PW_3_2024

Spotlight on the SIGS

At the entrance to Goodwood IPA Motorcycle Section AGM Leatherhead May 24 Roger Jackaman Last year’s AGM at Moffat saw me offer the services of the Federation House near to me in Leatherhead as a southern venue for the forthcoming year.

T he more I thought about it, the more the momentum grew . The services offered are excellent and in no particular order: easy access (traffic permitting) to the M25, British Rail next door, the town of Leatherhead 10 minutes’ walk, fairly quick access to riding areas, and the coast a possibility. Importantly, the staff are willing and helpful. The secure underground car park being especially welcome for us motorcyclists. The group has a strong northern bias – by coming south we might redress this imbalance. Paul Firth and Stuart were soon convinced, and a date was chosen, sit back and wait for spring. Living locally, the ride out routes were all my responsibility, with Paul Firth and Stuart taking care of the admin. Friday night dinner was booked at the busy “Penny Black” pub in the town, an easy walk and looked after, capably, by Holly. I was aware that all except me had had a long ride down on the Friday, so a casual start with full tanks saw us out into my favourite lanes in and around Newdigate, Rusper and Faygate. A coffee stop at Strawberry Fields went down well, sitting outside in the sunshine. A few more lanes and some proper roads dropped us down into “Glorious Goodwood” for lunch at the Control Tower, again outside in the sunshine. A car track day was in progress which added to the atmosphere but was trumped by a Spitfire taking off, with lucky timing, as we strolled across the car park. With lengthy days in mind, we had a straightforward ride home with afternoon tea at Brook before negotiating a route back to Leatherhead avoiding the dreaded Junction 10 of the M25. All in the sunshine.

Richard, Stuart, Sally, Helen, Malcolm, Roger and Joe at Box Hill viewpoint

Saturday’s evening meal, in house, was excellent. A concise AGM reaffirmed “all in post” had done an excellent job and would be invited and thanked to continue. Night cap and mingle with a separate group who had come up for London Theatre shows saw a satisfying end to a good day. A hearty and efficient breakfast Sunday morning went down well before we set out on a reconfigured route. A few more lanes, wide enough to have a centre line, saw us head off in the direction of Petworth, narrowly avoiding a ‘road closure’ sign on a favourite ride down through Lodsworth. A coffee stop at the Milk Churn café set the mood to sit happily in the sunshine until we were ready to return to Leatherhead. The route home took us near to Box Hill. The thought occurred to me that this could be of interest - and keep us away from Junction 10! Box Hill has been a favourite landmark for years, but of late become famous for National, International and Olympic cycle events. A pleasant half hour was spent at the viewpoint, watching all the local cyclists trying to emulate their professional heroes. A gentle ride back to Federation House, an informal lunch and de-brief saw the various groups gradually dispersing, after agreeing to meet up at Paignton in July for a more comprehensive debrief. Happy, sunny days to follow.

POLICE WORLD Vol 69 No.3, 2024

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