Epsom and Ewell Healthy Ride to Belvedere Tower

The recent demise of Pollards Hill Cyclists, which was, like us, a Cycling UK affiliated group, gives us an excellent opportunity to step into their shoes and start organising 30 mile leisure cycle rides in the South-West London area. This is an area that is rarely visited by rides organised by Inner London cycling groups, probably for political reasons. We plan to start by organising this ride to Belvedere Tower, which sits in an Alice in Wonderland setting in Claremont Landscape Garden. It is surrounded by some very scenic cycle paths. We will meet for this ride at Nonsuch Mansion House Cafe at 12 noon. Nonsuch Mansion House is located just over a mile from Sutton Station, which has a frequent Thameslink service to Southwark and Camden. Belvedere Tower offers stunning views of London. It is normally closed to the public, but this ride is taking place on one of the rare occasions when it will be open. The tower was designed over 250 years ago by Sir John Vanbrugh for the Duke of Newcastle, who was then Prime Minister. We start the ride by cycling to Ewell and then following to a scenic 2 mile cycle path along the Hogsmill River - the River Wandle of the far South-West. We then pass through Claygate on our way to Claremont Landscape Gardens. We will stop off for one and a half hours to visit the Belvedere Tower, and the gardens in which the tower is situated. Entry to the tower is free, but, for non-members of the National Trust, there is a standard entry charge of £7.65 to visit the gardens. There is free admission to the café (it's outside the pay barrier) if you don't want to visit the tower and gardens. We then return using a slightly different route to Nonsuch Park, where the ride finishes. Distance of the ride: 21 mi Cost: £7.65 for non-members of the National Trust for entry to the gardens Meet at: Nonsuch Mansion House Cafe, Ewell Rd, Sutton SM3 8AL Ride Leader: Nigel Bee (tel 07415 315 690, email [email protected] ) For more details, and the route, see https://www.cyclinguk.org/event/ride/epsom-ewell-healthy-ride-belvedere-tower