Poem Friday #22: The Quest for Leith Hill Tower

Six riders under the sun
Set forth

Trust placed in our steed
Rigid, firm and true

Our path was steady
Onwards, upwards, over and under
Towards the Tower

The sun blazed
And we hid from the rays
Under dense woodland canopies

Sand gathered underfoot
spoiling our tread

The uphills were gruelling
Sweating, panting, straining
But worth the view
Of Surrey's primordial forest
As far as the eye can see

The downhills were a delight
Cling on,
Kick back,
Head first,
WHEEEE

Feeding was a frenzy,
A calorie counter.
The more the better

Drinks were were guzzled
Bellies distended
With fluid.

The Tower loomed ever closer.
Legs pumping,
Heart thumping
Up to the top.

Leith Hill and ice cream
Nothing else mattered

Then down, down, down,
Over farm tracks
And knarled roots.
To the welcome spires of St Martin's church Dorking

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On the 14th July, six of us mountain biked from Dorking to the Leith Hill, the second highest spot in the south east, and back.

The ride covered 40km and over 820m of climbing through the wooded valleys of the Surrey Hills AONB and along the Greensand Ridge.

The heat was stifling, over 30°c. We are still in the middle of a heatwave.