Bromley South Station Forecourt - Please be there by 09:10 to catch the 09:29 .
or at Catford ( NOT Catford Bridge ) by the ticket machine at 08:45 for the 09:02 - Trevor Hughes will be there to greet you ( changing at Bromley South )

The first 7 miles include a climb of around 500ft or so ...after which there will be a few futher lumps...so fairly hilly but nothing too difficult .

 Initially we head out to Bapchild ..then South to Little Higham..before turning East into Doddington ..then through Newnham ,Eastling , & Hockley ..North then to Painters Forstal ..thence due North to to the Bird Sanctuary at the old Harty Ferry crossing point ( shut in 1946 ! ) to gaze out over the Medway then back South for a loop through Norton Ash and Lynsted ...and then back to Teynham Station

Pub lunch will almost certainly be at the Alma in Painters Forstal
Overall Distance - 30.3 Miles
Ascent & Descent 1664 Ft .

Email : kayacan@aol.com

Rides Leader - Andrew Fergar

Phone Number : 07717 693 701 

Report

At Catford Station: Andy, Burak, Katie and Trevor and when we got to Bromley South we were joined by Captain Andrew, Bill, Ian, Jane, Jurek. Unfortunately our glorious leader was not well enough to join us (wishes for a speedy recovery and bless you for meeting up with us). Furthermore, Bill was prevented from boarding the train by station personnel (The Legend Continues). If you want the longer story then please feel free to facebook me and I will tell all. When we alighted the train we found the delightful Jo and William already on there – congratulations on setting that wedding date!

So, it was left to deputies of derring-do, Trevor and Ian, to navigate us around the Teynham Circular, and through a combination of gps and paper map it worked. After one misfired attempt to get on route we were soon pootling through the lanes - it felt curiously mild (well, mild compared to -5 which we had on another ride some of did out in Essex a few weeks ago) and there was no ice, but frost lying in the shaded areas of the fields. The first few miles was a pleasant route of gently undulating hills through Bapchild and Little Higham.

We then had a series of quite challenging hills, and it was virtually up dale and down valley for quite some time, but the little villages of Newnham and Eastling were a sight for sore eyes. About 2 miles from our lunch stop, a rebel group (led by myself) made for the flattish lanes, leaving the hares negotiating the hill, apologies gentlemen – at least Jane felt guilty about it! Our lunch stop was at the Alma in Painters Forstal. Splendid food, my wild mushroom, spinach and leek bake with herb crust was delicious – most of us were glancing jealously at Andy's steak and kidney suet pudding until we all set eyes on the GIANT yorkshire pudding meals that were coming out of that kitchen.

During lunch, Bill showed up, after fixing a puncture in Eastleigh and shaking off the shackles of the station personnel at Bromley South. Therefore there were now 10 of us. Post-lunch and feeling very well-fed we then headed north towards the Medway where we negotiated our way through the walkers and bird-watchers towards the old ferry point. London rarely provides you with the ability to see the horizon so this was an opportunity to take in the glorious landscape and feel the sun and wind on your face. There was disbelief that some of us could see Reculver from here, but William, Jo and I were convinced!

Thence from the bird sanctuary, we then did one of Captain Andrew's special little loops, his creative genius making the town of Teynham seem like the Bermuda Triangle. At first the little lanes of the Sustrans route were well tarmaced, but a few miles on were very poor and I had a little freak out session, apologies gentle folk for the loud cussing and regressing back to a 4 year old. Clearing these we were finally in Teynham and on the train back to Bromley South. Some of us said goodbye at this point but then some of us met up with Andrew at the rather nice Patridge pub in Bromley for some drinks and to see how he was faring.

What a great ride, many thanks to deputies Trevor and Ian, sincere thanks to William (our map consultant) and to Bill for providing us with value.

Katie Collis