On arrival at Bromley South at 7.30 pm I found just two riders huddled under the station forecourt canopy against a fine but steady drizzle. Jonathan, Tracey and I waited for a further 15 minutes but there were no other takers and so we set off into the rather dank evening.

The target pub this evening was at Locks Bottom so not really all that far down the A21 but we decided to follow a more circuitous (not much point going for a bike ride if you don’t do at least a few miles). We headed up to Jubilee Park and paused to read about the Anti-Aircraft Battery which was stationed here during WW2. We then dropped down through Petts Wood and as we had been discussing the cancellation of the project to provide cycling links to the schools on Bromley Common we followed the path which runs parallel to Crofton Lane alongside the edge of Bromley Common. At the moment this is foot path but there is plenty of room to make it a shared resource. It is very difficult to understand why this has been shelved or abandoned.

We hadn’t really noticed but by now the rain, such as it ever was, had stopped. So we cycled down through Farnborough Village and then back up the A21 to the pub and here we were met by Tony and Mark. They were dressed in cycling kit and had bikes with them but they did seem remarkably dry considering the weather, perhaps I’m just being a bit too suspicious.

The pub was relatively uncrowded and we settled with our drinks for a chat. We didn’t formally score the pub but it was generally very pleasant, the staff seemed friendly, the place was clean and there were no complaints about the drinks served, so I think it will do well in our pub of the month competition.

We stayed until about 10:30 before leaving to head for our homes. The rain haad by now returned with a vengeance so it was a very wet ride home.