I had made a tactical decision not to cycle all the way to the coast today. My reasons were good. I was staying overnight this evening with good friends Sandra and Gary, close to Horsham and just east of my straight line. It would have been rude to miss them in an unwarranted dash for Worthing, and I would also have been stretching the daylight possibilities and train options thereafter. Plus, I didn’t want to rush away from Neil’s house too quickly this morning when a pleasant walk and one of his legendary breakfasts was on offer. So I sensibly opted for a moderate day of cycling, leaving me a morning’s work to do on Friday.
It was another glorious day. I set off to navigate my way as best I could through the lanes of Berkshire and Surrey, but knowing that I would be consulting the map a good deal to avoid main roads. It looked set to be a rather zig-zaggy journey. And so it transpired until I stopped for lunch in Guildford, a large and prosperous place half way through my ride. The countryside getting there was delightful and awash with autumn colours. I was crossing the Surrey Heath, an area of open spaces, plentiful trees and bracken, but also quite densely populated in parts and crossed by roads large and small, one of which unexpectedly took me over a ford. It was an enjoyable morning that revealed some of the more desirable parts of English life in the London commuter belt. There were all kinds of sumptuous properties that must be worth eye watering sums of money, and many a fancy car on the road as well. I could see the attraction of living here, if you can afford it!
Guildford was my only town today. It’s quite a hilly place, bisected by the River Wey, and you can reach the Thames by narrowboat from here up the Wey Navigation. It is home to the University of Surrey, an ancient castle keep and a modern, 20th century cathedral up on one of the hill tops. I had imagined that the castle and cathedral must be next to one another and followed signs uphill in search of the castle, which I duly found after some unnecessary steep climbing through quiet residential streets. But that was enough to reveal to me from above the town that in fact the cathedral sits far away to the north west by the university. I decided its rather austere orange brick architecture, green copper roof and plain, square lump of a tower was best admired from afar. I’d probably have made an effort for a Canterbury or a Lincoln kind of cathedral. But I was more interested in lunch right now, which I found and enjoyed outdoors right opposite the castle ruins, outside in the warm sun.
Guildford has its fair share of old buildings, and I saw some of them on the way out of the town centre, on the narrow lanes around the bottom of the castle mound, which is today the central feature of a lovely public park. The gardeners were changing over the beds and the benches were full of people enjoying the weather. It was nice.
From a few miles beyond Guildford, near Wonersh, my route was mostly along an old railway, now repurposed as the Downs Link. It was broad and just about dry enough to stay out of any mud. I had it mostly to myself and it ran for miles along the Arun Valley, following the line of another canal, the Wey and Arun Navigation, this one very much disused. It was opened in 1815 in response to the Napoleonic wars and the desire for a safe inland passage between London and Portsmouth, which was finally achieved in 1823. The link was used for carrying many kinds of goods, including silver bullion for the colonies and soldier’s baggage for overseas service. Like so many old waterways, there is a movement to restore this one. Volunteers have restored 8km since the 1970s, but there is a very long way to go. I crossed a modern swing bridge that future proofs any restoration close to the Guildford end. Disused canals have returned to life elsewhere, so you never know. It would certainly be a lovely boat ride.
I stuck with the Downs Link until almost Horsham with tomorrow’s ride in mind, and then turned sharply back north east, like an upturned shepherd’s crook, for the last ten miles to my overnight stay in the village of Capel. I first found a welcome refreshment opportunity in the pretty village of Slinfold at the post office. There was talk of how their coffee machine is operating oddly because the wrong size cups were ordered; but the nice lady took control of the situation and I allowed myself a finger of fudge to go with my latte. It was just enough to see me the rest of the way, and another delightful evening unfolded. These trips are made by the people they bring me into contact with, and their generosity. It’s a great excuse to ride a bike a lot!
