three free sociable cycle rides Sat August 20th EARLY START

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

This week we have 2 rides, one quite long, one much shorter. Please note that we are going to start both 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

Wandle Trail https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wandle-trail-southwark-healthy-ride-tickets-401929019517

ride 1: Here is 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. 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. London Bridge to Canary Wharf < https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/london-bridge-to-canary-wharf-cycle-ride-tickets-401931868037 >

10 mile, flat ride with 80% off road on surfaced paths or segregated cycle lanes. Suitable for any type of cyclist, including beginners and families. Start 9am at the Southwark Gateway Needle on the SE side of London Bridge. NOTE the early start and finish. We expect to finish by 11.30 which should give us time for a short break mid ride.

Route will use the north bank with a slightly inland route going out and the Thameside route coming back. Places of interest include Shadwell Basin, the Yurt Café, Canary Wharf Elizabeth Line Station, North and South Docks, St Katherine’s Docks. Probable 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.

Another ride that may interest Healthy Riders. Greenwich Cyclists Family Group Bike Ride. 10am start, Woolwich Works, SE18 6HD. 12.30 finish. Philippa leading. Register and more info at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/greenwich-cyclists-family-group-bike-ride-tickets-392532584527

Ride 1.

The Healthy Riders group is 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/.

In the light of the train strike on Saturday 20th and the request by the Rail Companies that only essential journeys use the railways, we are changing the route for the Wandle Trail ride this weekend. Start location and time does not change (Needle, London Bridge, 9am). We will now do a “Half Wandle” out and back ride aiming to get back to London Bridge at the same finish time as planned (2pm back at London Bridge). We will have a break and turn at Merton’s Abbey Mill. Sorry about this late change. Amanda hopes to try again with a full Wandle at a later date.

Update for Canary Wharf Ride. Found a likely refreshment stop at Canary Wharf, the new Mercato Metropolitana foodie location at Wood Wharf.