Members’ Ride 24th May

Nine members assembled at the Dutch House Café on the A20 on a showery Saturday morning.

I’ve been past this place numerous times both in its previous incarnation as a pub and now as a café,  however as it’s only fifteen minutes from home I’ve never stopped for refreshment until now. We were the only customers until a couple of dog-walkers arrived, but the place is clean and spacious with a good selection of classic ‘caff’ food. It’s bang on the A20 for a quick getaway into Kent and there are plenty of petrol stations nearby – though this didn’t prevent one of our number from forgetting to fill up before the start of the ride.

I’d worked out a looping route starting and ending in West Malling, to get there we headed down through Crockenhill to Eynsford, along the A225, picking up Pilgrims Way to Wrotham and then the last stretch on the A20. Once on the route proper we took a mixture of lanes and some faster roads, crossing the scenic Teston Bridge, stopping at Goudhurst for a comfort break before arriving at Hythe for lunch.

Drizzle was quite persistent through the morning, affecting visibility, and the previous night’s rain had brought a deal of gravel and other debris onto the road. This together with the generally poor state of many of the surfaces meant that caution was needed. On the positive side, traffic was light, possibly deterred by the weather. 

Unfortunately, the Lazy Shack, our lunch stop on the beach at Hythe was rather busy, so some chose to brave the outdoor seating. Those who found a spot indoor had their meal break enlivened by a charming waitress; one member also stocked up at the fishmonger to the rear of the café – apparently, it’s all owned by a local fishing family.

A good number of the group decided to make their own way home, missing the second and best part of the ride. This took us through narrow lanes, hidden valleys and quiet villages in the section of Kent bounded by the A2, M20 and A249, very scenic, with some technically challenging sections.  After a rest stop, and as time was getting on we decided not to follow the full route but to depart once we hit the main A249. Another time…….

I’d decided, perhaps foolishly to give my Morini Sport an outing and as it does not enjoy motorways  I returned to south London via the A20. This bike will have its fiftieth birthday next year but was able to stand up to a day’s riding: total mileage (from-to my home) 158 miles; riding time on the route – approx. 4 hours. Fuel consumption 8.84 lit (just under 2 gallons) 81- MPG, you wouldn’t get that on a modern bike!

John McNally