Thursday 12 March 2020

NFCC Sunday Club Ride, 15th March 2020


Meet at main car park in Brookley Rd, Brockenhurst 8.50 a.m for a 9.00 a.m start.
Following government guidelines and in response to the Corona-virus pandemic this week we will sadly have to eschew our traditional Sunday morning greeting of kissing on both cheeks in favour of the ‘Wuhan shake’. As a further safety precaution, those with sniffles are urged self-isolate at the back.
This week’s route sees us leaving Brockenhurst via Meerut Rd where we turn onto Rhinefield drive all the way to the A35. From here we turn left onto the A35 and then make the right turn up Lyndhurst Rd towards Burley. We avoid reaching the fleshpots of Burley by taking a right onto Forest road and then along Moortown lane towards Crow passing Knave’s Ash also known as Smugglers Rd on the right.
The New Forest is rich in smuggling folklore but Burley and its surrounding area is particularly, some might say given its shady reputation, unsurprisingly notorious. During its peak in the 18th Century the smuggling and selling of contraband was considered by most to be a perfectly acceptable occupation, no different from operating a supermarket chain today.
Knave’s Ash was home to the Warne’s, a family well known for transporting goods along the old smugglers road. Lovey Warne would meet the boats in Mudeford, undress and carefully wrap herself in the contraband Silk or fine laces. After dressing Lovey would show no sign of having the illegally imported goods about her person.
She continued to operate successfully until her luck finally ran out during the flu pandemic of 1820. Suspicious of her burgeoning waistline the Revenue men on the docks challenged Lovey to show them what she was hiding beneath her petticoat. To their astonishment Lovey was found to be in possession of 50 family-sized bags of Andrex and a life-times supply of cheesy crisps.
Nothing much changes it seems except for the severity of the punishment, the judge sentencing her to be hung, drawn and quavered, a joke which didn’t work in the 18th century and let’s face it doesn’t work today.
We arrive at and take Charles's lane on our left and proceed to Ringwood Rd where we head south. Next we turn right onto Harpway lane and then carefully navigate our way between Sopley and Bransgore. At the Lamb Inn we head east along Bockhampton and Harrow Rd. Then head north on Forest Rd before passing through the ‘devil’s basement’, Burley and join Burley and Pound lane. From here it’s back to Brock’ via Wilverley and ten Bends.
If, by the weekend it is still legal to enter a café in groups of more than one we will then head to the Sett for vittles’.
Forecast is O.K. so hopefully another well-attended week. Route downloadable here

Club Ride – Saturday 14th March


Forecast looks good this weekend so will stretch the Saturday ride a little to 130Km
Usual meet at 0850 for an 0900 depart from the main car park in Brookley Road, Brockenhurst.
Out via Mill Lane and Hatchet Pond. Then Beaulieu, North Road, Colbury, Ashurst, Woodlands, Bartley, Newbridge, Black Hill Road and then leave the forest when we cross the A36 at West Wellow. Onto Shootash and Awbridge, then Lockerley, Dean and up the hill to Wet Tytherley. Turn right towards East Tytherley, onto Houghton and head north past Stockbridge to the Waitrose café at Leckford for coffee.
Back via Stockbridge, Kings Somborne, Mottisfont, Awbridge, West Wellow, Nomansland, Fritham and Bolderwood. Brockenhurst will bring it up to 130Km
Barry

Thursday 5 March 2020

Club Ride – Saturday 7th March


Hopefully third time lucky and we’ll get the Broad Chalke this week. It’s been so long since the last Saturday ride can everybody who’s not called Phil please wear a name badge!
Plan to meet at 0850 for an 0900 depart from the main car park in Brookley Road, Brockenhurst.
Out via Rhinefield, Bolderwood and onto the end of Ocknells Plain by the Milkham car park. Aim to be there around 0935 for anybody that wants to meet there.
Then onto High Corner, Moyles Court, aim to be there by 0945 if you want to pick up the ride there.
North Gorley, Stuckton, Fordingbridge and head north to Whitsbury. From there onto Coombe Bissett and along the Chalke Valley to Broad Chalke and a well earned coffee stop at the community shop there.
Return via Martin, Alderholt, Harbridge, Poulner, Burley and Brock for a total of around 105Km.
Barry

Sunday Club Ride 8th March


Meet in the car park on Brookley Rd, Brockenhurst, 8.50 for an 9.00 A.M start.
First up, Apology. Although it was fantastic to have such a large group out last week it may have led to me taking my eye off the ball somewhat. As everyone knows, the first rule of Sunday Club Ride is no-one gets dropped, it’s supposed to be as comfortable as wearing your Grandads slippers.
Unfortunately due to my piss-poor leadership skills we had people, including new riders being spat out the back and ended up spread out over about 800 metres by the time we reached Braggers Hill. In future if we get such high numbers we’ll split into two clear groups, one faster leaving first and one slower leaving second. Sunday rules will strictly apply to the second group. Both groups will try to keep a neat and tidy formation.
This week I thought we’d try out the newest of our 6 regular routes.
We head out of Brock via Sway Rd, hang a right towards Sway, left and then left again on Pitmore lane before re-joining Sway Rd. a quick left on the main rd to take the right onto Marsh lane, hang a left over the water before joining Undershore Rd and passing the Lymington ferry.
The Lymington Ferry joins the mainland to the Isle of Wight. Wight Link Ferries claim that ‘at just 40 minutes this is the quickest, most scenic and comfortable way to visit the 18th Century’.
The primitive ancient peoples on the Island are known ass ‘Caulkheads’, specifically referring to those with three or more generations of boat building heritage. To Caulk is to seal the gaps between the planking on a new boat using a thick tar, mixed with whale blubber. The Caulk is then boiled down to a foul viscous liquid and applied when still warm. These ancient skills have thankfully not been lost to the island and can still be witnessed today on one of the islands many brewing tours
On to S. Baddesley Rd, through South Baddesley itself and left through the East End on the Lymington Rd. Up to East Boldre and Hatchet Pond.
From Hatchet Pond we turn right, pass Beaulieu and follow Hatchet lane to pass Beaulieu Rd Station on our left.
Beaulieu Rd station was not originally part of the planned network. The railway company were obliged to open it as a 'personal' station for Lord Montagu, a concession to him for allowing the railway to be built over part of his Beaulieu Estate. A special signal would indicate to the train drivers that they should stop for Lord Montagu and his guests. In reply, as they hit the accelerator, the train drivers would offer up a few special signals of their own.
We head to Lyndhurst passing Boltons Bench on our right until we reach and follow the national treasure that is the Lyndhurst one-way system. Heading west on the A35 before taking the right turn to Emery Down. From Emery Down we turn left passing the iconic Portuguese fireplace up the arse-end of Bolderwood to the top of the hill. Re-group if necessary at the top of Bolderwood before taking a sharp left back down to the A35. Cross over and back to Brockenhurst for Vittles at The Sett.
Weather looks o.k-ish so I hope to see another great turnout.


Phil H