Alternative ride home - captain's coastal?

[Jon C C on a Bianchi]

Want to go to Brighton and back but put off by the rather daunting usual lumpy route home or perhaps just fancy something different?

If there's enough interest I'm happy to take a ride back via Hove, Shoreham, Steyning, Partridge green, Lower Beeding and then joining the usual route at the Hammer Pond. It's a bit kinder on the legs...this has 144m of climb compared with 284m. Post here or see me at the restaurant on saturday.

The route goes over the wooden bridge over the Arun at Old Shoreham. Does anyone know whether it's open (it was closed for repairs a while ago). Let me know. Cheers.

[Amy]

My alternative Brighton ride (on routes forum) is basically the normal route in reverse with some detours

John Lovell might complain that it was a little lumpy too but I prefer it to the usual way round.

Anyway, I'm doing an even lumpier route on Saturday - ToBM

[Dan_K]

[quote="Amy"]Anyway, I'm doing an even lumpier route on Saturday - ToBM

[Amy]

If we're thinking of the same one - then yes! What the name of the pass?

Also down from Crai and the one down into Crickhowell - dead straight road apart from a kink and a humpback bridge at the end (make sure you brake for the bridge...)

[Dan_K]

Not sure of the name of the pass but it's the bit by Capel Y Ffin. I didn't do the sportive but we *ahem* borrowed the route for a weekend we do a couple of times a year. We do a 50 mile valley and reservoir route on the Friday, the TOTBM short route on the Saturday and then home.

That descent to Hay is amazing. It's a long steady climb up to the top of the mountain which gets quite steep near the top as you go over the cattle grid and then along the plateau and down.
The first time we did it, the mountain was empty and a rescue helicopter was hovering below us. Think the downhill drops 1600 feet in about 5 miles. Love it!