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MERTON CYCLE QUEST 12 people appeared once the rain had stopped. We'd been there since 9am offering a Dr Bike as part of the Commonside becoming New Horizons celebration day but there were no takers in the heavy downpour.
Merton Cycle Quest is
designed to start at Wimbledon station so we rode out to the nearest
point on the trail which was Commonside East and followed our familiar
route over Figges Marsh and across the flooded Myrna Close Nature
Reserve. The Sound Memory Post on the Wandle Trail seems to be broken
so we carried on up to Earlsfield and stopped of at Wimbledon Park for
a quick break. The cafe is basic but you can sit and watch the aspiring
tennis players, probably wishing they were playing on the other side of
the road at the slightly more famous courts. We noted the first Quest
Point on the way out of the park.
The All England Club are renovating Centre Court. It has been part
demolished so you can see inside the stadium from the road. A couple of
short hills lead to the nearby Thai Buddhist Temple, an amazing
building and the second Quest Point. Once we got going, the Quest
Points flew by; Wimbledon Windmill, Cannizaro Park, down the hill
towards Merton Park and over the tram lines to the Nelson Memorial in
the church grounds and the ever-present Merton Abbey Mills.
We then rode off towards Morden Hall, crossing the wetlands and into
Ravensbury Park. There's a short stretch of busy road, made worse by a
No Right Turn towards the backstreets. Instead, we rode to Cricket
Green and over the middle towards Canons House and the Merton Heritage
Centre. Finally, we rode over Mitcham Common to the remains of the
Windmill and back to New Horizons where a wonderful picnic was waiting
for us. 18 miles, out for 5 hours. For more details on Cycle Quest, see the Croydon one here.
Sunday 24th September RICHMOND PARK The weather looked a trifle off-putting at 8am - I packed my waterproofs just in case. No need - the forecast got it right and we had warm sunshine for just about all the ride. 9 of us set off from the library after a few "adjustments" to bikes, and inflating tyres using one rider's nifty mini track pump. We went via Mitcham's back streets, over Cricket Green and followed the Lomdon Cycle Network route through Morden Hall Park.
Our "elevenses" stop was at about 10:30 in Raynes Park - Cafe Marquee, almost opposite the station. I don't think they were expecting 9 of us in one go however the toast was fresh and they delivered a nice cup of Earl Grey. After our tea stop it was onwards along the cycle route on Coombe Lane east and under the A3 via a subway (still the LCN route). Off road for a short stretch through golf course at New Malden, then over Coombe Lane west and into the Coombe Estate. You will see how the rather affluent live here - very large houses with security gates and manicured front gardens. And what looks like an exclusive golf club to pass the time at weekends adjoining the estate.
We crossed Kingston Hill at the top and into Richmond Park via Ladderstile Gate. Over 7 miles of car free cycling on the shared path here (the Tamsin Trail), but on a Sunday beware of families with children, joggers and dog walkers out enjoying the park. If they have their iPods on they can't hear a bicycle bell!! And beware if you ride the path at the moment because the park maintainers have topped up the sandy gravel which makes steering and cornering a bit tricky in places. Not many deer to be seen today - maybe they avoid the Sunday crowds. We managed to miss the steep bit of path (up to the car park by Isabella Plantation) as we left the park at Robin Hood gate.
Over the A3 via footbridge and onto Wimbledon Common. The gravelly climb we advertised was exactly that - gravelly - but can be done quite easily on my hybrid with 28mm tyres. Not for road racing tyres though. We passed the windmill/museum and decided to head for a pub in the Village. Wish I could remember its name - the drinks are a bit pricey and they only do roast dinners on a Sunday. Most of us opted for peanuts and crisps to ward off the hunger pangs. I guess that's Wimbledon Village on a Sunday!
After an hour or so we set off - 6 of us now as 3 peeled off. We explored the northern parts of Wimbledon - the Buddhist Temple, All England Lawn Tennis Club and Wimbledon Park. Through Earlsfield and onto the Wandle Trail for a mile or so then homewards via the disused Myra Close railway line. If you take a sharp left (footpath!!) before the end of the track and head right you can avoid the nasty gate at the end. Back to the library via Figges Marsh. Out for 6hrs. My computer said 26.99 miles however I think the batteries are run down. More like 28 miles. See some photos from today on Flickr
Saturday 23rd September CROYDON TO FIREPOWER! Croydon Cycling Campaign had asked PHC to organise an attractive ride suitable for novices and families. The Waterlink Way to Greenwich and the Thames Path to Woolwich turned out to be a very good choice. Leaving East Croydon Station at 9:30am we had 24 cyclists. At the Visitor Centre in South Norwood Country Park 12 more joined us so we set out for Woolwich with 36 riders and a baby in a trailer. The number of people who showed up is evidence of how attractive the prospect of a ride to Woolwich was. I don't think anyone was disappointed. It's flat, mainly off road, much of it in parks with good surfaces, meeting very few busy roads or junctions. Yet, when I did a recce, I had misgivings about the length of it. The Greenwich to Woolwich part along the Thames Path was longer than I expected. I was tempted to voice my concerns when I saw that a 10 year old was coming. I'm glad now that I didn't as in the end we had a few young children and they probably enjoyed themselves more than the adults. Actually, the kids looked less tired at the end than the adults.
The youngest rider was a 7-year old girl. Her dad had a very handy extension bar which could hook up to her bike, lifting the front wheel off the ground so he could control her bike. However, even when she was attached she was still pedalling and helping. When he felt it was safe enough he could quickly release her bike and let her go on her own. Actually, there was a younger participant -- a baby girl - who I haven't counted. I think she contributed to her Dad being the first to arrive at the Firepower Cafe so she could get fed.
The Waterlink Way takes you through South Norwood Country Park, into New Beckenham past Lower Sydenham Station, Catford Bridge, Ladywell, Lewisham, Elverson Road DLR and Deptford DLR and ends in Greenwich. Riding through parks and alongside riverbanks, being able to hear the birds makes you grateful for the open spaces.
We might have had too much sunshine so where possible I stopped under shade. I noticed that a lot of people were looking out for others. Big sisters and big brothers and even those not related were checking on those around them. Perhaps this was because it was a relatively slow ride and there had to be lots of mini-stops for water, regrouping and mending the occasional puncture.
Our first proper stop was for 20 minutes beside the Cutty Sark. The Thames Path is narrow at first and in fact the first part was closed which accounted for us walking through the former Naval Colege, where someone was getting married. There were a couple of temporary diversions before we got on to the long straight on the far side of the Dome. A little further past the Thames Barrier we could see the Woolwich Ferry buildings and our destination not far beyond.
Firepower's cafe is reasonably priced. They have very comfortable indoor and outdoor eating areas. They do a gourmet range of sandwiches, soup and baguette, cakes, coffee, tea, soft drinks and wine. Lunch was interrupted frequently by the sound of gunfire and explosions. Not real, but coming from behind us in the museum. Well it is an artillery museum after all.
Everyone made it to Woolwich. After lunch 4 people left to get trains and do other things so we had 32 riders on the way back. Apart from some minor variations we followed the same route home, arriving back at the Croydon Arena car park at 5:30pm. Unfortunately, a puncture delayed our departure so it was around 6:15pm when we got to East Croydon Station. It was a very sociable ride, we had great weather and great scenery for most of the day and we did it all with our own efforts. See some photos from today on Flickr
Sunday 17th September CAFE CHOCOLAT This was an interesting ride. Starting at the library, the route immediately gains a rural feel by going over Mitcham Common and along the path by Beddington Sewage Farm into Beddington Park. It's a lovely ride from there to Honeywood at Carshalton where we picked up 3
riders making a total of 11. However, from here the ride became suburban again, passing through the exclusive houses near Banstead and stays suburban on quiet residential roads almost all the way to Walton-On-The-Hill.
Cafe Chocolat is a great little cafe AND chocolate shop overlooking the
scenic Mere Ponds. Some wandered off to the pub, others picnic'ed by
the water.
A new traffic-free route was trialled over Banstead Heath on the return which avoided using the busy Dorking Road and led us straight to Chipstead Lane and past the Well House pub - a future destination for one of our rides. Then it was the short but steep climb of White Hill but from there it's mostly downhill towards Oaks Park, with the exception of a climb up to Woodmansterne where we had the obligatory stop to admire the amazing village sign carved from a fallen Cedar tree.
There's a slight slope up to the Telegraph Track out of Oaks Park but the rest is a fast descent that has you back in Carshalton village before you know it. The last few miles incorporated bits of the Wandle Trail. 28 miles, out for 7.5hrs See some photos from today on Flickr
Sunday 10th September GODSTONE VINEYARD It's been over a year since we started our regular Sunday rides and
we've rarely repeated our routes. However, the ride to Godstone
Vineyard earlier this year was so good it warranted a return journey. 8
of us set off from the library and collected two more riders on the
way. We followed the same route out using the path to Beddington Park,
the Wandle Trail to Waddon Ponds and an early morning stop at the
Wyevale Garden Centre before we tackled Riddlesdown and the long slow
incline through Marden Park and past the Woldingham School to the North
Downs Way and the vineyard itself.
Trade must have been slow recently because our arrival really threw
them into a panic. Three other smaller groups arrived within minutes
and reinforcements had to be called for in the kitchen. Even then, they
didn't have enough cheese for all of our ploughmans orders and there
were less bottles of apple juice for sale than our last visit. That's a
shame because it's a great destination for cyclists and walkers.
After lunch, there is a most unwelcome climb along a byway but it's in
much better condition than in the winter. The climb continues once
you've crossed the A22 up to the house with the helicopter in the
garden (Golds - they own Ann Summers) and then it's a pleasant sweep
down to Caterham viewpoint.
The North Downs Way was bone dry and on such a clear day the views
towards London and Croydon were spectacular. It made a pleasant change
from February's boggy experience so I extended the off-road section to
include Tollsworth Manor, a 16th Century farmhouse. We were lucky with
Chaldon church too as last time it was closed for electrical work. This
time we were able to see it's 11th Century wall painting before riding
onto the wide open expanse of Farthing Downs.
Instead of climbing quite so steeply up the Chipstead valley, I decided
to try the Grove Lane bridleway from Clock House. Last time we ventured
along here, we got stuck in the mud. It had dried out but is so
under-used that the stinging nettles have grown over the path and we
got stung to death. A bad mistake. That path is now ruled off the map!
We ate ice cream in Oaks Park under the shade of a tree before the fast
descent to Carshalton and a bit of the Wandle Trail back towards
Mitcham Common. 33 miles, out for 8hrs. See some photos from today on Flickr
Sunday 3rd September THAMES PATH In the past, we have often co-opted Central London CTC's rides into our
own schedule. In recent times, they've asked us if we can lead some
rides for them. So 7 PHC riders met up with 9 CTC'ers for a reprise of
last year's Thames Path ride. It's a nice simple concept - Wandle Trail
until it meets the Thames, Thames Path until Richmond and over
Wimbledon Common and back to base. Very easy to follow if you're
planning your own local ride and lots of traffic-free sections.
The weather didn't look too good to start with but by the time we'd
Wandle Trail'ed to Wimbledon Park cafe for a morning stop it was
brightening up. There's a 'missing' section of the Wandle Trail in
Wandsworth which requires you to negotiate Garratt Lane and the busy
gyratory to get to the cycling contraflow alongside the doomed Youngs
brewery building. Once you're around the other side, the Wandle Delta
meets the Thames whilst we snaked around the industrial buildings to
hit the river path further west.
The redeveloped riverside at Putney is often thronged with pedestrians
forcing your speed right down but once we were over Putney Bridge and
onto the off-road section of the Thames Path we started to make a nice
steady progress. By this time the sun was blazing. It was a gorgeous
summer's day by the time we arrived at the White Cross pub on the
Richmond riverside. Despite most of the outside seats being taken,
their upstairs dining room was empty when we arrived so we all piled
in. Food is reasonably priced and there are a couple of options for
under a fiver.
There was no rush to finish dinner as we were 2/3rds of the way round.
The climb to the top of Richmond Hill isn't the most welcome part of
the route when you've just eaten but it's a steady incline and is
rewarded by a nice long descent in Richmond Park before swinging left
onto the traffic-free NCN4 path, past the deer and down to Robin Hood
Gate.
The second climb of the day was the tougher ascent on Wimbledon Common
so we toyed with the idea of going to nearby Cannizaro for afternoon
tea but it was too soon after lunch. Instead we headed for Merton Abbey
Mills cafe. Some riders split here whilst the rest of us rode along the
old railway line at Myrna Close towards Mitcham Common. A couple went
back to the station and the rest of us returned to the library. Two
riders wanted to go up Pollards Hill so we did a little
extra-curriculum excursion to the summit. 33 miles for those starting at Pollards Hill, out for 8 hours. See some photos from today on Flickr
April 2007 ride reports
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