two free sociable cycle rides Sat Sept 17th (route changes, see new post)

[Sally Eva]

NOTE. You must register on Eventbrite so we can limit numbers, links below.

Next week (Sept 17th) we have 2 rides, one quite long, one much shorter. Please note that we are going to start the longer ride (Wandle) at 9am, earlier than usual. Remember you should register on Eventbrite, details below. If you cannot make it, please cancel so that someone else can take the place. Even at the last minute it is worth cancelling (How to cancel). Note that all planned rides are subject to change last minute due to rail (& ferry) strikes, illness, extreme weather etc. Whenever possible we will keep start time and place as advertised. We will always try to contact registered riders by e-mail.

First, a reminder about tomorrow’s rides (Sept 10th). Ride 1. Peckham to Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens < https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/peckham-to-vauxhall-pleasure-gardens-cycle-ride-tickets-413760939107 > 10am, Peckham Square. Ride 2. Dulwich to Beckenham Place Park. < https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dulwich-to-beckenham-place-park-southwark-healthy-cycle-ride-tickets-413756696417 > 10am to 12.30. Start/finish Dulwich Clock Café. At this time space on both rides.

Rides for Saturday Sept 17th.

Ride 1. Wandle Trail < https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/full-wandle-trail-southwark-healthy-ride-tickets-416836026777>

We only managed half of this ride last month due to the rail strike. This week the strike is off. So we are trying again before the leaves fall and the trail gets slippery.

This ride should be a nice challenge: ride the entire Wandle Trail on a Saturday morning starting from Southwark (Southwark Needle, south east side of London Bridge). In fact we are going to cheat a bit by ending the ride at East Croydon Station. So bring your Travel Pass or equivalent to get home by train. This ride is Amanda’s idea and she will be leading. Total ride distance is 19 miles and we are planning to finish by 2pm following a 9am start. This should allow time for looking around at some of the interesting parts of the Trail and having a coffee break. Parts of the trail are not surfaced and can be quite uneven, so difficult on narrow wheels with tyres inflated hard.

Route outline. Start Southwark Gateway Needle, SE side London Bridge, 9am. From London Bridge take Cycleway 10 to Waterloo. Over Westminster Bridge and along the cycle lane on the embankment to and over Chelsea Bridge and into Battersea Park. Pick up the Thames Path to the start of the trail where the River Wandle meets the Thames. Nice stretches include Abbey Water Mill, Morden Gardens, White Bridges and Carshalton Ponds. Useful guide: http://wandlevalleypark.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Wandle-Trail-Map-Print.pdf

Ride 2. Bermondsey Street Festival < https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cycle-ride-to-bermondsey-street-festival-tickets-416839958537 >

Start 10am at Canada Water Library (Deal Porter Square, opposite Canada Water Station, SE16 7AR). Bruce leading. Planning an easy-paced, 8 mile, 2 hour, ride to the Bermondsey Street Festival (Festival details at https://bermondseystreetfestival.org.uk/)

An outward route with lots to see. Down the Albion Channel to the Thames. West along the Thames path to Tower Bridge. Cross Tower Bridge then use pedestrian crossing to get to the slip road down to St Katherines Dock. Over the Red Bridge and through to the Hermitage Riverside Memorial Garden and on to Ivory Dock. North to Royal Mint St and Cycleway 3. West to Tower Hill and via Cycleway 5 to The Monument. Across London Bridge and along Tooley St to Bermondsey St. Have a 20 min stop there to look at some of the Festival activities. Option to stay at the Festival if you want.

Following break at the Festival, for those wishing to continue, will get back to Canada Water using the Cycleway 14 route mostly along or close to the Thames. Did this ride in 2019, Sept 14th, see report at http://healthyrider.weebly.com/healthy-ride-reports-august-sept-2019.html. Route at

These rides are part of the Healthy Riders group, organised by Bruce Lynn on behalf of Southwark Cyclists https://southwarkcyclists.org.uk/. Like everything else we do, our activities are all free. We co-operate with other London Cycling Campaign groups like Greenwich Cyclists. The LCC details are here: https://lcc.org.uk/.

[Sally Eva]

Bermondsey Street Festival has been cancelled due to the death of the Queen. We will change Saturday's ride a bit because of this. However, keeping the same start/finish times and location, and will still be an easy-paced ride mostly on quiet streets.

Ride 2. St Katherines Dock and Bermondsey < https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cycle-ride-to-st-katherines-dock-and-bermondsey-tickets-416839958537 >

Start 10am, finish 12 noon, at Canada Water Library (Deal Porter Square, opposite Canada Water Station, SE16 7AR). Bruce leading. For our regular Saturday ride we planned an easy-paced ride to the Bermondsey Street Festival. This has been cancelled because of the Queen's death. Plan now is to do a similar route outward via St Katherines but spend time exploring Bermondsey, visiting historic and contemporary sites of interest. On the outward leg will pass the remains of the Manor House of King Edward III, Jacobs Island (made infamous by Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist), and Jacob the dray horse. Then over Tower Bridge and down to St Katherines Dock, through to the Hermitage Riverside Memorial Garden and on to Ivory Dock. North to Cycleway 3, west to Tower Hill and via Cycleway 5 to The Monument. Across London Bridge and down Newcomen St (Cycleway 14). On to Bermondsey St past Guys Hospital and the Leathermarket buildings. Explore Bermondsey St (Glassblowing Centre, Fashion and Fabric Museum, White Cube Gallery). At top end stop at St Mary Magdalen Church, site of the 11th century Bermondsey Abbey. Then on to Spa Road Station (first rail terminus in London, long disused) and the Biscuit Factory. Back to Canada Water via Southwark Park. Original route at

[Sally Eva]

Just to confirm. Have checked the queue late this afternoon and it is being kept almost entirely on the Thames Path. At Lambeth Bridge the queue was walking on the pavement on the Westminster side with normal 2-way traffic flowing alongside it. The rides will be going ahead with advertised start and finish times and locations.

There are still places on both rides,

Ride 1. Wandle Trail < https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/full-wandle-trail-southwark-healthy-ride-tickets-416836026777 >

Ride 2. St Katherines Dock and Bermondsey

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cycle-ride-to-st-katherines-dock-and-bermondsey-tickets-416839958537