HOME
RIDES AND EVENTS
RIDE REPORTS
ABOUT THE RIDES
ABOUT PHC
GALLERY
RESOURCES
CONTACT US
HAMPTON COURT It didn't look very promising at 07:00. Rainy skies and not a hint that it was going to blow over. As I packed my overshoes and waterproofs I secretly hoped that no one would turn up so I could abandon the ride. But by 08:30 the skies had cleared and 9 people turned up at the library. We took the direct route along the Myrna Close railway path to the Merton Abbey Mills market which was slowly awakening. Our 10th rider met us here.
The keep the mileage down, we again took the most direct route on the way to Kingston, following the blue London Cycle Network signs with their inconsistent estimates of mileage to the various destinations. The Kingston route has a mixture of painted on-road routes, separated cycle paths, traffic-free tarmac stretches and a small run through the woods on Malden Golf Course, all of which are well signed. However, at Norbiton station, the signs direct you down the very-Dutch Home Zone of Manorgate Rd and promptly disappear, leaving the map-less to guess the rest of the route to Kingston town centre. As always, we got lost in the centre and had to ride a busy pedestrianised stretch to Kingston bridge.
Once on the Thames Path, it was a lovely traffic-free leisurely ride along the well-drained surfaces to the back gates of Henry VIII's Hampton Court where we stopped for tourist photos before crossing the bridge back to the south and through lovely Thames Ditton to the lunch stop in New Malden. Woodies is a wooden pub that was probably a sporting pavilion in a former life. Great selection of food for under a fiver. Recommended.
It didn't take very long to get back, past John Innes' old house and along Merton Green Walk, the other half of the old railway line that used to run behind Myrna Close and into a busy Morden Hall for an afternoon cake stop. The annual Morden Hall Fair was taking place in the grounds and looked very popular. We skipped it on the way out but opted to torture ourselves with the barriers in Ravensbury Park. The council have just controversially approved a scheme to build a doctor's surgery slap bang in the middle of the park. It was pointed out that sick people will need a certain amount of strength to negotiate the barriers to get into the park. And bad luck if you're in a wheelchair!
Our last stretch took us over Mitcham Common where we saw two police on off-road bikes coming off the section between Cedars Avenue and the railway. Hopefully they'll manage to rid the common of the illegal motorcyclists and then do the same for Ravensbury Park. There are also some nice new interpretation boards on the Common. Out for 6.5 hrs, 28 miles. See some photos from today on Flickr
Sunday 23rd April BATTERSEA PARK We had quite a bit of interest in today's ride but the constant
drizzle meant only 6 riders at the library, including 4 new faces (who
already acquainted). A steady ride out on familiar roads to the first
stop of the day at Morden Hall. The bike racks here are in the car
park which means you can't see your bike. An attempt to keep them in
view by leaning them on the wall upset the staff as they thought the
bikes might damage the wisteria!
The route from here is virtually all off-road along the Wandle Trail
until you hit the Thames. A couple of riders took a tumble on the
slippery surface while riding out to the viewpoint where the Wandle
meets the Thames. We then used the Thames Path all the way to Battesea
Park and cycled around the cafe by the lake. It's a good, cheap cafe
with a great view but the staff were a bit miserable.
The rain failed to ease up. There's a great route out of Battersea
Park that goes along the railway on a traffic-free path and then
crosses the tracks using a couple of bridges. From here it's a couple
of miles along pleasant residential streets until you hit Clapham
Common. LCN Route 5 then takes you direct to Tooting Common with it's
new cycle paths. Everyone opted for an afternoon stop at the little
cafe. Pollards Hill is then just a couple of miles along some more
residential streets. It's a pleasant ride and one well worth doing at
some point. See some photos from today on Flickr
Saturday 15th April EASTER FAMILY RIDE 14 riders at the library, mostly new faces, 3 using the new Commonside bikes which are available for anyone to borrow. Despite the overcast weather, the rain politely held off until an hour after we'd finished. Unfortunately, it had poured down the night before so I decided to skip the first part over Mitcham Common and used Watneys Road which is now permanently closed to motorised traffic.
We filed past the ramblers waiting at the Beddington Lane Tramlink platform and disappeared into the wood alongside the tracks. You can hear the roar of Traq's go-karts behind the fence on your left but that soon gives way to the tranquility of Mitcham golf course on your right. We dodged the muddy patches and then negotiated our first set of barriers to access the long stony path alongside the sewage works.
A fairly quiet Beddington Park cafe seemed a better option for a tea and cakes stop than Honeywood, where an unannounced party of 14 would have taken some time to serve. They're not exactly swift at the park cafe but there's plenty of space and some nice cakes!
We went to Honeywood anyway as Carshalton Ponds are beautiful and well worth a look. From here we picked up the Wandle Trail, part of the National Cycle Network, which follows quiet roads to Hackbridge before venturing onto the tarmac cycle track along the River Wandle. We followed the track until it pops out in Poulter Park which involves a short stretch of busy road to get into the heavily fortified Ravensbury Park with it's big black anti-motorcycle barriers. From here it's a short hop into Morden Hall Park where we discovered a brand new path from the wetlands to the tram track.
Merton Abbey Mills was surprisingly quiet. We stopped for lunch and a nose around the craft market and headed off along the new cycle track and over the busy junction by the Tandem Centre onto the old railway line at Myrna Close. Riders started peeling off as we ventured over Figges Marsh and along the quiet streets back to the library. 13 miles, out for 4 hours. See some photos from today on Flickr
Sunday 9th April STREATHAM KITE DAY Only 2 of us out today. Perhaps a ride to Streatham Common isn't that appealing? We had billed it as a morning ride and set off in a big loop towards Crystal Palace Park. It was supposed to be the first of a series of cycle jumbles at Selhurst Park today, so we dropped in. Cancelled. One guy with a van full of stuff just packing away. Too downmarket said the football club and pulled the plug at the 11th hour.
Another mile up the road is South Norwood lake, home of the Croydon Sailing Club. We found a nice path through the trees and did a lap of the lake on the tarmac (anti-clockwise only) cycle path. Shame the cafe there is no longer open as it's really quite pleasant.
Taking this route to Crystal Palace cuts a lot of the hills out. There was just a short climb up Anerley Hill to get into the park by the station. We rode the white chalky path and stopped to watch a junior athletics meeting at the National Sports Centre from a vantage point on the hill. Great views of the dinosaurs from up there too. Had a leisurely coffee and cake and back out of the park past the model car racing circuit.
We tried to avoid a small hill climb and access Biggin Wood a bit lower down than usual but we came across a set of stairs. Never mind, get off and push! The wood is a small remnant of the Great North Wood which once covered half of South London. Norwood Grove is always a pleasure, built in 1847 by Arthur Anderson, co-founder of P&O Ferries. That leads to the Copgate Path which takes you to the top of Streatham Common.
The Kite Festival, in it's 9th year, takes place at the bottom of the Common. Some PHC riders had gone straight there with their kites. About 300 people there. We said a quick hello to Bob, the organiser, and sat down to watch Team Spectrum do their amazing synchronised flying. The kites were virtually in slow motion. Very graceful. It wasn't windy enough for the bigger kites to lift anyone off the ground though. We stayed for a bite to eat and then wondered off home. Out for 5 hours, about 15 miles. See some photos from today on Flickr
Sunday 2nd April NORBURY WOOD When I planned this ride I just assumed it would be sunny. I think I forgot about April showers! So, after a night of heavy rain and with no Plan B, I was a bit stumped as to what to do with the route to keep out of the mud.
5 of us got off a train packed with mountain bikers at Box Hill and Westhumble and set off uphill along Crabtree Lane towards the tarmac path through Norbury Wood. It's a steep climb so some walked. I thought we'd be ok in the wood but of course the rain washes the mud all over the tarmac. It wasn't too bad though. We did a loop past the big sculptures and then headed across the open space toward the busy Bocketts Farm, a tourist farm with a tea room in a converted barn. It was here that I decided to abandon the original route and try to stay on tarmac as much as possible.
On the way, we'd caught a glimpse of the Admiral's Track byway and saw that it had been churned up by dirtbikes. Instead, we used the main road to Great Bookham and turned off to Polesden Lacey, a fine Edwardian house run by the National Trust. There are tarmac tracks that skirt the grounds of the house and a long stone bridleway back to Ranmore Common Road which is part of the Surrey Cycleway. We stayed on the Surrey Cycleway as it turned left onto White Down Lane, a steady climb through the wooded Downs and then down steeply towards the A25.
We saw a couple of clean-looking mountain bikers coming out of the track near Park Farm and decided to take a chance on it not being too muddy. It wasn't too bad and took us down to Westcott where we piled into an empty Cricketers pub and sat out a couple of showers over late lunch. It's mostly Thai food but they also do a Sunday Roast. Good pub.
Changing the route meant we'd done more than the advertised mileage already so to preserve the morale of those expecting an easy ride we decided to use the stony Pilgrims Way track that climbs steadily from Landbarn Farm up to Dorking West, offering great views of Dorking and the Old Bury Hill House. Unfortunately, it terminates in a wood that was ridiculously muddy.
To complete the route, we used the off-carriageway cycle tracks from Dorking back to Box Hill and Westhumble where we missed a train by about 30 seconds. Then the heavens opened. We'd been lucky to miss most of the showers all day and we were glad to be sheltered from this one with its short burst of hailstones. 19 miles against the advertised 10, out for 7 hours.
See some photos from today on Flickr
April 2007 ride reports
March 2007 ride reports
February 2007 ride reports
January 2007 ride reports
December 2006 ride reports
November 2006 ride reports
October 2006 ride reports
September 2006 ride reports
August 2006 ride reports
July 2006 ride reports
June 2006 ride reports
May 2006 ride reports
April 2006 ride reports
March 2006 ride reports
February 2006 ride reports
January 2006 ride reports
December 2005 ride reports
November 2005 ride reports
October 2005 ride reports
September 2005 ride reports
August 2005 ride reports