Next Ride: Sunday 30 April 2023: Emsworth Circular via Westbourne, Stoughton and East Marden

From Emsworth we ride through the delightful village of Westbourne along mainly quiet roads; we’ll see the Racton Monument, a ruined 18th-century folly that is said to be haunted, to which we can ride or walk up a track (just under half a mile each way). Lunch will be at 2pm at the Hare and Hounds at Stoughton, and then we ride on to East Marden, with its unusual thatched well. After ascending the one real hill (for which, luckily, a “bike-carrying” service was provided last time though cannot be guaranteed on this occasion) we’ll continue westwards until we reach the Waterloo-Portsmouth railway line at Idsworth, where St Hubert’s church (1053) has 14th century wall paintings and also a 20th century one. Riding south alongside the railway, we reach Rowlands Castle, and then back to Emsworth, via a lovely wooded path.

Terrain: All hard surfaces, mostly quiet lanes. Undulations: Remarkably few.

Distance: 20 miles.

Start at: Emsworth station at 12:10 pm. This ride has a late start because of lunch venue availability.

Getting there: Catch the 11:00 Southampton train from Brighton station. Return trains are at 14 and 38 minutes past the hour.