Ripley is a beautiful village in Surrey that has a special place in the history of British cycling. The Ripley Road was a popular course for bicycle rides in the late 19th century and the Anchor Inn at Ripley was the favoured haunt of early wheelmen. Read all about it in Carlton Reid’s feature-length article on the Ripley Road.
The Anchor at Ripley - Courtesy of Send and Ripley History Society
Nearby Wisley Woods was the scene of women’s bicycle rallies in the first decades of the twentieth century.
Wisley Woods - Courtesy of Send and Ripley History Society
Ripley is also home to the best cycle jumble in the country. The next one will be on 15 September and we’ll be riding down from London for the occasion.
An early start is needed to ensure a good pick of the bargains at the jumble, so we’ll depart from underneath Admiralty Arch (near Trafalgar Square) at 8am, following an efficient route through South West London, more or less the Olympic road race course (View & download GPX etc) which is on entirely passable but sometimes busy roads. It’s 45 kilometres and it’ll take a couple of hours. We’ll arrive at Ripley for mugs of tea, bacon sandwiches and bread pudding.
For those who prefer to get to the jumble early or don’t fancy a brisk Saturday morning ride, you can take the train from Waterloo to Woking (20 minutes) from where it’s a gentle 8 km ride to Ripley. Anna and Fenn will lead the ride from Woking. Meet under the clock at Waterloo Station at 9.15 for a train shortly after.
After a browse of the stalls at the jumble we will take loop around the lanes. And a pint at the Anchor. We’ll make a lunch stop but do feel free to bring a packed lunch. Then a return ride to London, by the slow route. Or, if you’re laden down with bargains, take a train back from Woking. Feel free to decide on the day.
If the start is too early or you don’t fancy the ride through London, then by all means take train some of the way down or meet us en route.
If you’d like to come, please fill out the form at the bottom of the page.
Morning mists on the road to Ripley
Cake at the jumble
Finding a bargain at the jumble
