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GHOSTS AND GHOULS Last year we had 40 people on the Halloween ride. We tried to run it as an afternoon ride but it was so many people that we ran out of time! This year, we failed to get any local publicity but we still had 25 on the starting line, including quite a few kids. I've been trying for weeks, with the help of the Arts Council, to find a storyteller who would come out with us and bring the stories to life. Sadly, most of them didn't even bother to return my calls or emails so Mark W volunteered to read the stories, which are all supplied by James Clark, the author of Strange Mitcham.
It had been raining a lot recently and some of the off-roads routes were getting muddy so I adapted the route to keep us as clean as possible. FIrst stop was the old Workhouse on Mitcham Common where we heard the tale of the bodysnatchers. Mitcham Common itself has a fair few ghosts including a cycling ghost. We rode right up to Rose Cottage, scene of much supernatural activity and then around the the Canons at Mitcham Green.
We popped into BedZED even though it has no reported ghosts, before entering Beddington Park and along to Carew Manor where former Mitcham resident Sir Walter Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth I are said to ride their horses at night. Time was pushing on so we had to skip the riverside path at Watermeads and use Peterborough Rd to get to Ravensbury Park. The barriers split the group meaning we had to regroup in Morden Hall. 25 people was too many to descend on the cafe there as service is slow at the best of times so we ploughed on to Merton Abbey Mills where there are plenty of food outlets to choose from.
The craft market at Merton Abbey Mills has been quiet of late but a live band playing 60s material followed by a judo display coupled with the sunny weather seems to have brought the crowds out. It's a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon if you're not out cycling. We stopped for 40 minutes and then moved into the car park near the remains of the Chapter House to hear the Curse of Merton Priory.
Our last two stories were a ghost train along the former railway line at Myrna Close and a sighting of Springheel Jack near Figges Marsh. We got back just before it started to get dark. 16 miles, out for 5 hours. See some photos from today on Flickr
Sunday 22nd October CLAYGATE The forecast on Saturday night prophesied gloom and that was borne out in terms of the weather that 10 hardy cyclists had to contend with today. The rain just about held off for 15 mins before we were obliged to don all-weather gear at the bridge before Willow Lane Ind Est. A leisurely spin along the tarmac path in Greenshaw Wood behind St Helier hospital was followed by a quick descent of Benhill Wood Rd and a traverse of Sutton Town Centre, with the leader at least not getting lost as he did doing a recce for the run earlier in the week!! The latter entailed trying to turn an underground car park into a National Cycle Route................!!
We soon passed the Whitehall at Cheam (known for expensive cakes!) on our way to Nonsuch Park for teas and coffee. Whilst it was not raining there initially, the powers that be made up for that by sheeting down with rain from that point on. At this point 3 riders somehow got temporarily separated in error but soon we were back at full strength. We rode the muddy path alongside the Hogsmill River before descending towards Chessington South station and then over the A3 but not before we were admonished for using the "private" road to get to our pub destination. This is in fact a bridleway which cyclists have a right to use. In fact, it is worth noting that it is actually illegal to discourage the use of a bridleway by erecting erroneous signs.
The Foley Arms in Claygate is a decent pub, with good food and atmosphere so we left duly satisfied for the next leg to Tolworth. It was continuing to rain so, by that time, we were all soaked through. After Tolworth it was through the Motspur Park Rec where the facilities in the charming 1930s pavilion were tested - it had seen better days!!
Fulham FC training ground was passed, on our way to the Sir Joseph Hood Recreation Ground. There's a gap in the fence that transports you to a rural scene of fields and horses and leads to Green Lane, a rough and ready track that ends at Lower Morden lane and thence to Morden Tube. From here we rode into Morden Hall Park where 3 peeled off whilst the remainder ploughed on to Mitcham and split to pursue our individual routes home. 28 miles - out for 6 hours. Report by John B. See some photos from today on Flickr
Sunday 15th October WELL HOUSE 8 riders and a toddler in a trailer met up to make the most of another sunny Autumn day. We had a quick look at the map to see if anywhere would pose difficulties for the trailer and decided to swap the Rifle Butts bridleway near Epsom Downs for the virtually traffic free Chalk Lane. The rest looked very family-friendly.
The Wandle Trail is always a useful route for getting away from Mitcham and today we picked up the bottom half of the Carshalton branch before heading out towards Sutton on the quiet London Cycle Network roads. I love the part when you cross the A217 and drop into Cheam Village past the wooden houses and the Whitehall. You'd think you were miles from London already!
Some had remembered this route to Nonsuch Park from other rides but for most, it was either a first time visit to the park or a new route to get to it. It may seem tricky with the amount of turns in suburbia but you can always check the directions on the blue cycle signposts. Excellent cakes at cafe in the park and the nice weather meant we could sit outside. 2 more riders joined us here.
A series of tracks and bridleways takes us from Nonsuch into the heart of Epsom where another section of the London Cycle Network took us to Chalk Lane for it's quiet steady climb to the racecourse on the top of the Downs. Taking a breather outside the Rubbing House pub on the course also gives you an opportunity to take in the amazing view. Then you get the chance to cycle alongside the actual horse racing track towards the Old London Rd where we picked up an untried bridleway that was ok but got a bit sticky towards the bottom. It ends at Ebbisham Lane, a road that was closed to traffic at the Downs end years ago and has now deteriorated quite badly. It's also a tough climb to the top at Walton on the Hill but from there it's a short distance to the rural Well House.
Again, the nice weather meant we could all sit outside. Food ranges from just over a fiver and although service was a bit slow today, the food was worth the wait. Suitably refreshed, the short sharp White Hill beckoned but from there, it's mostly downhill all the way back. Riders started peeling off once near their homes so only 3 remained for the final few miles to Pollards Hill. It's so swift going down the hills that a stop at Oaks Park was ruled out in favour of getting home in the light. Out for 7.5hrs, 28 miles. See some photos from today on Flickr
Sunday 8th October WIBBLEY WOBBLEY I only pitched this ride a week ago as an alternative to our ride to the Cycle Show at ExCeL, so I was pleased that 9 turned up at the library with another couple waiting at South Norwood Country Park. We had our youngest ever participant today, a 6 month old baby in a trailer. We also had our youngest solo rider on a full day ride, an 8 year old boy. One person had to turn around due to a broken spoke so it was 10 of us that rode the Waterlink Way towards Greenwich.
It was interesting to see the difficulties posed by the trailer. Silly barriers that simply require you to put your pedals at 6 o'clock are actually impassible with a trailer. Speed cushions pose another problem, causing the trailer to ride high over the bump. But even with the obstacles on the route, we still made excellent time, despite staying under 10mph.
I'd been trying to get the Wibbley Wobbley on the phone all week. It's a floating pub formerly owned by the late comedian, Malcolm Hardee. Finally I got through, only to discover that they no longer have a restaurant. However, there was pot of beef stew and dumplings on the go. When we arrived at Greenland Dock, the general consensus was that despite the bargain price of £2.50 for food, beef stew was too wintery and a bit limiting. Instead, we rode around the dock to the Moby Dick, a Fullers pub with reasonably priced standard pub-fare food and tables by the waterside.
The Thames Barrier was closed today and we voted to add some miles on and go for a look. We only ever extend the rides if everyone agrees but it was lovely weather and it's not often you get to see the Thames dammed. The river path from Greenwich was busy and we got there just as it was being re-opened. On the 'sea' side, a high tide but on the 'London' side, a low tide with gallons of water rushing through the opening barriers.
There's plenty to see on the Thames Path in this area. I'd never spotted the huge statue of Peter The Great before. South Dock is full of expensive boats and further south, it was the London Regatta. On the way back we opted to avoid the crowds and used the LCC maps to pick out an alternative route to cut out the Dome utilising back streets and the London Cycle Network.
We stopped off at the cafe in Ladywell Fields (wasn't open on the way out) and later bumped into a couple of Sutton Cyclists who had been to the Cycle Show and who had just left the PHC contingent going a different way only minutes before. We just about made it back before lights were necessary. 40 slow steady miles, out for 9 hours. See some photos from today on Flickr
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