't believe in the ticket price rise from £1 to £2. It's all about greed, hence my decision to no longer bother, although I will continue with EuroMillions at work   and I might buy a Lotto ticket once a month. However, whenever I'm in a supermarket I always think, 'ah! I'll buy a Lotto ticket!' And then I remember that it's now £2 and I think of the fat cat bastard – there must be one at the top of Camelot – and then I decide not to bother.

Andy's bike on Warlingham Green

Sunday – rained all day, 

The same BBC weather forecasters who predicted Saturday's weather were equally right about Sunday's. What was annoying about Sunday was me leaving my mobile phone in the bedroom as both Andy and Phil sent out messages. Andy's was 'abort' due to rain; Phil's read, "BBC forecast is 'mist' 7am to 8am then 'heavy rain' 8am to 6pm. Just thought I'd ask what the likely consensus might be before I start the bacon sandwiches!"

Now, had my mobile phone been on the desk or anywhere downstairs I would have read this (and Andy's text) and sent back an 'abort' to Phil.

Moments later Phil sent another text, which again fell upon deaf ears; "Past the point of no return. Bacon going in now..."

I, meanwhile, had prepared the tea and was ready to go out. But now I'd checked my phone and seen Andy's 'abort' text. Phil was on the doorstep in high viz jacket and waterproofs. The rain had started, he said, and it sure had. "Let's not go, it'll be unpleasant," I said – or words to that effect – but as Phil was up and dressed (and certainly prepared for a ride) he said he would press on, so respect is due to Phil for a second ride in the rain, alone.

Before he set off, Phil gave me my bacon sandwich. I had a bit of work to do so I ate it in front of the computer screen. In fact, the only bonus in there being rain this morning was that I got my work done early and could chill for the rest of the day. I didn't do much: we had stir-fry and noodles for lunch followed by a drive to mum's for fruit cake and tea, then we bought a cake in Waitrose and the plan now is to sit and watch The Mayor of Casterbridge on television.

A strange-looking mist on Sanderstead Green last weekend.

More photos from the weekend's Sunday ride....

On the slower and more scenic route to the Tatsfield Bus Stop

Horses with a bit of barbed wire and a pheasant or two

These shots were taken on Sunday morning's ride to Tatsfield Bus Stop. We went the slow way and, in fact, it could be argued that we should always take the slow route. It's a bit of a haul, but it's safer and more of a work-out, especially riding up Beddlestead Lane, which is a gradual climb all the way to the top.

It's worth mentioning, perhaps, that the weather is beginning to close in; whereas this time last year, the cold had already arrived, if you go back to early October 2011 we had 29-degree heat. This year, the summer has been amazing. Yesterday, for example, was a beautiful day, but I'm hearing reports that the cold weather will soon be upon us, meaning that we'll need to switch our rides back to meeting on Warlingham Green at 0730hrs instead of 0700hrs. This morning it was dark at 0630hrs and let's not forget that the clocks go back at the end of this month. Soon there will be frost on the grass and on car windscreens and the very prospect of wrapping up in scarves and many layers of clothing will not be appealing. Still, it has to be done if we're going to keep on riding. Even those horses in the photograph above will be wearing their winter coats soon.

Tatsfield Bus Stop – the long way

Andy aborted due to illness, leaving Phil and I to ride out at the slightly later time of 0700hrs (normally it's 0630hrs, but soon, due to the winter, we'll be switching to meeting Andy at 0730hrs at Warlingham Green).

A wonderful day for riding and we decided to go the long way to the bus stop so we could chat without worrying about riding two abreast. It was a good ride, fairly warm and while we didn't have any cereal bars or bacon sandwiches, we had tea and that was good enough.

We probably chatted too much as we finally left the bus stop around 0930hrs, getting home just after 1000hrs.

Horses in the mist.

Took some great images, well one good image, and here it is, courtesy of yours truly.

10-miler to Ledgers Road and back...

Yours truly on Ledgers Road, 5th October 2013 – good weather too!

I know that I could easily cycle 10 miles before work and put it to the test this morning, albeit leaving at 0900hrs (and returning at 1000hrs). It's five miles to Ledgers Road and, therefore, five miles back, which as we all know is ten miles...burning 450 calories.

The Kona Scrap at the five-mile point. Time to head home!

How much weight can we lose riding our bikes?

Just been checking out the calorie-burning potential of our cycling. It looks as if we can burn off around 1,365 calories on a Westerham ride and a shortish one-hour ride, to say Botley Hill and back, would burn off around 350 to 450 calories depending on which on-line calculator you rely upon. Considering men are supposed to take in roughly 2,500 calories per day, we're 'quids in' at the weekends so...bring on the frankfurters!

Andy finds a secretive government building...

Or does he? In fact, Andy, out on his own, re-traces an old pre-blog destination that we haven't riden to in a long, long time. This strange looking piece of concrete can be seen en route to Botley Hill, over to the right of the 269. We rode there once and there's nothing there at all, except for this strange lump of concrete. A good memory, though, and a nice photograph.

The truth is out there, somewhere near Botley Hill

There is a steep, off-road hill ascending from Slines Oak Road to the 'secret government building'. It's mentioned in past posts as both Andy and I have riden down it and experienced what can only be described as bone-shaking, not forgetting the bikes shaking too. Well, Andy rode up the hill, but admits he had to dismount near the top. Either way a good effort.

Tatsfield Bus Stop...

Last week I thought the Tatsfield Bus Stop was for sale, until I noticed that, while an estate agent's board was clearly standing in front of our famous covered bus stop, it was little more than an advertisement for a beer festival.

Life's a Blast – Andy's bike at the bus stop today.

We, that is Andy and I, rode to the Tatsfield Bus Stop. The weather was good and while I think it must have rained earlier in the morning, it was fine and fairly warm. We discussed our general reduction in mileage. Andy has an iphone app that charts his cycling, in particular his mileage, and he knows that this year, as opposed to last, he didn't put in as many miles as in 2012.

We both feel as if we're not trying as hard and I think it's true, we're not. There are too many 'aborts', too many one-ride weekends and too many shorter runs.

Going back to the early days, even the pre-blog days, there seemed to be more time than there is today, but I suggested that it wasn't so much that there used to be more time, but more that, today, we are more anxious than we used to be; so, whereas in the past we might ride out to the same destinations that we ride to today, the rides of the past were not so 'anxious'... perhaps. Today we're always thinking about the time and when we're going to get home. In the early days, either we didn't worry so much or we simply can't remember worrying. You see, the venues haven't really changed. We still ride to the lake occasionally, we've been riding to Westerham quite a bit of late, the Tatsfield Churchyard, Village and Bus Stop have all been visited recently, so perhaps it is purely a lack of anxiety that characterised our earlier rides than those of today.

Both Andy and I recall sitting down and drinking tea and munching cereal bars (like we did today) without a care in the world, but is this merely a case of our memories failing us? I remember how we used to visit Woodmansterne Green and how, sometimes, we'd be sheltering from the rain under the covered gateway of the church on the green, or other times when we stood on the green talking to Jon, my brother, who was always there whenever we visited Woodmansterne. And it all seemed so timeless and fret-free.

But what about those longer rides? The long route to Merstham via The Enterdent, the big breakfast in Hunger's End? What about Jackass Lane and Tandridge? We haven't experienced them for a while and I put that down to a lack of time, other commitments and so on. But I think our memories are playing tricks on us to a certain extent. We still visit the same destinations, give or take, we still have the same chat, drink the same tea, munch the same cereal bars. We just think that things have somehow changed. How? I think it's that, rather than enjoy the ride, we're pre-occupied, to an extent, with what we have planned for the day ahead and what time we need to be home. We no longer simply ride out and enjoy the ride, that's what has changed. I'm not saying we don't enjoy the rides, we do, but these days we're more pre-occupied with other non-cycling matters – what time we need to be back and so on, which is understandable as we all have family commitments.

My Kona Scrap at the bus stop this morning.

Being at the bus stop today brought it all home to me: a ride we've done many times before, a view – from the bus stop – that we've seen many times before: White Lane, the road sign, the grass in front of the bus stop, the Lycra monkeys passing by along Clarks Lane, the tea, the cereal bars, the chat. Nothing has changed with the rides. We have changed, not the rides! Perhaps it's because we're all older and a little more tired and weary in the mornings. Perhaps getting up so early is getting to us a little bit, perhaps we simply need a new destination. Perhaps it's a case of familiarity breeds contempt: cycling has become so much a part of our routine that it's something we, on some level, resent – the early starts and so on. It's hard to know the answer.

I think we need to be a little more disciplined. We need to get back to the two rides to Westerham, meeting on the green at 7am like we used to. We must remember that while we enjoy the rides, the key here is fitness - not munching on buns and drinking tea. Yes, we'll keep the tea and cereal bars going, but we need to get out there every weekend and head for Westerham, just like we used to, and that way the mileage we clock up will mount up, our fitness levels will increase and we'll be happier in ourselves. Not that we're not happy.

As for the blog, that has to stay as it has given structure and life to the rides. It gives us a record of what we've done in the past and it makes the whole idea of getting up so early worthwhile.

We simply need to ensure that, as far as possible, we get out there, twice a weekend (weather permitting) rather than press the abort button. But perhaps we should simply not even think about it. Go when we can and not get screwed up about the mileage. By and large we've been out most weekends for the past six years.

Ironically, I can't go tomorrow, due to a sponsored walk I'm doing across London (12 miles from Earls Court to ExCeL. But I'll be back next week and happy to ride to Westerham. And perhaps we ought to be thinking of Hunger's End again; the Enterdent; Jackass Lane...

The key is not to lose heart.

Pix by Andy Smith