The day dawned unusually sunny and warm for the time of year and, as a consequence, a record 20 cyclists gathered at Chichester Library for a ride to West Dean Gardens Café. Interestingly, the same February ride in 2018 only attracted 7 cyclists, as it was extremely cold at the time, with the ‘Beast From The East’ approaching the UK.
We left the library and headed west towards Westgate. Before the railway, we took a right hand turn to go along Centurion Way. We carried on along the cyclepath, using the new extension which brought us out in West Dean opposite The Dean pub. We then used the pavement to do the final part of the journey to West Dean Gardens.
The café was (not unexpectedly) busy; however, we managed to crowd round 2 tables outside and enjoyed basking in the warm sun. Reluctant to leave our suntrap, we stayed at the café for over an hour, until the sun had moved away from us and some of the cyclists started to mention that they wanted to get home in time to watch the England v Wales rugby match.
We took the same route back along Centurion Way and arrived back in Chichester at approximately 4.30 pm.
Philippa
Bognor and Chichester Cycling UK 