…was the response, so it is said, of King George V when he was asked if he would like to go to the Sussex seaside resort to convalesce from his illness. Unfortunately, they are supposed to be the last words he ever uttered, and so they have gone down in history.
This ride came about when friends Keith and Bob were training for their End to End in summer 1999. They wanted a ride that would give them a good workout but they wanted it to be enjoyable at the same time, and give them the kind of mix of road conditions they might meet on their actual ride. It was actually a couple of years before I got round to trying the ride out for myself, but they were so pleased with it they assumed I already knew every inch of it!
It was intended as a one-day there and back trip. In its latest form it is only just short of 100 miles, so you can treat it as a challenging day out, or take your time, stay overnight on the coast, and make a weekend of it.
The outward route, through Guildford, Godalming, Hambledon and Chiddingfold, and on as far as the A272 near Midhurst is the same as on our Ride to Ryde. It's a brilliant way down to that middle section of the south coast without getting tangled up in too many main roads. The only problem is that there aren't many roads across the South Downs, so I sent Keith and Bob over to the A285 and up Duncton Hill so that they could stretch their legs a bit on 4 miles of steep main road. After that, a few miles more of country lane followed, before a final run into Bognor on the A29, part of it dual carriageway. I've changed this to give a rather roundabout but more rural alternative here.
On the way back from Bognor the route heads east through Middleton-on-Sea, then up to Arundel. The crossing of the South Downs is once again on a main road, but hopefully one of the quieter ones, and as soon as possible the route gets back onto tiny lanes. North of Fittleworth the lanes become very narrow indeed, and there's a bit of a climb through some lovely countryside. After passing through Wisborough Green, it heads up towards the Sussex border, where it joins a B-road through Loxwood and Alfold, before heading in the direction of Guildford. But at the last moment, beyond Shamley Green, it veers off and climbs over the North Downs on a steep and winding little lane. The final stretch is through the outskirts of Guildford, and so back to Woking.
Updated: 9 January 2003
You can also display the Microsoft Autoroute maps and route details by clicking on the map above.
