The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist

The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist is dated by Watson to starting on Saturday 23 April 1895. Unfortunately, in that year 23 April fell on a Tuesday and opinion has varied as to whether Watson meant Saturday 20 April 1895 or Saturday 23 April 1899. The story is one of 13 Sherlock Holmes short stories in The Return of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in The Strand Magazine in January 1904. Holmes and Watson are visited by Miss Violet Smith who teaches music to the daughter of a Mr Carruthers who resides at Chiltern Grange near Farnham in Surrey. Carruthers with his associate Mr Woodley, knew her uncle who prospected in South Africa. Violet Smith spends each weekend with her mother in London and cycles between Chiltern Grange and Farnham Railway station. In doing so she has to cross Charlington Heath close to Charlington Hall, a lonely track of road. Recently in doing so she has been followed by a male cyclist who appears and disappears. Needless to say, there are more sinister motives at work and these lead to both Holmes and Watson visiting the area independently and Holmes knocking Woodley out. The final part of the case involving an unfrocked clergyman and guns being drawn requires more than Holmes’ boxing skills.