Tootling from Tonbridge: 2-star in Kent
Posted on Tuesday 27 March 2007 by Ken Peters
I shall start with a thank you to my hosts for dinner on Saturday and the ride leader on Sunday. That is, therefore a big thank you to Ann and Roy Watson.
Now to the ride.
It should have been something else but trains meant a late change so instead of Headcorn we started at Tonbridge. David Kurtz was waiting to greet the early arrivals as he had ridden out and had already occupied a table in the café by the station. I say he had occupied but most of the table was covered by his array of electronic gizmos. Eventually after coffee we met the train borne contingent and got underway.
Roy had cunningly included plenty of paths and byways out of Tonbridge instead of the route I had expected up the hill but we eventually found tarmac before I had composed my moan about my skinny tyres not appreciating the terrain. I remember passing through Tudeley but not much else by way of names but many of the roads were familiar.
The route proved to be very rural and when we passed through Staplehurst for the second time I was momentarily confused and did not realise we then passed fairly close to Roy’s new residence in Sutton Valence. After about 37K we pitched up at The George and Dragon in Headcorn which I realised I had visited several times before and knew that a good lunch was in order. Some of the senior hands did point out that we had gone very briskly for a 2-star ride having covered the distance to Headcorn in a little over two hours.
After a satisfying lunch we retraced our steps and passed through Staplehurst for the third time for the day before covering more lanes most of which have faded alarmingly quickly from memory. We did have time to lose then regain one rider but there was little else to remember apart from the fact that the day was very pleasant and we did not have too much uowind riding to make the day overly taxing.
Just before reaching Tonbridge we passed through Tudeley and most opted for a break to visit the lovely church with the Marc Chagall stained glass windows before riding the short distance back to Tonbridge station where several of us caught a mystery train. I say mystery but it was listed as terminating at Victoria but the information on the platform does not show any trains from Tonbridge to Victoria.
A good day and my trusty computer gave a reading of a little over 72K for the day which is a pretty good stint for a 2-star ride.
Thanks to all who turned out and made the day very pleasant.