Invitation to join the 2025 All Day Ride to Greenwich

 The 2025 All Day Ride to Greenwich is next Saturday, 12 July.

We will travel up the popular and traditional route across South Norwood Country Park for coffee at Kent House.  Then along the Ravensbourne River to Lewisham, then the short climb up to the Black Heath, and from there the glide to the Observatory.  We descend to the Cutty Sark, then travel south of the Thames to lunch at the Dog and Whistle.  We continue up river through the Docklands, Borough Market, Westminster and Vauxhall to tea in Battersea Park.  Home via Clapham and Wandsworth Commons, Earlsfield and the Wandle Trail to the official finish (and more tea if you want it) at Merton Abbey Mills.  Everybody who needs it will be led back from there towards the start, or towards their homes.  

The final route will be available as a gpx file after the next recce on Wednesday.

Beddington Park to Merton Abbey Mills is 33 miles (55 Km).  On the afternoon route we pass the front door of London Bridge Station and within 800yds of Blackfriars and Waterloo Stations, so those who are too warm or too worn can get the train home from there.

We start from the Pavilion Cafe in Beddington Park at 10 am.  Those who live further west and have no A to Z will be picked up at 9.15 from the south east corner of the crossroads in North Cheam ( where Malden Road crosses London Road) and led to Beddington Park.

You are invited to join the ride.  If you wish to come please let me know on Paulandrewjames1949@yahoo.co.uk by midnight Thursday.  You will be sorted into groups of a size which can be safely led through the town centres and will cause minimal annoyance to park users and tourists we encounter.  Also I need to know numbers because the morning coffee stop is not a huge cafe and may need to get in adequate provisions the day before.

Finally, I could do with another leader.  Anybody who is on the leaders list, and planning to come, and can make the recce on Wednesday please let me know.

Paul (and Maggie)    

A long short ride on a cool hot day; Nonsuch to Molesey 5 July

If we thought the rain might put people off we were mistaken; despite the absence of regulars on several adventures of their own, we had thirteen turn up at Nonsuch Mansion.  Trouble was, we had only two leaders so the choice on offer was limited to two.  Steve W had come all the way back from South West Iberia to lead a ride (where else with Steve?) up Box Hill.  My original intention had been to follow the programme and offer a short ride to Merton up the route perfected by the (absent) Diane but I have never ridden that, and though Diane was kind enough to send Maggie the gpx route I am not confident about leading a route I have not recced and when one of the punters suggested Eight on the River at Molesey I jumped at the chance, and that was where we went despite having one Nonsuch debutante and one returnee from long term injury.  Stuart, Ian and Rob went with Steve and that left me with nine. 

We had to take a detour around the path works in Nonsuch Park but other than that it all went well at a steady Saturday short ride pace until Sharon had a puncture at the top of Ditton Hill, a fact of which I was informed only after we had got well past the bottom.  I needed the hill practice.  In fact, Sharon's tyre, re-inflated, held out until the Rowing Club.  Short staffed, slow (but pleasant) service and we had to sit outside because they were closing.  Still, outside on the terrace overlooking the river on a muggy day with a hot cup of tea and a nice cake was not at all unpleasant.

Despite two offers of repair by extraordinarily handsome men, Sharon opted to cycle to Balfes in Kingston to have her inner tube replaced, so there are only eight of us in the picture, taken by a press-ganged passer-by.

We made our way home by the Weston Green - Surbiton route and peeled off one by one as folk felt confident that they knew where they were.

A decent ride, nearly 50 Km door to door for Maggie and me, not too hot, not too wet.

Thanks everyone for your company.