two free sociable cycle rides Sat Feb 25th

[Sally Eva]

NOTE 1. Please register on Eventbrite so we can limit numbers, links below. If you cannot make it, please cancel so that someone else can take the place (How to cancel).

Note 2. Ride reports, usually with photos and a route map, are posted on the Southwark Cyclists web site (https://southwarkcyclists.org.uk/healthy-rides/). Useful if you want to ride a route for yourself.

Ride 1. Burgess Park to Clapham Common < https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/burgess-park-to-clapham-common-circular-cycle-ride-tickets-555556262737 >

Jane leading a route we last did in May 2016 (link to report). To Clapham Common via quiet streets in Camberwell & Stockwell, crossing some busy junctions with brief sections on main roads. Short stop (photos?) at the Bandstand.

On the return journey we will pause to see the concrete reliefs created by Hungarian artist Laszlo Peri on the post war housing estates around Fentiman Road. All part of a campaign to promote public art during post-war redevelopment of the area. The reliefs of “Mother and Children Playing” and “Boys Playing Football” have Grade II listing by Historic England.

We will press on to Waterloo Station to see his sculpture of The Sunbathers now restored and on display overlooking the main concourse. This was produced for the Festival of Britain site in 1951. It was subsequently”lost” until being rediscovered in 2016 chucked away in the back garden of the Clarendon Hotel on Blackheath. There was quite a bit of media coverage at the time of the rediscovery.

From Waterloo the ride continues via cycle routes around Elephant & Castle and Walworth Road back to Burgess Park. To fit everything in, no coffee stop en route, but we can have a coffee at the end of the ride. 11 miles. Route map at https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5431778.html

Ride 2. London Bridge-Hyde Park Loop < https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/london-bridge-to-hyde-park-circular-cycle-ride-tickets-555527175737 >

There has been a decade or more of work to develop safe, segregated cycle routes in London. What kind of possibilities has it opened up? I set out to look at Central London where most of the new cycleways are. Have stitched together a circular route that gets you around in reasonable comfort and certainly passes some interesting locations.

Start 10am at London Bridge. Cross and drop down to Cycleway 3, a well-designed, segregated route. Follow this along the embankment, through Parliament Squ, past Buck house and across Hyde Park. If time a diversion into Kensington Gdns and past the Albert Memorial. Continue over the Serpentine to Lancaster Gate. Abandon C3 here and stay in Hyde Park heading east for the return leg. Exit Hyde Park just before Marble Arch via the cycle crossing to Stanhope Pl, then back streets (LCN5) to Crawford St where the route becomes Cycleway 27.

C27 is a bit of a let-down; no segregation, no protection at junctions. However it is a (nearly) straight route. At Gower St we leave C27 and use the segregated lanes on Torrington Place eastwards, these not having a cycleway designation (LCN6). Keeping going east we join a second stretch of well designed route, Cycleway 6 and turn south to and over Blackfriars Bridge. Last segment is on C14 most of the way to London Bridge. At an easy pace we can ride this loop in 3 hours including a coffee break. Bruce Leading, 12-13 miles. Route at

Always give way to pedestrians and to other cyclists so all path users feel safe. Do not turn up to these events if you are displaying symptoms of Covid-19 or are currently testing positive. Note that all planned rides are subject to change last minute due to 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.

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/.

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