Central London CTC blog

Six riders today, only one of whom disembarked from the scheduled train. The others were local or had come on the stopping service.  The leader’s whim was to head southwest, so we set off along the Alban Way and through the houses to emerge on Watling Street. There is a convenient underpass to get you under the A414 roundabout, and a convenient service station with M&S and coffee machine just after that. There is another convenience in Park Street next to the playing fields, so for good measure we stopped there too. Now the ride began to get rural, as we followed School Lane into the woods.

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Five people turned up for Rona’s Albans Amble, two who had come up from London and three plus Rona who lived locally. After a complex route out of St Albans we emerged at the Park Street roundabout. After a stop for a coffee for those who needed it at a garage, we rode down Watling Street before turning off toward Bricket Wood. An attractive lane though the wood led to bridlepaths that took us to Aldenham. more »

The ride had the same route as my Phoenix Trail ride last year but all the riders (apart from myself, of course) were new to it. The train came in to Princes Risborough on time and I led the group along the Phoenix Trail to Thame. The trail is a Sustrans route along a former railway line, decorated with quirky seats and art works. Passing the site of the Towersey Festival we reached Thame at about 11.30. After a quick look round the town we had an early pub lunch at The Star & Garter. The feeling of the group was that they wanted to carry on riding rather than visit the town’s museum so by 13.00 we were back on the road. We followed the minor, partly unmetalled, road via Moreton to Tetsworth and then rode via Adwell, Postcombe and Sydenham to the tea stop at The Inn at Emmington. Then it was back down the Phoenix Trail to catch the train home for the rest of the group, while I returned to the Towersey Festival.

Seven met at Paddington on 26 July for the one star version of the Benson day out; a mixture of new riders, those returning after a break and some two star regulars;  one man and six women.

The day started with a brief ride over Cholsey Hill to elevenses at the Old Post Office on the main Square at Wallingford. Then over the river, some light climbing up Rabbit Hill, down through the picture-postcard village of Ewelme and back to the river at Benson.  The cafe was already full of cyclists but these were other groups; it seems to be a very popular cycling hang-out.  However, we were soon joined (in numerical order) by the two, three and four star rides from Central London. more »

Some pictures from (evidently rather wet) Little Green Rides, taken by Paul Stephens:

More pictures, and lots more information about the Little Green Ride, at http://littlegreenride.blogspot.com

Seven riders set off from Welwyn Garden City and followed the cycle routes out of the Hatfield / Welwyn area. We continued along off road tracks and minor roads to the outskirts of St Albans skirting Symondshyde Great Wood. Lunch was at the Aylett Garden Centre, not elegant but quick and good value.

After a few more miles we reached North Mymms Park, a Jacobean house, surrounded by extensive gardens, that is now a conference and training centre. Once a year the grounds are open to the public in aid of the Red Cross. The sun shone, the band played and we had tea on the lawn – it really was a tough ride!

After that the ride dispersed. Three got the train from Welham Green, one rode home to North London and the remaining three took the cycle way alongside the old Great North Road back to Welwyn Garden City.

Seven of us met up at Maidenhead station. It should have been eight but one rider missed out when her train from Ealing Broadway was cancelled. The group had a transatlantic flavour with an American, a Brazilian and a Canadian amongst our ranks. We left Maidenhead by a complicated cycle route and then crossed the bridge over the Thames and rode along the Thames Path. We made brisk progress and got to Eton before our planned lunch stop, “The Waterman’s Arms”, was open. So, instead, we followed the Jubilee River to Dorney and ate at “The Pineapple”, a pub that specialises in an enormous range of huge sandwiches. One of our number was not up to the challenge and needed a doggy bag. We continued along the Jubilee River. This is an artificial watercourse built to alleviate flooding by the Environment Agency but it has been landscaped to look like a natural river. Better still, they have put in a cycle path alongside it. more »

Alison had done a splendid job in organising both the weather and the landscape. It was sunny and hot and the route followed the Cole Green Way, a former railway track from Welwyn Garden City to Hertford and then the path along the River Lea to Ware and Amwell. It was the nearest thing to a hill free ride one is going to find outside the Fens. more »