Saturday ride to South London Parks.

   It was a pleasant surprise to see so many braved the cold on the 16th January. Luckily there was no wind and it was even possible to detect some warmth in the sun if you faced it and stood still. David was wearing headgear, but Anna had only a bandana. I failed to get a photo of David's headgear unfortunately.

We set off across Morden Hall Park and threaded our way through the backstreets of Mitcham  and Tooting to Tooting Common. Here the dividing line on the shared footpath has been removed with the odd sign asking people to be considerate. Apparently there used to be a lot of conflict between walkers and cyclists as each group claimed ownership of their particular lane. With this solution people are trusted to behave responsibly.

 After the common we went up Streatham Hill and down to Dulwich Park which, as usual on a Saturday, was crowded with all sorts taking exercise and thence on the long downhill stretch to Peckham Rye cafe and much needed warmth with sustenance.

 Wrenching ourselves back into the cold we rode past Nunhead Cemetery and up to Telegraph Park with great views of the city and points west, Big Ben barely visible throug the tower blocks springing up in South London. Back down quiet backstreets to Peckham Rye Lane and its cosmopolitan crowds we then crossed by the Library to the cycle path along the old canal which ran to Surrey Quays, an oasis of green between housing estates

 We turned into Burgess Park, built along the line of another canal where Mike recalled living and going to school and at the end turned of into Addington Square, another fragment of early Victorain London with its grand terraces. Next to this is an establishment called after Steptoe and Son, which is true to the TV series of the 60's and defies description.

  After negotiating a very urban stretch across four main roads we arrived at Route 3 and the pleasant stretch through Lansdowne Gardens and Larkhall Rise.

  Here the group split and the remainder went down to Battersea Park and a ride along the Thames to Wandsworth. This is a building site with both the Ram Brewery and Southside being redeveloped but behind it runs the Wandle Trail which we followed back to Morden Hall Park Cafe where the ride finished with welcome hot drinks and cake. By now the temperature was plummeting.

  I recorded 29 miles with no mechanicals or flats. Many thanks to Tony for back marking.

Photos are by David.

 

All day ride on Saturday 16th.

"The all day intermediate ride on Saturday the 16th January will
depart from outside the National Trust cafe in Morden Hall Park at
1030am. We will head in an easterly direction aiming to visit as many
South London Parks as possible and returning up the Wandle Trail to
Morden Hall Park by 4pm. We will stop for a break in Peckham Rye.
This is an entirely urban ride at an easy pace with the occasional
hilly bit near the start towards Streatham. In the event of extreme
bad weather, the route may be altered."

2015 photography competition

Further to the great success of the photo competitions since we went digital
for the first time we invite you to take part again this year. Please submit
your photos before the end of January.

There is now a category for the Best Group Photo thus catering for the many
photographers who have taken good photos of a mixed group of cyclists. The
winner in this category will receive the brand new Pete Mitchell Memorial
Trophy.

Please use this method for sending the photos to us:

       Visit this website: https://dbinbox.com/swlda_competition
       Enter the access code: "WingedWheel"
       Using your File Manager locate the photo(s) on your computer and
drag them onto the big turquoise rectangle.
       You may find it easier to click on the "+Choose Files" button and
select, then 'open', each photo using your file manager.
       Repeat this for each of the photos you intend to submit.

N.B. When using this website to transfer photos it is not necessary to sign
up to dbinbox or Dropbox even if you are invited to do so.

Send an email to me, Tim, confirming the name and CTC membership number of
the photographer, and for each photo list:

       the filename (e.g. P1040276.jpg)
       the competition category for which the photo is being entered
       a short, descriptive caption

The rules and categories are simple:

Competition Period: Photos taken during the 2015 calendar year.

Your photos must all illustrate a connection to cycling by depicting a
bicycle for example, or other cycling association.

You may submit a photo or photos for every category.

   6.1. Person (male) or people
   6.2. Person (female) or people
   6.3. Action
   6.4. Scenery/landscape
   6.5. Building/buildings
   6.6. Humorous or funny
   6.7. Best group photo

Note that the award for a winning photograph in each category will be given
to the photographer who took the picture, not to the model.

[If the method for submitting photos described above does not work for you
please let me know as there may be a work-around. As a last resort I will
ask you to email your photos to swlda.photos@gmail.com . Attach a single
photo to each email and in your message give the information about the
photographer, category and each photo, as above.]

Winter solstice (well almost) ride on Saturday the 19th December.

The weather today was unseasonably mild, it reached 17c in North Kent apparently. This tempted out 23 riders for the two rides to Oaks Park and Garson's Farm.

  Most elected to follow Godfrey to Esher and I led the remainder to Oaks Park, where Colin joined us from Beddington Park. I noticed two new custom built electric bikes to add to Anna's and it was good to welcome Gillian back after a longish absence. 

  On the subject of electric assisted bikes I was told that it's best to get them custom made, rather than have a battery fitted on the pannier rack as can be done. Apparently the latter method puts strains on the frame that it is not designed to cope with, needing regular repairs. I suspect we will see more of these bikes as time goes on and the technology improves.

On the way up to Banstead and into a strengthening headwind, a flowering daffodil was spotted by the roadside.

  After the tea stop it was all downhill with the following wind. Most peeled off and only three were left by the time we returned to Nonsuch.

  Thanks to Brian for back marking.

Christmas Dinner at the Prince of Wales in Cheam

  21 members of the group made it along to this annual event. The food was fine, service prompt, and company great. It was a bit unusual to see fellow riders in normal clothes.

  Thanks to Lynda for organising the event. Photos by Colin.

Ride to Chiswick House on Saturday the 21st November

  After dire weather forecasts for snow showers and freezing gales, it was a relief to arrive at Morden Hall NT cafe at 1015 to find the sun peeping through the clouds and four hardy riders, Tim, Toni, Dave and Stephanie well wrapped up and ready for the off.  The wind, however, was nearer to the forecast speed and was right in the face for the ride down the Wandle Trail to the mouth of the Wandle in Wandsworth.

  Luckily the route is fairly sheltered until you get to the tower blocks and road works in Wandsworth Town Centre where a major rebuilding is taking place on the site of the former Ram Brewery. Wandle mouth spit saw Toni briefly slip up on wet wooden boards by the entrance. This is a draughty spot with new luxury flats and the old Wandsworth dump on each side, though no deterrent to the numerous waterfowl. We then rode along the Thames Bank through Wandsworth Park to Putney Bridge and the more sheltered side of the Thames in Fulham Palace Park.

  After a brief detour to admire the hidden gem of Fulham Palace we rode past Fulham FC ground and onto the riverside path, where the wind was so strong that cormorants were having to work hard to fly against it. The sun was now fully out and once we turned the corner under Hammersmith Bridge it could even be described as warm out of the wind. The ride along the river to Chiswick old church is very scenic and always bustling with activity with the rowing clubs getting ready to venture out on the water and in no time we arrived at Chiswick House and garden and the excellent cafe which was nice and warm.

  Finishing our snack, we did a brief circuit of the gardens and the historic camellias in the glasshouse before continuing along through Dukes meadow to Chiswick Bridge, which we crossed and joined the Thames Path on the south side of the river. We turned off by the National Archive building and rode through back streets past Kew station to the rugby club entrance by Twickenham Bridge where fans were making their way to a match. Richmond Green was full of people enjoying the sunshine, as was the riverside at Richmond with the wind falling lighter and from behind. This presaged a cold night to come and after riding along the bottom of Richmond Park to New Malden we ended the ride after 25 miles at 2.45 pm.

  Stephanie took a photo of us hiding out of the wind in the glasshouse at Chiswick House, where, as you can see, the Camellias are already in flower.

Saturday 21st November

Saturday 21 November Harry will lead an all day ride to Chiswick House in London. Meet Harry outside the the Garden Center in Morden Hall Park at 10:20 to leave at 10:30am.

This all day intermediate ride will follow the Wandle Trail to the exit into the Thames, into Putney and over the bridge to Bishops Park. Then along the North Bank through Hammersmith Riverside to a stop at Chiswick House cafe. Return will be via Chiswick and Richmond to New Malden. This is a shorter ride, around 30 miles, due to the short hours of daylight and Harry aims to finish by 3:30pm. Lights, however, are essential, as are waterproofs. There will be no hills to be climbed.