The Nonsuch crew
Helen's report
Our all day ride combined both the best and worst of luck on Saturday; the best, because we had the first sunny and completely rain-free day out for weeks, perfect for the leisurely and easy going day we were planning to enjoy.
The worst, because while we were at lunch, two petty thieves, too lazy to earn an honest living, happened by our group's locked up bikes and helped themselves to one each.
Two groups set out from Nonsuch Park, lead by Christina and Helen. At Motspur Park, Christine's group was joined by Bernard and Sabina. Within half a mile, Sabina's tyre exploded so they peeled off to have it repaired, hoping to re-join us later in the day...
Our route to coffee at Merton Abbey Mills took a little longer than planned. From Motspur Park we went over Grand Drive. crossing playing fields to Whateley Avenue and then Watery Lane into Merton Park. Looping back slightly via Poplar and Kenton Road (Christina's group went a little astray here) to the entrance of Morden Hall Park nearest to Morden; then following the new tarmacked path through the watermeadows to the tramway, past Deen City Farm, arriving about 20 past 11 for coffee. Here Christina's group followed us in; and we met Will (my son) and Gemma, new to the group and feeling a little impatient as they'd been waiting for a while. Apologies and introductions all round, we stopped for coffee and they departed with the Beddington crew.
Where Horatio and Emma once took coffee? Merton Abbey Mills
The route from Merton Abbey Mills took us up the Wandle trail, following the river all the way to the Thames at Wandsworth. This part of the ride is mainly pretty and easy. We crossed Merton High Street and meandered through quieter roads to the nature reserve at the end of North Road. Now we were back by the Wandle river, a leafy undulating and meandering path, crossing busy Plough Lane and then onward. Earlsfield demanded attention for about 200 yards under the railway bridge on busy Garrett Lane, but then we were directed through quieter streets again to King George's fields and hence to the faded glories of Wandsworth High Street. Well marked cycle lanes and actually very little traffic at the top end of Garrett Lane by Sainsbury's help our safe passage, past the old brewery and through to Armoury Way. Here we dismounted and walked across, then went left to the Crane, where we took a sharp right and followed Causeway through to the Thames.
After modern fortresses on Enterprise Way, we cut through to the Thames bank and into leafy Wandsworth Park, with its beautiful outlook across the Thames. Our destination, Putney bridge, was in sight and we headed along the Thames towpath towards it.
Fulham Palace and Bishops Park are just on the north side; after the noisy traffic across the Thames, it was a relief to enter their quiet embrace.
Briefly, we stopped by the International Brigade memorial, commemorating Fulham men who went to fight fascism in Spain in the 1930s. Then we wandered through the park, to the entrance to Fulham Palace and its gardens. Time for lunch! Some of us enjoyed our picnics on the lawns, others dined on food from the café. Will, Gemma and I took a brief wander through the walled garden and the bishop's walk through the little graveyard to the church. There was a wedding of course on this lovely summer Saturday - that explained the church bells pealing while we were having lunch!
And then we walked back, to meet Maggie with news of the theft of John's bike. Will's, it turned out, had also been stolen, and his helmet. Both bikes were locked. It was sickening to have our day spoiled by criminal theft. The palace staff were most helpful; there was a witness to their escape, the bicycle lockup area has CCTV coverage and both were able to contact the police for crime reference numbers. But they had to miss the rest of the ride, to find their own way home, and to claim insurance afterwards. If only people would keep their sticky hands to themselves.
The rest of us continued our afternoon ride through quiet roads past Fulham football ground (playing away this first game of the season) to cross Hammersmith Bridge, back to the south side of the river. The bridge has only recently reopened, and only to cyclists and pedestrians, so this was a very peaceful and enjoyable crossing.
We stopped briefly on the other side for photos and to admire the engineering of the historic iron bridge - and the very pretty view across to the Blue Anchor and lovely buildings and promenade along the north bank towards the Dove. Then we got back on our bikes to enjoy the towpath along the river, through Barnes and Mortlake, passing Chiswick bridge and skirting Kew Gardens, past Richmond Lock and under its bridge, carefully through the crowds, to arrive for tea in Terrace Gardens on the slopes of Richmond Hill. Nowhere to lock up our bikes here, (Paul's group had most of the accessible railings!) so we laid them on the grass; some of us took our tea there, others sat above on the cafe's terrace; all enjoyed chatting and relaxing in the golden afternoon sun, some of us with cake, gathering our forces for the last leg of the ride.
There was still a couple of miles to Kingston, passing by Ham House and the ferry, waving to Teddington lock as we sped by, enjoying our last views over the sun sparkling waters of the Thames. Then we were at Kingston bridge, and away through the market back onto route 75 and heading for home.
My grateful thanks to Paul and Maggie, to Christina, and to Diane and Sue for leading and backmarking. Without your support, we could not have brought 20 people together for a lovely day out. Thank you all for your pleasant company, for looking after one another, and for sharing enjoyment of our beautiful river routes along the way. Looking forward to seeing many of you again for Maureen's ride to Newdigate on 11 September!
The Beddington crew
Paul's report
It was not a hot day but the weather was fine in Beddington on Saturday morning and the Beddington Park group were all there, raring to go, before Maggie and I arrived; Roger & Anna, Matthew & Thomas, Thomas, not yet being two, in his dad’s trailer.
The barriers on the southern end of the Wandle Path were a
good test for Matthew’s trailer but it passed with flying colours and before
long we were at M.E.D, the agreed meeting place at Merton Abbey Mills.
According to the song, Matthew and Son should be taking a
mere five minute break with a cup of cold coffee and a piece of cake, but the
riders from Nonsuch Park were slower than we thought and we had a pleasant half
hour, the coffee was lovely, and Dad’s only problem was in failing to persuade
little Thomas that a yoghurt-based rice cake was as delicious as a slice of
millionaire shortbread. I wouldn’t have
fallen for it, either!
What with leader absence and software failure, the groups needed re-jigging and off we set, before the others, with John and Anne, and Will and Gemma on the pleasant, gentle-paced ride up the Wandle trail through Colliers Wood and Earlsfield to Wandsworth town centre. Negotiation around the one-way system there at the Ram Brewery was always going to be tricky but we made it without incident and were soon coasting through the park by the river to Putney Bridge.
After we had looped under the bridge to Bishop’s Meadow and paid a respectful visit to the memorial for the local people who had died in the heroic but futile effort to stem the rise of Fascism in Spain in the 1930s, we repaired to Fulham Palace for lunch.
Little did we know that the thieves were at work.
It seemed a pleasant day until John and then Will returned
to the bike racks to discover that their bikes had been stolen. Both padlocked with combination locks, both
padlocked to their partners’ bikes (which were not stolen). The security people were helpful, there is
CCTV footage, we have a description (ginger beard, generally sounding
suspiciously like Prince Harry to me) and all the right steps were taken to
inform the police, obtain a crime number, etc., etc but our group was sadly
depleted for the rest of the ride.
In almost any other circumstances the afternoon ride would
have been a delight, for Helen’s was a beautiful route along the towpath all
the way from Hammersmith Bridge to Kingston Bridge, and unlike the recce, which
was conducted in conditions of storm and flood, we were riding through dappled
sunlight in a cooling breeze as the weather improved. Tea was at the Terrace Gardens, just upriver
from Richmond, and this time we all secured the bikes where we could see
them. What is that you are thinking
about bolting the stable doors?
Tea at the Terrace, in the sun but under a cloud
Back to Beddington via Kingston and Berrylands and little
Thomas had been as good as gold, even telling his dad when we took the wrong
route out of Sutton!
Thank you, Helen, for a wonderful route, and thank you all
for the splendid company. If only it
hadn’t been for those two thieves.
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