A bad day for badgers
Posted on Monday 16 February 2009 by Paul Foster
Turned up at Waterloo ready for John’s Basingstoke ride. Regis, Kate, Jon, Richard and I spotted John, clearly not his usual self. Feeling poorly, he yielded to the voices of common sense and returned home to bed. I (was) volunteered to lead, and not knowing Basingstoke from Basildon, decided to take the gang on an arbitrary wander through the suburbs to places scenic and nice. We kept close as a group and navigated the traffic lights with our usual skill – I didn’t have clip out until Crystal Palace.
We were soon in Green Belt territory and noticed banks of snow in the fields above Westerham at the highest point in Kent, and saw the first dead badger beside the road. Two other specimens, much mankier, were seen later. It wasn’t as if a party of badgers has been mowed down en masse – each animal was in a different county. The ride took in a loop around the Pilgrims Way before we lunched at Westerham at the George & Dragon with 52km covered. Lunch was excellent, and we then had the obligatory stiff climb almost immediately after. Having gained a ridge with stonking views we then briefly meandered into Sussex before returning to Surrey via Tilburstow Hill (evil) and Bletchingly to Nutfield. A final drag up the A25 was followed by the whiz down to Redhill station.
82km over very lumpy terrain was covered in under four hours. No mechanicals, everyone kept together, and the rain held off. Don’t ask me where we went – I made it up as I went along! Everyone enjoyed themselves, and settled down to stiffen up in the cozy and quick train to Victoria.