Central London CTC blog

27 people met up at Mitcham Junction for the Bank Holiday Monday joint ride with Central London CTC. This bought back memories of our first Bank Holiday ride where 23 of us descended on a country pub and flipped the manager into Basil Fawlty mode, refusing to serve meals to half the group. I hadn’t told the Harrow at Caterham we were coming - best to get there early then!!We set off along the Wandle Trail to Carshalton Ponds and then meandered through various parks to the Telegraph Track and the Little Woodcote market gardens on our way to the Woodcote Green garden centre for morning coffees. more »

Expecting another lovely day like Saturday, St Alban’s based leader Rona wrapped up her six year old daughter and hitched up the trailer bike and dusted the cobwebs off her husband’s bike, and headed down to the station. Three local riders there already - I always let the local CTC and the St Albans Cycle Campaign know when I am leading a ride, and I also promote the ride to the Bicycle User Group at work. Plus John from CLCTC who had driven out from North London. Trains running late, of course, but wait not too prolonged.

Set off through St Albans, intending to take advantage of the sunshine and head out north-east into open country. Targets lunch at Codicote and purchase of vegetables at Whitwell. However….

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Hands up who didn’t come today because they didn’t want to get wet. The forecast was terrible and that probably accounted for the relatively low number of 7 on this joint PHC & CTC ride. However, the weather was fantastic, very mild and I was even blinded by the sun at one point!We started with a meander along the Wandle Trail to Carshalton, cleverly avoiding all the barriers that force you to dismount. Then it was backstreets to Sutton and onto Cheam for Nonsuch Park and a morning stop. I never tire of that small stretch of road behind the Whitehall with the cute wooden cottages.

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Following a last minute, nightmare scare scenario of a “special service” listing on train to (start at) Ingatestone, it was arrival OK. With not a bus to be seen. With Denise and Dave King (a new rider) in tow, it was a middling jaunt, on open lanes, to pass on by Mountnessing Windmill. Effortless cycling. So effortless in fact, this leader forgot he was leading, and missed a turn. Luckily, the next turn had us shortly back on track, to go through Doddinghurst, with its stone and timber distinctive Church (can one say New England type Church??), one of many of this type in area. Progressing on to Kelvedon Hatch -with giant rocketship shaped telecom mast- to our rain beating 1st café stop at the Secret Nuclear Bunker. more »