Compton Cakes

After three hours Ian and I arrived at Compton village stores for a Cappuccino and cake. Last time we had ventured this far we hadn't dared to even enter the shop as we were so plastered in mud and detritus. However after several weeks of dry winter weather we reclined in the the chairs outside relatively spotless.

To get here we had ridden up from Oaks on the A27 near Fontwell. Rear lights flashing in the morning gloom, we'd enjoyed the dry singletrack around Whiteways, before winding our way up to Bignor. The climb had warmed us up but it was still too misty to enjoy the view. So we followed the hill past Benges along to the Trundle above Goodwood.

Diving down to West Dean there was still a real chilly nip in the air. However, with the undulating Downland ahead we knew we'd soon be sweating into our gillets! First up was the horrible steep climb after the school, to what I call 'Puncture Alley'. Safely navigated without any deflating tyres it was on to the long climb past the charcoal burners to the South Downs Way.

For a change we thought we'd stay on the national trail through to Harting. As we heaved ourselves over the grassy, eroded Pen Hill we remembered why we often skirt around this section of trail! At least the sun  was now out and we could enjoy the reward of stunning views north to Midhurst, and south to the coast and the Isle of Wight. After Pen there are a couple more testing climbs before Harting Down itself, where we struggled for traction on the greasy chalk.

From Harting it is downhill to our refreshment stop at Compton. We were just shy of 1000m of climbing as we sat and watched the shop owner sweep the remaining leaves from the square outside the shop. 400m of vertical ascent still lay ahead, as we had to navigate Kingley Vale before finally dropping down to Chichester and the flat roads home. For now however, we enjoyed the cake and relished a great December day's cycling.