Round Trip Ride – Epsom & Ashtead 走一轉系列 – Epsom & Ashtead

In this round of my Round Trip Ride, I will share with you my visit to another adjacent district, the Borough of Epsom and Ewell, plus an unplanned short ride to Borough of Mole Valley as well.

Why suddenly a change of plan?

The original destination was just Epsom Common. However, upon arriving at my destination, I felt hungry and I remembered a wonderful local cafe in the nearby Ashtead that I had visited with my family before. Without further consideration, I extended my ride and had lunch there.

今次要介绍的行程主要會到 Borough of Epsom and Ewell，同場加影 Borough of Mole Valley。

為何這樣講呢？

因為原本只打算到 Epsom Common，但抵達目的地時有點肚餓，想起一間在 Ashtead，和家人一起吃過午餐的地區小店。不用多想，臨時加插 Ashtead。

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Borough of Epsom and Ewell is located in the south eastern side of Kingston. Whereas Borough of Mole Valley is located in the southern side of Kingston, adjacent to Borough of Epsom and Ewell.

Slightly different from my previous trips, this trip was mainly road based except for the short cut-through via Hogsmill Riverside Open Space. Despite the portion of the outbound trip from Kingston Road A2043 to Malden was slightly busy, it was still safe to ride along. The return trip from Epsom Common began first along Horton Lane back to Hogsmill Riverside Open Space. By leaving from another exit, the ride merged into Kingston Road A240 to Tolworth Roundabout. Traffic volumes for both of these roads were quite high and cars were in fact, moving fast. However, nicely paved cycleways were built along most of the 8 Km roads. As the area was quite far away from the town centre and the cycleways were not highly utilised, cyclists could pedal much faster. For the last leg of the journey from Tolworth, I rode on the King Charles Road back to Kingston town centre.

Total distance for the trip was under 40 Km even the ad-hoc Ashtead extension was added. Frankly speaking, it was still a relatively relaxing ride.

Same as before, the ride started from Brook Street and travel along the following major Point of Interests:

• Bonner Hill Road
• Elm Road Level Crossing
• Malden / Worcester Park Railway Station
• Hogsmill Riverside Open Space
• Epsom Common
• Ashtead Common
• Horton Lane
• A240 Kingston Road / Tolworth Roundabout
• King Charles Road / Surbiton / Penrhyn Road

Borough of Epsom and Ewell 在 Kingston 的東南方，而 Borough of Mole Valley 則在 Kingston 南部，舆 Borough of Epsom and Ewell 接壤。

與前幾次行程有點不同，今次路線以馬路為主，其間只會短短穿越 Hogsmill Riverside Open Space。去程以 Kingston Road A2043 到 Malden 那段比較繁忙，但仍非常安全。由 Epsom Common 回程首先會經 Horton Lane 返回 Hogsmill Riverside Open Space，再沿另一條 Kingston Road A240 到 Tolworth Roudabout 。這兩段路車輛流量頗高，速度亦不算低，但還好的是這長達八公里的路沿途大部份都設有單車徑。由於遠離市中心，使用者不多，再加上路面狀況良好，騎行速度可稍為提高。而當到達 Tolworth 後便會走 King Charles Road 返回 Kingston 市中心。

即使加入突發的 Ashtead 一段，總行程仍是在 40 公里內，尚算是一個輕鬆之旅。

行程一如以往，從 Brook Street 出發，沿途經過以下幾個主要地點：

• Bonner Hill Road
• Elm Road Level Crossing
• Malden / Worcester Park Railway Station
• Hogsmill Riverside Open Space
• Epsom Common
• Ashtead Common
• Horton Lane
• A240 Kingston Road / Tolworth Roundabout
• King Charles Road / Surbiton / Penrhyn Road

For most of the previous journeys, I normally rode through Berrylands Railway Station. So I attempted another route towards Malden this time. Upon leaving Brook Street, I rode along Fairfield South and slowly climbed up the Bonnie Hill Road to Kingston Cemetry & Crematorium. Next moved along Gloucester Road after crossing Kingston Road A2043. This alternate route should also work for other eastbound journeys.

以往多次都是往南經 Berrylands 火車站走，今次去 Malden 一帶就來個新嘗試，離開 Brook Street 後取道 Fairfield South，再沿 Bonnie Hill Road 慢慢爬上小斜坡至 Kingston Cemetry & Crematorium，横越 Kingston Road A2043 到 Gloucester Road，這個走法亦適用於其他東行路線。

Hogsmill Riverside Open Space is part of the Hogsmill Local Nature Reserve and located along two banks of the Hogsmill River which originated from Ewell nearby and flows into Kingston town centre.

Hogsmill Riverside Open Space is open all year round. Paths in the open space are available to public for various activities like walking, cycling and walk dogs. However, unlike othe commons and open spaces, equestrian access is not alllowed in this open space.

Hogsmill Riverside Open Space 是 Hogsmill 自然保護區的一部份，位於 Hogsmill River 兩傍，而 Hogsmill River 上遊在附近的 Ewell，一路申延至 Kingstion 市中心。

Hogsmill Riverside Open Space 全日開放，内設有多條小路可供市民散步、放狗及踩單車等活動，但與其他 Common / Open Space 不同，此處嚴禁騎馬。

By moving along Hogsmill River after leaving Hogsmill Riverside Open Space, it only took a short while to arrive at my destination, Epsom Common.

With a total area of about 177 Hectares, Epsom Common is a Local Nature Reserve in UK for wildlife, especially for breeding of birds. Adjacent to Epsom Common, is the 200 Hectares National Nature Reserve, Ashtead Common, which is famous for the wood of decaying ancient trees and the rare invertebrates that live in it.

Just as what I have mentioned earlier, I felt hungry after arrived at Epsom Common by noon. Initially, I considered to have lunch at the English Pub, Cricketers Inn right next to the nearby Stamford Green Pond. However, after taking a look at the menu, I found it quite expensive and not worthwhile just to take a brief lunch all by myself. Maybe leave it next time to enjoy with my family.

離開 Hogsmill Riverside Open Space 後沿著 Hogsmill River 一直走，不久便到達今天的目的地，Epsom Common。

Epsom Common 是英國一個地區性的自然保護區，主要目標是野生動物保育，面積約 177 公頃。而傍邊則是另一個以腐爛的古樹的木材及生活在其中的稀有無脊椎動物的國家級自然保護區 Ashtead Common，面積稍大，約 200 公頃。

正如之前所講，到達時已是中午，有點肚餓。本打算到附近的 Stamford Green Pond 傍邊有一間英式酒吧 Cricketers Inn 吃午餐。但一看餐牌，發覺一點都不便宜；加上一個人匆匆忙忙的吃實在太沒有生活情趣了，還是下次同家人再來吃吧！

After reviewing my cycle computer, I noticed that Rye Cafe & Juice Bar that I had lunch with my family a number of times, was in the nearby Lower Ashtead. Only about 3 Km if riding through Ashtead Common. Rye Cafe’s foods are really tasty and all cooked-to-order by the shop owner. It definitely worth to ride a little longer into Borough of Mole Valley, to have lunch there.

看看單車 GPS，突然想起之前多次與家人吃過午餐的一間精緻小店 Rye Cafe & Juice Bar 就在附近不遠的 Lower Ashtead，穿越 Ashtead Common 的話，只需約 3 公里的路程。Rye Cafe 的食品做得很好，全部都是店主一手一脚，即叫即做，想起都留口水，即使踩多 3 公里進入 Borough of Mole Valley 仍是絶對值得。

If you take a look at my Strava ride record, you might notice that I had made several wrong attempts while cycling from Epsom Common to Ashtead Common and wasted considerable times. All those attempts were the result of ad-hoc change to the originally prepared cycling route, plus my careless overlooks in finding the correct path. Later that night, I found out that I should turn right to Summer Gate and directly into Ashtead Common while riding along Bramble Walk, instead of going straight into Willows Path.

有留意我的 Strava 行程記錄會發覺我在 Epsom Common 往 Ashtead Common 時兜兜轉轉，踩了很多冤枉路！一切皆因事前準備好的 GPS 路線沒有這突然而來的路徑，人手找路線時又有點心急大意。事後重温，原來是在 Bramble Walk 走錯分差路，應該轉右往 Summer Gate 直接進入 Ashtead Common，而不是直行至 Willows Path！

Well, bad things won’t come alone!

When I finally arrived in Lower Ashtead, I found out that Rye Cafe was closed for preparation of a special event at night.

正所謂「衰開有條路」！

幾經辛苦，終於到達時，竟發覺 Rye Cafe 晚上有 Special Event，日間休息。

How can I let all my readers get disappointed when there is no photos of foods, especially after reading through so many paragraphs?

Let me share with you some of foods I previously had in Rye Cafe.

By the way, the cafe owner is a nice gentleman, father of two little kids and a very caring person. If you have the chance to visit Lower Ashtead, I highly recommend to take a visit to Rye Cafe & Juice Bar.

寫了這麽多段，最後一點美食都沒有，又怎樣對得住大家呢？

就讓我分享一下之前吃過的午餐。

店主是一個温文爾雅的父親，有兩位小朋友，是一個很有 heart 的人，大家如果有機會到 Lower Ashtead 的話，我誠意推薦一定要去試試。

Finding cafe in suburbs like Lower Ashtead wasn’t that easy as you might think. For more decent one, you had to visit Leatherhead which was slightly further away. Otherwise, you might consider to get one near the Ashtead Railway Station. As it was a little bit late in the afternoon, I ended up sitting by the roadside and eating sandwiches from Craddocks Artisan Bakery. Kind of an alternative form of enjoyment.

In terms of presentation, Craddocks Artisan Bakery’s made-to-order sandwiches was not on-par with those in Rye Cafe and at £3.25, that was not cheap as well. Luckily, the ingredients were fresh and the sandwiches still tasted good.

在 Lower Ashtead 這種市郊地方找間 cafe 確實不易，要環境好一些的便需走遠少少到 Leatherhead，將就一點就可回到 Ashtead 火車站附近的大街看看。由于時間亦不早，最後我還是到車站大街一間麵包店 Craddocks Artisan Bakery 買一份三文治。坐在路傍，一邊望望路過車輛，一邊吃我的三文治、咖啡，也算是另一種悠閒的享受。

論賣相，這間手工麵包店的即做三文治真的無法與 Rye Cafe 相比，3.25 鎊的價錢亦不見得便宜，但配料尚算新鮮，味道也不錯。

Most of the returned trip were relatively straight roads and riding on a road bike was really great.

Once you got to A3 Tolworth Roundabout near the Tolworth Railway Station, dismounted and walked to Tolworth Broadway using the underground pedestrian tunnel across the roundabout.

回程在離開 Ashtead Common、Epsom Common 之後的路差不多全是大直路，坐在公路車上騎乘感覺一流。

當抵達 Tolworth 火車站附近的 A3 Tolworth Roundabout 時，下車並利用回旋處內的行人隧道走到對面的 Tolworth Broadway。

There was another Italian restaurant located in Ewell Road, Il Mulino, that I would highly recommended. Despite the restaurant looked a little bit shabby, foods cooked-to-order by the Italian chef/oweners were marvelous. When I first visited the restaurant in early June, the chef even took me to his kitchen and taught me how to properly prepare an authentic Italian Tomato sauce.

在 Ewell Road 上的 Il Mulino 是另一間我要推介的意大利餐廳，外貌雖然有點破舊，但食品大部份都是意大利老闆自己一人即叫即做，味道一流。六月初第一次到訪時，老闆還帶我入厨房重點指導我如何做真正的意大利蕃茄醬。

As I had a family dinner appointment that evening, I quickly took on the less busy King Charles Road back to Kingston town centre.

因為晚上約了太太姪女吃飯，便選擇了較少車輛的 King Charles Road 返回 Kingston 市中心。

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Well, this post is supposed to be a journal of my cycling trip. However, seems like it now becomes a gourmet recommendation instead!

這篇本應是騎行日誌，但寫下來竟發覺有點像個美食推介！

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If you are interested in my rides in UK, click here for more details.

有興趣看看我其他在英國的單車遊，可按這裡。