NFCC Sunday Club Ride, 26th January 2020

Meet at main car park in Brookley Rd, Brockenhurst 8.50 a.m for a 9.00 a.m start.

We leave Brockenhurst via Meerut Rd, then turn onto Rhinefield drive to the A35. Turn left onto the A35 and then taking care 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.

The name "Crow" may be derived from an old Common Brittonic word ‘Criw’ meaning "ford", or perhaps "craw" meaning "hovel". The estate agents tend to focus on ‘Ford’ today but certainly during the time that the Doomsday book was compiled in 1086 Crow wasn’t the fancy-dan place that it is today.

The local lord, the ambitious Godric Malf owned the few plough-able fields in the area but paid just two ‘geld pieces’ in taxation to his lord King William per annum.

The entrepreneurial Godric Malf’s root vegetable empire had sadly failed after gambling on the ‘King William turnip’ but he eventually struck 'Geld' for his cultivation of the Horse Chestnut tree. Malf's fame chiefly derives from his invention of a simple game played using the fruiting bodies of these trees and two shoe laces. It was Godric himself who introduced the sport to King William in 1068 who became a skilled exponent of the game, ultimately earning himself the epithet by which he has been known ever since.

‘William the Conkerer’ went on to write his follow–up best-seller and whilst ‘Let’s go Conkers’ didn’t quite have the gravitas of 'The Domesday book' it is still a useful guide for ‘Aggie-heads’ everywhere. William’s hardening techniques, Gimleting and record breaking 66’er are still legend today.

We arrive at Charles's lane 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 Burley and joining Burley and Pound lane. Its back to Brock via Wilverley and ten Bends, finishing at The Sett cafe at Brockenhurst for the hard earned calorific sin of your choice and a cup of their finest.

Forecast is 'Not bad for this time of year' so hopefully a well-attended week. Route downloadable here

https://www.strava.com/routes/16701553