May 18, 2024
The bike ride started off with overcast skies which gradually lightened up to a beautiful afternoon. The first town was Hassocks followed by the beautiful village of Keymer. Flanked along the main street are the Greyhound Pub, a mini garden followed by the Parish Church with a fence made from ancient stones. Here, I met a fellow cyclist Swen from Vancouver. He had come all the way from Brighton and judging by his bicycle, he looked to me to be a serious cyclist.
Further along, the path took us to Ditchling which I daresay has been recently voted one of best two villages in Sussex. Needless to say the views are breathtaking beautiful along the ride. Every now and then, we are greeted with unbridled view of the South Downs. Once beyond Ditchling Common, the path narrows to a gravel surface for bikes and pedestrians. A stop at an overpass rendered a view of a passing train from Burgess Hill to perhaps Brighton?
Once in Burgess Hill, I forced myself to stop and watch cricket match in progress at St John's Park between Burgess Hill 2nd XI and Ansty 1st XI (neighbouring village). Ansty were batting. The batsman with a blue helmet was a delight to watch - anything overpitched and he would drive gloriously between cover and extra cover to the ropes. Anything short, he would cut majestically square off the wicket. The Burgess Hill skipper appeared to be portly and positioned himself closer to wicket to avoid chasing the ball. The off spin bowler was impressive, and parsimonious with flight and trajectory of the ball. The most heartening observation for me was seeing a lone woman fielding in the Burgess Hill XI. She is young with a long pony tail which would bob every time she ran after the ball. In addition, she is a brilliant fielder. One of the welcome change from the old days is what is termed "mixed team" where ladies can join men and play cricket together.
Probably, the favourite bike ride thus far. Worth repeating the ride in the near future.
Cheers!
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