When:
16th September 2018 @ 9:00 am
2018-09-16T09:00:00+01:00
2018-09-16T09:15:00+01:00
Where:
Climping beach
Climping
Littlehampton BN17 5RN
UK
Climping
Littlehampton BN17 5RN
UK
Cost:
Free
Meet at Ditchling Village Hall at 9.00 am – all welcome. Groups to be decided on the day. The ride to Climping beach today is a long one with total mileage of at least 70 miles, further if opting for the longer route. (However, for those who do not have the time or inclination to do the longer rides, included here is a shorter alternative which follows the normal route but stops at Ashington.)
NB the venue does not accept credit/debit cards so please bring cash for the much needed refreshments.
For the Normal route to Climping beach (35 miles – climbing 949 ft) see here.
For the Longer route to Climping beach (48 miles – climbing 1394 ft) see here
For a shorter alternative ride (17 miles – 365 ft elevation) see here.
For a return route to Ditchling (along the coast viaH0ve/Brighton) see here
Special Notes [1] Parham Park
There is no formal right of way for cars or bikes through the park, but the owners are definitely happy for us to ride through, as long as they’re not running a special event on the day and as long as we keep to the main drive. It’s a good idea not to stop for too long next to the main part of the house – we had a friendly chat with the administrator of the estate the first time we used the route, and she explained that the family still live there and don’t like to see people picnicking from their windows … Otherwise, enjoy this part of the route and feel free to take a short break by the drive as it leaves the rear of the house – it’s a good time to take on an energy bar, before the one climb of the ride. The normal and longer routes are timed so that a faster and slower group should have a good chance of seeing each other at Parham.
Special Notes [2] the Seafront Adventure
The idea of this return route is to follow the coast as closely as possible (at one point, extremely closely) without leaving two wheels for more than a very short time. It deliberately uses slower roads and paths for a lot of the way in order to give those of us with less extreme endurance a chance to recover – it’s entertaining, but make sure that you’ve allowed extra time if you’re following this route. Before it heads very briefly onto the beach at the Bluebird Café, the route passes through the Kingston Gorse estate, avoiding an unpleasant detour onto the A259 – you may be asked by the gatekeeper to dismount and walk for 800 metres, but if you ask courteously and promise to ride slowly he will normally allow you to continue. The later detour across the sea lock at Shoreham is optional, especially at high water, when ships queue up to cross your path.
If you’re in a hurry to get home, the fastest alternative is to use the A259 as far as Shoreham.
Special Notes [3] the Café
The cake stop is a bustling hut on the grass-covered beach car park. You arrive, you sit in the sun and eat lunch – simple as that. As this is a long run, you’ll probably want a hot fish-finger sandwich rather than cake, but there’s perfectly decent cake there too if that’s what you prefer. The coffee’s real, and it’s easily the least expensive place that we go to. No inside seating, but outside tables and plenty of grass.