Philippa led this ride with completely contrasting weather to all that has happened since Christmas. In a break from the strong biting winds and continuous torrential rain, today was glorious sunshine and no wind. With temperatures in the sunshine topping 14 degrees, it could have been March, April, or even May. Hard to believe it was still January.

 Debbie and I had set out for the start point via the Flansham - Barnham Cycletrack which although sticky in parts, had dried out very considerably and was rideable without difficulty. I have previously ridden it when the river has burst across it and fields on either side have been lakes.   Not so today but interestingly, the dry bed of the Ford - Hunston Canal now held water.... proving that over 150 years after it was closed and abandoned, the clay poddling laid by navvies almost 200 years ago was still doing its job of sealing the canal bunds. I've never seen this before so snatched a quick photo.

 Arriving at the start we found the brilliant weather had brought out a good number of riders who evidently had been desperately waiting for a break in the poor conditions to get out cycling. No less than 14 set out - Philippa plus Alan, Liz, Steve, Carol, Debbie, Mike, Graham, Rachel, Roy, Avryl, David, plus new riders Sue and Rod.

Our route took us through central Chichester and Apuldram to the Salterns Way which we followed all the way to the Yacht Basin.

Along the way we noticed in an adjacent field a gaggle ( I'm told that’s the correct term of venery) of what must have been over 100 geese. They appeared to be feeding.

Our turn came when we stopped for refreshments at the Spinnaker restaurant.

 For the return trip, Philippa took a tour around the basin before heading back up Salterns Way and Chichester. No less than 9 of us left the group at this point and headed directly back to Bognor, via Hunston and the Lower Road farm Lanes to Aldwick.

 My mileage for the afternoon was 22. The return trip to Chichester would have been about 14.

 Graham

Posted by RideLeader at 20:44 GMT

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This ride was nominate leader on the day so I ended up as leader.

The weather was cold and sunny with early ice. I was joined at Chichester Cross by David, Sam and Tony. I had no problem with ice on the way to Chichester keeping to treated roads. However Tony reported that he came off 3 times though escaping injury. On one occasion he fell off on ice and got out of the way as a car approached. The car then skidded on ice and smashed into another car.

Sam reported that earlier the hard riding South Down Velo club had met at Chichester Cross and decided to cancel due to the ice risk. We had to go one better than that but I decided to keep well away from slippery back roads and we kept to the treated main road to Chichester Yacht basin where we tried out the new cafe, very warm with a view of the harbor. Richard met us there by car before taking the dog for a walk.

After elevenses Tony left us as he had to get back early. The rest of us took the main road straight down to Selsey to stop for lunch at the Riviera Cafe which has the benefit of being very warm and serving large portions.

In the afternoon with ice melted our route took in lanes from Sidlesham via Highleigh and a concrete track to Birdham. Then it was lanes via Birdham Pool and across the lock gates at the Yacht Basin. Then the Salterns Way track across fields and back to Chichester. We stopped for tea at Chichester Cathedral Cloisters Cafe.

Mileage from and back to Chichester was 25. My mileage from Pagham was 37.

My latest images to be processed are first an image of a Bus light trail on Westminster Bridge. The second image was taken in Bath over Christmas at Landsdown Crescent with a filter used to gain a 40 second exposure and show the cloud movement.

For more details and a larger picture see http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwinjones/11527809895/in/photostream/

For more details and a larger picture see http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwinjones/11600086086/in/photostream/

Edwin

Posted by RideLeader at 19:31 GMT

Updated: Sunday, 29 December 2013 19:35 GMT

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Today it started a torrential downpour about 9.20 as I was ready to head out to Chichester Cross and didn’t clear until 9.55 in Pagham. The weather forecast, weather radar and blue skies moving in from the West all confirmed the rest of the day would be fine and sunny as it proved.

I gave a miss to getting wet and put off leaving to just before 10.00 to go direct to Rowlands Castle.

Only Gill and David arrived at the Cross for 10.00. It was nominate leader on the day and Gill being the only one to know where she was going Gill was nominated. Graham also went direct after just missing them. He didn’t know where he was going either so he followed the main road to Emsworth and then followed signposts.

I took a route on the backroads encountering floods, puddles and streams of water crossing the road under the blue skies. I met up with the rest at Rowlands Castle.

Gill led us back via Westbourne and Woodmancote on quiet if wet lanes. Knowing there was a flood on the route I rushed ahead to get a suitable picture but was still struggling to get the camera out from a pocket under layers as the group arrived. David and Graham kindly went back and did an action replay.

David asked to be going faster in the picture so I am happy to oblige, zoom effect in Photoshop

We were back in Chichester for 1.00. Mileage from and back to Chichester was 21. My mileage from Pagham was 35.

My latest HDR picture was taken at Baker Street Underground Station a few weeks ago.

 More details at my Photo Blog at http://edwinjonesphotography.com/blog/2013/12/london-underground-station-seat

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all in the Club and anybody else happening across this Blog.

Edwin

Posted by RideLeader at 18:43 GMT

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 The weather today could best be described as dark and dank with drizzle and a spell of heavier rain in the morning and drying up in the afternoon. Arthur was the leader and despite the weather he was joined at Chichester Cross by Graham, Avryl, Sam, David, Gill and myself so 7 in all. John Maxim, Keith Dodman and Lynn met us for lunch at Aldingbourne.

We headed out west from Chichester and then north up the Centurion Way to Lavant. Then it was east on lanes to 11s at Goodwood Airfield Cafe. The drizzle was not felt as much as there was a good SW tailwind. The warmth and dry of the Cafe was much appreciated.

Then it was onwards taking lanes via Westerton and Waterbeach and on to Halnaker. Then it was a short stretch of main road before turning off on lanes to stop for lunch at Aldingbourne Garden Centre Cafe.

The best decorated bike prize went to our new Treasurer David Sinclair.

After lunch we split up, John and Keith headed back in the Littlehampton direction, David and I headed to Bognor via the Barnham Path and the rest headed back to Chichester on a similar route to the outbound one.

Mileage from and back to Chichester would have been about 23. My mileage from Pagham was 30.

My latest HDR image to be processed was of the new spiral staircase at the Tate Britain.

For more details and a larger picture see http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwinjones/11335585185/in/photostream/

Note there is one last Ride before Christmas which is a morning only ride next Sunday with 11s at Rowlands Castle.

Edwin

Posted by RideLeader at 17:14 GMT

Updated: Sunday, 15 December 2013 17:19 GMT

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The round trip from Bognor was an easy 15 miles.
 
Graham

Posted by RideLeader at 15:43 GMT

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The weather today was good with a fair bit of sun, dry and milder than of late reaching 10C.

I was the leader and we met at Chichester Cross. I was joined by Sam, Mark, Andrew, Ian and Tony. We left a few seconds before time at 9.30. It must have been 30 seconds later that Rex arrived and missed us. He made his own way to Petworth to meet us at elevenses.

To avoid the pedestrians and market I headed out briefly down South Street before turning into West Lavant. Andrew and Ian missed the turn and went on down South Street. After a bit of searching we eventually met up again at the east end of East Street.

The route was then on via Westhampnett and lanes via Waterbeach to the long climb of Pillygreen Hill and a regrouping at the top.

Then it was along the ridge road with great views down to the coast. We then joined the main road via Upwaltham and on to a fast descent of Duncton Hill. It was a sharp right at the bottom onto a quiet lane. Fairly uneventful apart from a squirrel getting in a tizzy and rushing across the road in front of Sam and then back and then back again, remarkably managing to avoid colliding. Coincidently there is a report in Cycling Weekly this week about the manager of Scunthorpe United coming off his bike due to a squirrel going into his spokes. Many fans dressed up in fancy dress as squirrels for the manager’s return recently!

We continued on lanes via Shopham Bridge to stop for elevenses at Tiffins Cafe, Petworth. We were meeting Arun Adur group for elevenses and lunch. Dave Fox, Richard and Jo arrived a little late and not long before we left.

For the ride to lunch I took a direct route retracing the lanes we came in on before taking the lane to Sutton. On the hill before the village some repairs were required as Andrew’s bottle cage came undone. After about an hour for lunch we were just going out the door as Arun Adur arrived. Apparently they had taken a long route to get there.

Immediately after lunch it was a short downhill but a very very steep uphill to keep everybody awake. My bike computer registered the gradient as 18% though it felt more. We regrouped at the top by Bignor Church.

Then it was on past the Roman Villa on lanes via West Burton and Bury and on to Houghton hill and a long climb up the Downs. We regrouped in the sunshine at the top.

We continued via the Madhurst Lanes and a last climb of the day up to The Spur. We split up at Yapton with most heading west towards Chichester while Andrew and I headed to Bognor via Middleton and the Prom.

Mileage from and back to Chichester would have been about 42. My mileage from Pagham was 46.

I got Andrew to send me copies of his Strava Cycling GPS Smartphone App results for the day. The images below are first a summary, then a map of the route from Bognor and then a graph of the many hills during the day.

My latest HDR photos below were taken on my last London trip. First a view of St Pauls from the New Change office building a then a I second exposure of a London Bus approaching Big Ben.

For a larger picture and more details see http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwinjones/11168107014/in/photostream/

For a larger picture and more details see http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwinjones/11238840736/in/photostream/

Edwin

Posted by RideLeader at 18:05 GMT

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Today the weather was very dark and grey but at least it was dry with temperatures up to 9 centigrade.

The ride today was to the Club's Christmas lunch and it was designated as an appetite improver ride. I was the leader and I was joined at the Cross by Sam and Arthur. John Maxim joined as briefly at the start but then went on his own ride. Arthur was out on a new road bike bought second-hand from city cycles for £250. This is very different from the usual small wheels and is very lightweight.

The Route out was first West from Chichester and then up the Centurion Way. Just as we started up the path Sam punctured and decided to go the short distance home to change bikes and then meet us at elevenses. Arthur and I continued on the path to Lavant. Here in order to avoid the mud further up the path we took a section of the main road and then rejoined the path to West Dean. Just before the village we turned left on the remote and hilly lane to Chilgrove. We saw a lot of a lot of pheasants and some beautiful autumn colours. Then it was on to the main road and a sharp climb. Unusually for the longer rides I was able to get up the hill well before Arthur and could therefore get into picture taking mode.

We continued on the main road and then took the next left to North Marden. After a short descent we took a right turn onto the Compton Road followed shortly by a very steep climb probably of equal gradient to Buriton. From the nearest farm I would call this Fernbeds Hill although Arthur would have another name for it which it would not be appropriate to mention on a family friendly website. Arthur had to walk part of the hill but soon got back on the bike when he saw my camera ready.

Then it was on down the lane to Compton and the village cafe to meet up with Sam. The refreshments were very welcome.

From Compton there is a long and very gradual downhill before turning off on the short Hill to Funtington. Then it was onwards and turning off onto Watery Lane to West Ashling. We headed back to Chichester on Clay Lane. Because we were quite early at this stage I decided to take a diversion and we turned off onto Apuldram lane. We stopped at a junction to get onto the main road. As I started forward the wheel went into a dip and I overbalanced and fell off. This was despite having normal pedals not clipless.  Possibly it was getting a little too long since my last accident.

Luckily nothing was broken but despite having three layers on I managed to badly graze the right elbow. A kind motorist stopped and gave us an antiseptic wipe and a dressing. I was able to ride on without any problems to the lunch at Hunston.

At lunch many more came direct by bike or car including Richard, Elizabeth, Dave, Jan, Avryl, Philipppa, William, Roy, Harvey, Mike and Lynn so 14 in all.

Mileage from and back to Chichester was about 35. My mileage the day was 47.

My latest image to be processed was of a suitably autumnal scene taken in woods near to Whiteways Roundabout.

See more at http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwinjones/11097647133/

Edwin

Posted by RideLeader at 19:15 GMT

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The weather today was cold and generally cloudy though dry with temperatures up to 8C and a chilly NE wind.

Arthur was the leader and he was joined at The Cross by Lynn, Harvey, Graham, Martin and myself.

With a number of gleaming Moulton Bikes on display Arthur’s route kept well clear of any muddy tracks which suited me as well, preferring not to have to wash my bike. We headed out on West Street and then south on Appledram lane. Then it was a stretch of main road before turning off into the Yacht Basin and a stop for elevenses at the Cafe.

Next it was on over the Canal, Birdham Pool and lanes to Birdham. After a short stretch of main road we did a brief diversion on lanes towards West Itchenor before heading back to the main road and across on to a lane to East Wittering, free of traffic due to a road closure which we got round. Then it was on to the Boulevard Cafe, East Wittering for lunch.

I had a steak and Kidney pie which was an enormous portion which they called a standard size, they also have a large size!! Note to self, never order a large size of anything at this cafe. During lunch we saw one cyclist heading for the beach carrying a large surfboard under his arm. Another cyclist came past towing a kid on a skateboard.

After lunch it was lanes via Earnley, Highleigh and then joining the main road south of Hunston. Then it was back to Appledram and on to Fishbourne Roman Palace for tea. We seemed to be there very early but made up for it with about an hour of chatting over tea.

Mileage from and back to Chichester was about 23. My mileage from Pagham was 35.

My latest pictures to be processed were first an autumn scene on a path at Houghton Woods, Whiteways with a blur effect added in Photoshop.

See more at http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwinjones/10922604984/in/photostream/ 

The next one is a shot of the top of City Hall, London taken in September at Open House.

See more at http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwinjones/11006134783/in/photostream/ 

Edwin

Posted by RideLeader at 19:41 GMT

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Today it was mainly dry but very overcast and reaching about 9C. Sam was the leader and he was joined at Chichester Cross by only myself and Jeff.

We headed out up the Centurion Way and then on via West Stoke and Funtington. From Walderton we took a nice scenic lane and long climb to the appropriately named Up Marden. The it was more lanes and on to Compton to warm up for elevenses.

Next we took the lane across to Ibsworth and up the gradual climb of Buriton Hill with some beautiful Autumn leaves.

After a fast descent to Buriton Village it was more lanes to the south of Petersfield making our way across to lunch at the Isaac Walton, East Meon.

We took a fairly direct route back taking a long but gradual post lunch climb over the HMS Mercury ridge.

Then it was a fast descent to Clanfield and on via Chalton and Finchdean to Rowlands Castle for tea. Sam managed a well timed puncture 100 yards from the cafe. I managed to snaffle the last piece left of the Apple Pie.

The return route was via Westbourne and some lanes and some main road back to Chichester. Mileage from and back to Chichester was 48. My total mileage from Pagham was 60.

My latest pictures to be processed were first a corridor at Kings Cross Underground Station.

See more at http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwinjones/10794950475/in/photostream/

The next one is a shot of a beautiful sunset taken at West Beach Bognor last Friday.

See more at http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwinjones/10882177463/in/photostream/

Edwin

Posted by RideLeader at 18:09 GMT

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Today was the Ride to Pulborough Village Hall for the DA AGM of all the West Sussex Groups. The weather was cold but for a change it was clear blue skies.

I was the leader of our Ride starting 9.00 at Walberton Pond but I was the only one to turn up. We had a few more people out with Colin going direct to the AGM and Chris going direct to Lunch at the Rising Sun, Nutbourne.

I took the route on the lanes via Madehurst and stopped for a quick picture of this beautiful cottage next to the lane.

Then it was via Houghton and Amberley and on to Pulborough for the AGM at Pulborough Village Hall.

Officers were reelected unchanged. In a consultation about changing the Pedaller to colour this was approved in principle with the final decision left to the Committee after technical checks on quality. Our CTC Councilor Richard Bates reported on discussions at CTC about a possible change of name for the CTC though no final decision has been made yet.

Then it was on to lunch. Most of those there were Arun Adur and with the Pub pretty full we retired to the garden making a few location changes to follow the sun.

I returned on close to the same route out except for heading for my favourite route home along Bognor Prom which since July has been a cycle route for most of its length.

My mileage was 47 from and back to Pagham. From and back to Walberton was about 30 miles.

Next are some of the pictures processed in the last few weeks. The first one is a scan of a slide of John Maxim and Richard Klemperer near the peak of the 11200ft Pico Veleta in southern Spain in 1989. I scanned this image for the theory part of a Workshop I did last month for Bognor Regis Camera Club.

The next one was taken during the practical part of the Workshop at an Interclub cycling Hill Climb with various local racing Clubs on the lane climbing up from Charlton to Goodwood. This was a week ago on Sunday 3^rd November.

The last one was taken last week and shows the tidal outflow from the entrance to Pagham Harbour after a Spring High Tide and the water flowing over a groyne supported by rocks.

For more on these pictures see my Photo Blog at http://edwinjonesphotography.com/blog

Edwin

Posted by RideLeader at 20:18 GMT

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The weather today ended up dry with some sun but very windy and blustery no doubt a taste of the coming big storm.

Harvey was the leader and he was joined at Chichester Cross by myself, Tony, Avryl and Keith.

We headed up out on West Street and up the Centurion Way with the usual number of dogs walkers with their dogs not on leads. They always seem a little surprised to encounter cyclists on a Cyclepath.

At Lavant we headed into the village and then across to Goodwood Airfield Cafe. We made it inside just ahead of a short shower, good planning Harvey!

Over a long elevenses with a lot of chat we decided to give a miss to West Dean because of the strength of the wind and worries about gusts blowing us into traffic, We decided instead to head for Chichester Cathedral Cloisters Cafe for lunch.

We retraced our outward route which had the advantage of returning on the traffic free Centurion Way. In the following picture the movement blur occurs because the camera was on a long shutter speed due to the low light under the trees. The camera and the cyclists ahead are travelling at the same speed while the ground is blurred.

We headed on to the Cloisters and a long lunch break thoroughly putting the world to rights.

Then it was a little more bike riding to make our ways home.

Mileage from and back to Chichester was just 12. My total mileage from Pagham was 25.

A few more HDR pictures below –

First an image of the Travelator at Waterloo Underground Station

More details at http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwinjones/10341114465/in/photostream/

The next one is an image of the Nelson Stairs at Somerset House taken with a Fisheye Lens

More details at http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwinjones/10454941934/in/photostream/

Edwin

Posted by RideLeader at 18:23 BST

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The ride today was very short just from Chichester to West Stoke Village Hall for the Club AGM.

The weather could have been worse. The heavy rain early morning had just cleared by the time I needed to leave. I was the leader and I was joined at Chichester Cross by David, Tony and Avryl. A lot more went direct to the hall.

We took a fairly direct route west from the center and then up the Centurion Way Cyclepath. Then it was an out of the way narrow lane to link up with the Lavant backroad. There must have been some very strong squally winds early morning as the lane was blocked by large branches at several points. Much easier to get round on a bike    though.

At the Hall more members joined some by car and some by Bike including Richard, Freda and Jim, Arthur and Lynn, Dave and Jan, Jim and Colin. We were joined also by Lorraine Stone from CTC HQ who gave us an interesting update and dealt with many questions. One interesting item is that CTC will soon go through a rebrand with a change of name dropping Touring to be more inclusive and a new logo.

After the meeting we made our separate ways back. The weather on the way back was not as kind with a torrential squally downpour by the time I got to Chichester so I diverted to the Cathedral Cloisters Cafe for a break until it cleared.

My mileage for the day from Pagham was 25.

Edwin

Posted by RideLeader at 17:40 BST

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Saturday Ride - Bognor Regis library to Littlehampton, Look-Sea Centre
 
We couldn't have asked for better weather this afternoon, brilliant sunshine light  easterly winds and temperatures touching 19 degrees - all in stark contrast to the cold rain and wind of the previous couple of days. 
 
Perhaps it was the fine weather that encouraged 10 riders at the start point -  Alan, Steve, Carol, Galya, Debbie, Graham, David, Liz, Julain, and new rider Wendy.

Riding this route is always very variable as the shingle can sometimes impede progress.  Whilst it has never been possible to ride the complete length Climping to Elmer without pushing the bike at some point, on this occasion I clocked only 0.20 of pushing (1/5 of a mile), all the rest was rideable.  This is very possibly the best and smoothest ride ever taken on that route. We all manged the stones comfortably with no problems or incidents.
 
From Elmer it was a straightforward run back to central Bognor, via Sea Lane Middleton and then the foreshore path and prom all the way back, with people peeling off home along the way. 
 
The round trip from Bognor Library was about 19 miles; I clocked just over 25 by the time I got home.
 
Graham

Posted by RideLeader at 21:16 BST

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There was fairly good weather today, starting cloudy but sunny from 11.00 and temperatures of about 19C.

I was the leader and there was a pretty good turnout. I was joined by Sam, Alan, Avryl, Chris, Tony and Marilyn, Harvey, Jo, Andrew Kerry- Bedall and newcomer Andrew Willis so 11 out for the day.

I had checked the tides beforehand so knowing we could avoid wet feet we headed out on lanes towards Bosham Hoe and then the lane round the harbor with the usual picturesque views.

We settled in for a pleasant elevenses stop at the arcade cafe Bosham just as the sun came out. Some members were told off for taking a shortcut to the terrace via the fire escape door and repeatedly setting off alarms, oops.

We continued on lanes north from Bosham and Sam resumed telling me about the numerous steel work jobs he had done as we passed relevant properties. We continued via West Ashling and then Watery Lane to Funtington. After a short climb and descent we headed along the valley road to West Marden for lunch at The Victoria.

My route back resulted in a few grumbles as we headed up the steep hill out of the village, ideal for straight after lunch! The compensation was the long descent first to Forestside and the down the long hill through the woods past Stansted House. Then it was the usual route via Westbourne and Woodmancote. We stopped for tea at Fishbourne Roman Palace Cafe.

Mileage from and back to Chichester was 28. My mileage from Pagham was 40.

Last weekend I was away in London taking pictures during Open House weekend of properties open only the one weekend of the year. These included City Hall, Lloyds, The Foreign Office and Battersea Power Station. On the Sunday afternoon I went to see the final stage of the Tour of Britain with a 10 lap circuit from Whitehall to the Tower of London and back on the embankment to Westminster.

Below is a shot of City Hall on the South Bank neat Tower Bridge and it’s amazing spiral staircase.

Below is a shot of Wiggo coming round the corner past Parliament and into Whitehall.

Posted by RideLeader at 18:37 BST

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Today there were two rides on the program, a long hilly ride to Milland and a short flat ride to Selsey.

Colin led the long ride and he was joined at Chichester Cross by Sam, Anne and newcomer Martin.

The weather started bright and sunny, then clouding over and heavy rain starting late afternoon. The group stopped for elevenses at Compton where Sam turned back. The rest continued to Milland for lunch. The rain did not start until they were nearly back to Chichester.

Harvey was unable to lead the ride to Selsey so I stepped in but nobody turned up, possibly put off by the poor weather forecast. I did a short ride round to the north of Chichester before heading home to make it a morning ride of 30 miles

My last 2 images to be processed were taken last month on a day trip to London.

First a shot of the futuristic Southwark Station on the Jubilee Line.

Next a shot of a spiral staircase in Somerset House looking up from the basement

Edwin Jones.

Posted by RideLeader at 22:16 BST

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The weather wasn't particularly encouraging today, dull and cloudy but the forecast had suggested no rain and indeed there wasn't any - although it kept threatening.  However it was mild with a light wind and perhaps this was the reason why there were 12 of us at the start point - an excellent turn out.

Philippa led this ride and was joined by Alan, Steve, Carol, Graham, Debbie, Liz, Roy, Julian, David and newcomers Galya and Mike.

We took cycletracks past the College to the Station, then the canal basin where we followed the canal to Poyntz Bridge.

Then to North Mundham and lanes to South Mundham and Fisher where a blackberry picking stop was made, overseen by a group of inquisitive cows.

We then continued along off road lanes and tracks, a waymarked route now designated National Cycle Route No.88, until emerging at Rookery Lane Sidlesham. Then 2 minutes on the tarmac to the Crab and Lobster, our refreshment stop.

For the return route the group split into two, with one part heading back to Chichester via NCN88, North Mundham and Vinnetrow Lake to Bognor bridge, and the other group making a direct return to Bognor via Halseys Farm, Pagham Harbour Wall and Church Farm.  Mindful of the last time we went this way when one of the riders took an unplanned dip in the harbour, we were a little more careful and got back wihout incident (helped by the fact it was daylight rather than late night when we last came this way).

The round trip mileage from Chichester was about 16. I went back with the Bognor group and clocked up a little over 21 by the time i got home.

 Graham

Posted by RideLeader at 21:54 BST

Updated: Sunday, 15 September 2013 08:25 BST

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The weather today was mixed with the morning being not too bad but a wet afternoon of which more anon.

Sam was the leader and he was joined at Chichester Cross by myself, Colin and Mark.

We took a fairly standard ride via Woodmancote to Rowlands Castle where we spotted John Maxim leaving the Cafe. Then it was on a back road out of the village and on to Horndean. I think Sam was headed for Hambledon for elevenses but plans were changed when dark shower clouds were spotted headed our way and we diverted to Horndean Garden Centre. This proved a wise decision as we watched a torrential downpour.

Then it was on lanes via Cathrington, Denmead and Worlds End. Eventually we tackled the inevitable climb up Portsdown Hill.

We came out by Nelsons Monument, the Portsmouth version and then a fast descent to Portchester and a picnic lunch by the Walls fronting on the Harbour. Colin discovered a puncture soon after arrival. Not being able to find the hole he took the logical? option of heading for the nearest water to find the bubbles, namely the sea.

With no other options not involving heavy traffic or the Motorway we headed back up the hill and then along Portsdown Hill with great views across the City and over to the Isle of Wight. As we rode trouble was clearly looming ahead of us.

We just got to Costas Havant for tea in time as another downpour started, well planned Sam. Colin decided to head back via Compton, possibly needing more hills. The rest of us headed straight back on the A259. More showers hit and after several stops to shelter including one bus shelter we concluded we were just catching up with it. I checked the weather radar on my return and it turned out it was a continuous line of merged showers blocking our path.

We pushed on back to Chichester where it promptly stopped raining. I continued home to Pagham in the dry apart from a short shower at Bersted with a bus shelter stop followed by the welcome home of a double rainbow.

The following shot was taken last Monday evening. It is taken from the spit of land across part of the Pagham Harbour entrance and is only a mile from home. The image was a 58 second long exposure taken with a 10 stop filter. This reduces the amount of light coming through the lens nearly a thousand times to gain the smooth sea and cloud movement.

For more detail see http://edwinjonesphotography.com/blog/2013/8/long-sunset-pagham

Last Thursday, the last of the hot days I had an early bike ride aiming to catch the morning mist. This was taken at 7.30 am near the top of the South Downs Way where it crosses the A29 at the top of Bury Hill. A 70mm lens compresses the layers of the landscape.

More detail at http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwinjones/9682417195/in/photostream/

Edwin

Posted by RideLeader at 20:12 BST

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The ride on Sunday was starting from Pulborough Station for the DA Event the Off Road Arun Crossings Ride, going to The Haven near Billingshurst for Lunch.

For the first time the Event coincided with engineering works between Horsham and Barnham so some people had to change their plans.

The first part of the ride was different from usual and resulted in one rearrangement as the group came to a crossing which was closed due to the Engineering works.

The weather was hazy sun most of the day with more cloud in the afternoon but dry and warm.

As I no longer do off-road of any distance I rode direct to the lunch stop. Crossing Tangmere I stopped to let hordes of cyclists pass on the Bognor Regis CC Club Ride.

Then it was the climb up to Pillygreen. I stopped to look at the Sculptures outside the main Goodwood Sculpture Park. My interpretation of this one is a Dinosaur tooth!

Then it was on to Duncton and a fast descent, Petworth, Wisborough Green and the long lane up to The Haven. On the lane I came across the Event riders for a short way before they turned off on another track.

I had sandwiches, just as well, as there was a one hour wait for food.

Participants from our Section in the event were Colin, Sam and Chris.

There were 10 taking part plus myself and Barbara from Horsham coming direct.

As Bob was obviously desperate for attention in the last shot below is another shot.

There were a lot of bikes there apart from our own and it turned out they were from Central London CTC.

After lunch Colin led the group on more tracks to return to Pulborough. I took a direct route home via Pulborough, Amberley and Houghton Hill. A note for long standing members, when I was cycling back along the sea front I came across Zilla Howard on her bike. She has been held back from returning to Club Rides by 2 children aged 13 and 9.

My return mileage for the day to and from Pagham  was 68.

Below are my latest HDR pictures. First there is one taken on the Underground in London.

More detail at http://edwinjonesphotography.com/blog/2013/8/waiting-passenger-london-underground

The next is of the the New Change Building and St Paul’s Cathedral.

More detail at http://edwinjonesphotography.com/blog/2013/8/lines-towards-st-pauls

Edwin

Posted by RideLeader at 20:37 BST

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The weather today started with drizzle which cleared soon after 10.00. There was sun in the afternoon with temperatures up to 23C. Wind was NW in the morning and NE in the afternoon, note that, a headwind on the way out and a headwind on the way back!!

There were 2 rides today meeting up at Southsea. Harvey led the short flat ride via Hayling accompanied by newcomer David Sinclair. I led the longer hillier ride and I was joined by Colin and Gill.

We took a fairly standard route out via Westbourne, Rowlands Castle and Chalton to stop for elevenses at the Queen Elizabeth Country Park Cafe. Then it was on via Clanfield where the route went a little astray. I thought the turnoff I wanted was earlier than it was. We stopped by a turn to Hinton Amptner and Colin said it would get us to the route I wanted and the climb wasn’t too bad, half a mile of vertical climb later we stopped at the top to recover.

This was now all new roads to me which was good. A short way further on we pulled in to let about 20 horses and traps pass, sportive for horses maybe?

Then it was on to a lane new even to Colin via Denmead Mill and then down to Denmead. Then it was another new lane down to Southwick. Colin spotted a new Cafe in the Post Office at Southwick filed for future reference. Then it was the long but relatively gentle climb on the B Road to Portsdown Hill. A sharp fast downhill followed to Cosham.

We then followed the Cycleroute down the western side of the Portsmouth peninsular past the continental ferry Port. The Bank Holiday crowds were apparent as we passed the Dockyard where a great multitude filled the pavements waiting to enter. Another multitude filled Southsea Common for the International Kite festival which seemed bigger than ever. We easily found Harvey and David at the meeting point of the War Memorial where we had our picnics.

After lunch the groups merged and we headed east along the front. I led the group up paths and backstreets to get to the Eastern Road Cycle path. I took a route to the Langston Harbour footpath which goes alongside the water and avoids convoluted backstreets.

Further up we joined the cycle path following the eastern edge of the Portsmouth peninsular with good views over the harbour and then across to Havant via a footbridge over the A27.

Then it was through Havant and an ice cream stop at Flintstones Cafe, Emsworth Harbour.

As time was getting on we headed straight back to Chichester on the A259. As we neared the foot crossing of the Railway where the new bridge is some racing cyclists were coming the other way. When we reached the crossing, one of the other cyclists came back asking if we had a seen a Garmin Edge. I spotted it lying directly on one of the rails. A Train had just come through but on the other line, close one!!. It didn’t seem damaged by falling, the screen was still on.

Mileage from and back to Chichester was 58 for the long ride. My mileage from Pagham was 69.

On my way back home I took the lane via South Mundam and then the track across the fields to Summer Lane and Pagham. In a field beside the track some Sunflowers were growing. On one of them a bee was having a serious guzzle ignoring me however close I got the lens. I got this shot with my basic compact camera set to macro and slow synchro flash.

My latest HDR was taken Monday of last week on a day trip to London of the Atrium Roof of the British Museum using a fisheye lens.

For more details see http://edwinjonesphotography.com/blog/2013/8/british-museum-roof-fisheyed

Edwin

Posted by RideLeader at 20:47 BST

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 The last evening ride of the season, and a record turnout, 10 waiting to ride at the Arun Leisure Centre -

Carol, Steve, David, Tony, Julian, Sue, Graham, Edwin, Harvey, and John.

 We set out down the usual back routes to Hoe Lane at Flansham, where we joined the cycle track up to Barnham.

 Arriving at Barnham in the glare of the setting sun, we took the lane to Walberton and a large semi-circle through Walberton Village, North End, then Lake Lane where we took the foot crossing over the railway inot Maypole Lane.  The sun was just about setting as we arrived at the pub.

 My mileage for the evening was 13.5.

 Graham

Posted by RideLeader at 00:01 BST

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