Cycling England: Southborough to Bognor Regis

My latest bicycle touring update: cycling England, Southborough to Bognor Regis. 67 miles. After rescuing Passepartout from the rubbish heap this morning, I left the hotel, not really knowing which way I would go home! But after a bit of dithering around, I’d made a decision.

King Of The Mountains

After cycling through Crowborough yesterday, I mentioned that it was the second-highest point in Sussex, and that Ditchling Beacon was the highest. So I decided that I would attempt to  cycle home via Ditchling Beacon. Just to see how bad it is, or maybe it isn’t. I know the London to Brighton charity cycle ride goes over it. And everybody says how bad it is. Well, now it’s time for me to find out. Although granted, most riders on the London to Brighton ride are non-cyclists. And it is towards the end of their sixty-mile ride.

Ditchling Beacon was busy. The Lycra brigade love it! As I rode up, a steady stream of lycra-clad idiots kept coming past me. And fair due to them, most said good luck. I was determined not to stop; I don’t think I would have got going again if I had. Thankfully, I made it to the top without stopping, although I came close several times. But every time I thought of stopping, one of the boys on their lightweight racers would go past me. I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of seeing me having to rest. They weren’t going to beat me. They might be quicker than me, but I can ride just as far as any of them with twenty times as much weight.

I really didn’t find Ditchling Beacon too bad at all. Yes, it’s a bit steep and goes on for a while, but it’s not that bad. I’ve had worse hills I’ve had to cycle up. However, I can see that it would be a struggle if you’re not a cyclist or don’t cycle much.

Once at the top, the Lycra brigade were resting, puffing and panting, congratulating each other on such an epic ride! As they ate their high-energy bars and drank their sports drinks. Me, I just carried on cycling. I could feel them all looking at me, giving me daggers as if to say, what, aren’t you stopping? Personally, I don’t see the point in stopping. Unless you want to look at the view, you can rest on the way down.

A word of warning to anybody attempting the London to Brighton ride: don’t be fooled into thinking it’s downhill to Brighton after Ditchling Beacon. It isn’t! You only go downhill for a short distance before there’s another hill. Nothing on the scale of Ditchling Beacon, but it’s still a hill. But once that’s out of the way, it’s then downhill all the way to Brighton seafront.

Follow & Support Garry’s Bicycle Touring Adventures

If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always support me by buying me a beer. Or subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. As a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And for an insight into the gear and logistics that keep me on the road, see my Life at 10mph Guide.