Good weather for Inaugural Official Saturday Morning Double Butty Run

Since everyone has been saying how good the coffee is at Di Paulo's I made sure I was there early to savour it. When I got there at 9:25 Steve Curtis was already there to make his once a month guest appearance on the ride. Yes the coffee was good but I went for toast and marmalade rather than a bacon butty as others arrived and we chatted. As 9:45 approached no one from Pre Bacon Butty Run (BBR) had turned up.

As I thought about going outside to unlock the bikes Tom N and Peter B appeared and ordered a coffee. The Pre BBR of four riders, several regulars were not free to come along, were a bit behind what I had been told was their usual schedule. Paul popped in to chat with us, but went without coffee, and first timer Gary headed off back home straight away.

So the BBR of seven riders set off at 10:00 sharp, a little later than the advertised depart time of 9:45, if you read my emails. It was a good job we were late leaving otherwise Malcolm D would have missed the roll out by arriving at 9:58. It was not until the afternoon that I found out the BLOG Calendar said departure was 10:00 which contradicted my emails but would actually suit me better.

We will stick with the advertised BLOG departure time of 10:00 even though I was told the Pre BBR riders can get back by 9:20 some weeks when they have a shorter ride and longer coffee stop.

As a one off we did a slight variation on the route out of Bexhill to check out a possible chain gang circuit for evenings when there is ice on the marsh road. As usual everyone regrouped in the car park of The Lamb at Wartling after the dig up Horsewalk and confirmed we would be heading for Chilley Farm on the summer route and not switching to the winter stop at Pevensey Bakery.

Unusually there were a few hairy moment as we set out south from Herstmonceux. Often we do not see a car but it must have been an MG owners run coming the other way along what is little more than a single track road. When group is riding in to blind corners on narrow lanes the first two riders need to go through single file and shout very loud if a car is coming the other way so everyone behind can file up. As we hit the first blind corner I was riding at the back, outside and slightly offset behind as I chatted to Steve. Since we were a bit spread out I had not heard any call that a car was approaching the corner. It was a close shave as I locked the rear wheel and then released to just miss the car with blaring horn ........ So make sure you always shout warnings very loud and if not filed up make sure you are not level side by side as you ride in to a blind corner. Although several more MGs were coming the other way, and not keen to move tight into the side of the road in their precious vehicles, they were fortunately going at a sedate pace otherwise there could have been more potential problems.

There had been rain forecast, there was a hint before we set out, but by the time we were at Chilley Farm there was blue sky and warm sun as we sat outside in September like conditions on the first day of November. No one had a bacon butty at Di Paulo's and Chilley Farm , which would be unusual for me since I always had a bacon roll at The Bridge Cafe, so who will be the first to reach Gold Standard on the Double Bacon Butty Run?

Chris Parker

P.S. vegetarians are very welcome and can become Gold Standard Double Butty riders if they have two egg Butties, one at each stop.

P.S. Platinum Standard is for those that can make it three Butties on weeks there is a Triple Butty Run with some going further on a leg out to e.g. Heathfield after the Chilley Farm stop and having end of ride sustenance back in Hastings!