The SkiBike Shop

This report is dedicated to Roger a devoted an observant reader who noticed a dearth of the usual off-season summer reports and recently commented...

(The SkiBike Shop) normally documents an interesting trip or two to a German indoor ski-slope, or a bicycle ride around Greenwich - But nothing.... Thought you might be ill, or working triply hard to pull some funds together...

The answer was pretty much yes to all of the above; after the 2014-15 SkiBike Tour finished in April I had to dive head long straight into boring old work and yes working triply hard would be a fair estimation. I also had a number of essential house repair projects to push through during the summer, refurbishing and redecorating the exterior of both mine and a neighbour’s houses; even so I somehow managed to squeeze in an indoor skibike trip to both SkiHalle and SnowWorld in early July. Unfortunately, with all this manic activity I picked up a horrid cough that lasted from mid-August through till early October, as a result of all this furious endeavour I was getting a bit burned out and desperately needed a quick break to re-vitalise.

Too much boring work - I needed a break

So feeling like an old man I stepped aboard an EasyJet flight for a trip to the island of Gran Canaria for a week or so of rest and relaxation. Despite these worthy intentions, if I could squeeze in a mountain bike related adventure, well so much the better.
I should mention that I have visited the island of Gran Canaria many times in the past; around the year 2000 I even packed a very heavy and primitive DiamondBack rigid mountain bike into a bag and gave it my best to conquer the many peaks to be found in the centre of this island. This time round I was looking for some uplift that would evade the whole tedious business of spending 6 hours of climbing for just 30 minutes of wild descent.

My research took me to Free Motion a trendy looking outfit that offered mountain bike tours, with uplift, bikes, water and even a sandwich included on their jaunts. I made some last minute arrangements through their website to join the "La Fortaleza" tour which promised 1350 metres of vertical descent for a mere 440 metres of ascent.


It was precisely the sort of operation that would not have looked out of place in the centre of Gstaad and a quantum leap from usual Spanish resort bike hire operators.

Having checked in, I had a few minutes spare to grab a coffee and pastry from the German bakery on the other side of the road before getting on the shuttle bus for the 900 metre vertical uplift close to the village of San Bartolomé de Tirajana at the start of the tour.

On the bus there were the typical mix of super fit Germans, Swiss and sundry Scandinavians present, plus Team GB comprising myself and Magnus, who had made the long journey down from The Orkney Islands to represent Scotland.

The journey up to San Bartolomé de Tirajana only takes 20 minutes from Playa del Inglés, once at the top we were assigned our bikes and had the chance for a quick pedal around the car park to familiarise ourselves with our steeds. Mine was to be a Cannondale Rush 29 2, a marque I haven't previously encountered, my first impressions were of a sturdy, yet light mountain bike with plenty enough travel to soak up the bumps.

A mix of fit; Germans, Swiss and Scandinavians - plus Team GB

It was the first 29er big wheeled mountain bike that I've had a chance to ride and it seemed very efficient, requiring very little energy to get going and minimal rolling resistance, in spite of the monster tyres fitted. It was also my first experience of using disk brakes too, which proved to be very suitable for the task; although the brake levers were the wrong way round compared to UK practice, with front on the left and rear on the right. I was going to have to be especially careful not to accidentally grab the left one on descents and risk heading over the handlebars.

Somewhere along the immense Barranco de Tirajana - spot the skibiker!

The ride began rather abruptly with an "easy" warm up, climbing up a lung bursting 20% gradient, above the village, I was relived to see the odd person get off and push and gladly followed suit. The pain and effort were soon forgotten as we plunged down vertiginous descents through the village of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, the tyres scrabbling to maintain traction with the concrete, rubble, rocks and dirt that formed the path running between the houses.
I was focusing on avoiding the near lethal consequences of grabbing the front brake and had to keep repeating to myself "right hand only, right hand only, right hand only" like a mantra.

La Fortaleza - Long sweeping dirt trails

Heading South towards the sea, we worked away along long sweeping dirt trails following the West side of the immense Barranco de Tirajana. In some ways this was the most enjoyable part of the ride as you could go pretty much flat out and let the bike's suspension take the strain.

Although the Cannondale Rush 29 2 is one of Free Motion's most basic hire items, I found that it had lots of control for locking out the suspension on climbs or road sections.
Bike Radar gave the Cannondale Rush 29 2 quite a poor review seeing the Fox fork as a weak point; fortunately I hadn't read the article before the trip, furthermore given the vintage nature of the bikes I typically ride, I found it to be a superbly well engineered machine.

Cannondale Rush 29 2 - a well engineered machine

We stopped half way along for a lunch stop and I got the chance to deplete my ample water reserves. I had been concerned about de-hydration so brought with me 2.5 litres of water, only to find myself handed another 2 litre bottles by the Free Motion guide to stash in my back pack at the start of the ride. I was greatly relieved to loose a good couple of Kilos of weight of my back at this point.

On the next leg of the journey we emerged from the clouds and into the desert heat of the South coast of Gran Canaria with water streaming from my downhill style helmet on the more exerting climbs back towards Playa del Inglés as we tracked the route of the motorway through desert scrub. Our last few Kilometres followed the beach promenade, with our dusty mountain bikes looking incongruous as we skipped past the sun worshippers.

La Fortaleza - time for a pleasant ride along the prom

I found my all too brief outing with Free Motion very enjoyable and exhilarating. The whole operation ran with the precision of a Swiss watch and the guiding was very detailed, briefing you on each leg of the route, before agreeing the next rendezvous point. This practice gave the fastest riders the chance to let rip whilst the guide was often zipping from the front to the rear of the pack and watching out for those with mechanical issues, punctures or just plain old stragglers like me.
It's such a shame that on such trips UK riders are so under represented compared to the army of Scandinavians who appreciate that Gran Canaria as so much more to offer than just; sun, beer, chips, "Kiss me quick" hats and camel rides.

You can download the La Fortaleza route plan in pdf format here

I was enjoying a very chilled out Friday afternoon only to have my reverie disturbed by the notice of the unexpected, but not unwelcome early arrival of Pyro Tim. He would be coming all the way from Bournemouth in Dorset and wanted to avoid an early morning rushed drive by overnighting chez moi.

It was a good excuse to do some much needed housekeeping and where possible tidy up my pit, as I went around I realised that some areas hadn't be touched since August. Ah, the joy of bachelorhood,  speaking of which, Tim will soon be a dad and I suspect he is enjoying his last months of freedom before his life takes a new direction. He also had the good grace to arrive bearing copious quantities of the splendid "Ringwood 49er" beer, a fine, dark, nutty brew perfect for winter drinking.

At around 4am, whilst I slumbered Pete (elpedro666) was leaving Stockport, on the outskirts of Manchester, in order to be down in time for breakfast. As soon as I awoke in the morning I checked on the net and could see that he was well on his way. Soon after, Andy from Sevenoaks arrived, having elected to leave his car at my place to avoid the hassle of Croydon's multi-story car parks on a Saturday. Within minutes, the three of us were making the short sprint to East Croydon for the official start of the ride.

We soon located the Wizard of Oz "G'day mate" who had travelled over from Ealing, Pete (FlossyRockstar) who had made the descent down from Biggin Hill, Kent and John who had taken the train from his base in the Surrey Hills near Guildford. Last to arrive was Pete (elpedro666) having pedalled the 15 miles from Euston without so much as even stopping for breakfast, top banana.

This promised to be the best attended Urban RetroBike ride ever and also the first in nearly perfect conditions, with light winds and sunny skies. It was even reasonably warm, at least when not in the shade.

We set off, however the pleasant and peaceful run through the parks of South London was marred by much squeaking from pedals of Tim's ride. Taking this as an omen, we made an early pit stop at Catford for bacon sandwiches and supplies of GT85 lubricant, earning poor Tim the nickname "Vaseline Boy" for the duration.

Vaseline Boy - refreshed and fully oiled

Refreshed and fully oiled, we soon headed uphill to Blackheath with Pete deciding to go head to head with Tim for the "King of the Mountains" title. Despite Pete's promising start, Tim drew on his reserves and made it to the top first. We had the obligatory photo opportunity at the statue of General Wolfe, by the Royal Observatory before the break neck descent back down to Greenwich.

Statue of General Wolfe - Obligatory photo opportunity

Crossing under the Thames though the foot tunnel we made our rendezvous with Gordon who had made the ride across from Paddington station and was delay by mechanical troubles. By popular demand, we halted for a couple of swift halves at a nearby river side pub.

Urban RetroBikers - in full swing

Moving off the Isle of Dogs and into Bow we made a sad and poignant stop at the notorious crossing of the A108 and the CS2 cycle superhighway, where a only few days earlier, there had been a fatal collision between a cyclist and traffic.

Leaving the busy traffic behind, we joined the tranquillity of the Regents Canal for a slalom between the tourists up towards Haggerston. At this point the A-Z of London came out twice in order to find a short back street route to the BMX pump track in Haggerston Park.

Gordon - BMX track Haggerston

The lads demonstrated their BMX prowess by making a lap or two, then we returned to the main roads for a new route through the City of London taking us across Tower Bridge and towards City Hall for a late lunch.

Pete - Furthest Distance Travelled

After lunch we had a quick vote and selected the following ride winners:

RetroBike de Jour - Orbit - Andyz
Highly Commended - Diamond Back - Pyro Tim
Furthest Distance Travelled - Pete - Stockport (200 miles)

We navigated some pedestrian sections of the South Bank, full to bursting point, around the Golden Hind to cross the infamous wobbly Millennium bridge by the Tate Modern Gallery heading towards St Paul's Cathedral.
Regrouping on the North Bank we headed down The Strand, round Trafalgar Square and up the Mall to Buckingham Palace before splitting apart.

Pete, Gordon and the Wizard then headed North towards Euston and Paddington stations, whilst the Southerners headed towards Victoria and on through; Vauxhall, Loughborough Junction and Herne Hill.
Some miles further on Pete challenged Tim to a flat out ride up Gypsy Hill and (apparently) won, leaving the score for "King of the Mountains" an even draw.

Pete - King of the Mountains, almost

After a final beer we made the rapid descent of South Norwood Hill back to East Croydon, dropping off John at the station and returning home with Tim and Andy.

My commendations to all who took part, you are all stars and not a single puncture all day too.

Attendance on my recent "RetroBike" rides have been diminishing, with few signing up and most of those dropping out at the 11th hour. The ride began with a very poor turnout of just myself and one other rider. On the plus side of the equation, that other rider was Flossyrockstar aka Pete, someone I have known for around 25 years now. He was even my lodger for a while during one of life's ups and downs. Sadly, in recent years I have seen very little of him, so without other riders' needs to cater for, we could go a little slower and have the time to chat and do a heck of a lot of much needed catching up.
We stuck to the scheduled meet up point of Bromley South and without further ado headed straight off. Within minutes we had left the suburban bustle behind and were riding through the many stud farms that co-exist on Bromley Common, stopping briefly to grab a quick snap of a Shetland pony and its foal.

Bromley Common - Shetland pony and foal.

Back in July it was not far from this spot that I spotted a deer roaming round the nearby thickets, you can easily forget that the A21 is only about 500 metres away and imagine yourself to be well into the country.
Next we headed into dense woodland, skirting around Hayes Farm, following tiny paths that snake through the trees to briefly emerge into glades before heading back into the woods. In no time at all we were at Keston ponds, but found our chosen path closed due to a fallen tree, which must have happened very recently as it was still in leaf.
We back tracked, then began the slow climb through Keston Common up towards Biggin Hill and the start of the Bridleway. Pete took to the downhill section like a greyhound down the track, shooting ahead so fast that he soon disappeared and I thought I had lost him.

Keston ponds - path closed due to fallen tree

In the past Pete had been quite unfit, some years back he had been humiliated when we went running together, since then he has been training very hard. Heading uphill towards Fickleshole, he had the novel pleasure of waiting smugly for me to catch up and get my breath back.
A couple of miles further on we both had the pleasure of stopping at The White Bear for a wonderful, refreshing, isotonic sports drink, otherwise known as cider.

Beer - a refreshing, isotonic sports drink

Fully refreshed we had a fine race down the hill to Fryland's Wood Scout Camp before a fairly tiring climb back up through Crab Wood above it.
We then headed over towards Farleigh Golf Club and stopped for a photo opportunity. I discovered I had a serious puncture and rather than swap inner tubes, set about gluing on a patch. On putting everything back together I found I had completely missed the puncture hole! But it was a welcome rest and we had a fine view of a cavalcade of Audi 4x4s heading to and from the golf club.

A photo opportunity - Farleigh Golf Club

Fortunately once the wheel was re-assembled, for the second time, it maintained pressure and survived the quick dash down to Bears Wood without further incident. The path was much more slippery than my last visit, not helped by mossy tree routes and brick sized chunks of loose flint on which I found myself getting very sideways, but somehow kept it together. On this occasion not only did we miss the all important left turn towards Selsdon, but took another wrong turn and ended up making a loop back to our starting point on the golf course.

2nd time lucky, we made the correct traverse towards Selsdon Wood Nature Reserve managed to avoid becoming impaled by low hanging branches or riding into badger holes and found a neat route back down to the end of Featherbed Lane.

I also found a really pleasant quiet route past Addington Palace and up Gravel Hill to The Lookout, the visibility was excellent with views as far as High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. The official ride ended with a quick visit to Shirley Windmill and the return towards Bromley by road.

As were were both still feeling feisty, we made an additional exploration of the extensive grounds of the Royal Bethlem Hospital at Monks Orchard. Given that it is a mental hospital, with areas that appear to be secure units, I imagine this is against a lot of rules. However, many of the paths were well travelled and looked like a popular dog walking spot. There were some wonderful woodland sections that had an almost primordial feel to them. It would be a great area to explore further and would be full on Scooby Doo spooky by the light of a full moon.

This just left us the time for a final swift half at in West Wickham before heading our separate ways.
It is an excellent route that never gets boring and one I would love to do again with a group, but judging by the paucity of interest is going to be highly unlikely now.

Having "pre-disastered" this run solo, back in the July heat, it is was now time to do it again but in the company of friends. With all my recent gallivanting I've hardly been on a bike for weeks, I tried to keep up my fitness by doing as much walking and stair climbing as possible, but there is a big difference between 50 steps and a 70 mile round trip on a chunky all terrain bike. So it was with some trepidation that I set off from Purley for the 11am rendezvous at Greenwich.
For once the weather forecast looked to be favourable, sunny skies were predicted only marred by a 15 mph North East wind. This would be right on our nose heading down the Thames towards Dartford, the only advantage being that it would gives us a fantastic push on the ride home.

I made good time and soon met up with "new boy" Andy Z out for his first ride with fellow RetroBikers, he had even managed to find a new recruit, Steve who had arranged to meet a mate from work to follow the same route as us, but had been stood up whilst waiting by the Cutty Sark, poor bloke. It was not the first time that this buddy had done this either, Steve, if you get to read this, remember, revenge is best served chilled.

Lots of heads down riding into the wind

Our other Andy, aka Buster soon popped round the corner of the Cutty Sark and we got started. The forecast wind wasn't particularly noticeable as we made our way past the historic landmarks  of Greenwich and Woolwich.
Some of the paths are quite narrow and the signposting can be confusing as there is both a footpath and cycle route which often merge only to separate a few hundred meters further on. On a couple of occasions the signs lead us into cul de sacs, I was paying so much attention to them at the Thames Barrier that I rode over some kerbing and made a sudden, involuntary dismount.

The industrial landscape of Thamesmead

Moving on through the industrial landscape of Thamesmead the wind became more noticeable and there was a little less chat and a bit more heads down riding. We had a welcome break at the Running Horses pub in Erith, just off the route and re-charged our batteries for 30 minutes or so.
From Erith yatch club the path becomes hard packed single track and follows dykes along the Thames and its tributary the Darenth, this involves a fair bit of zig-zagging and makes the short distance to the Dartford bridge last quite a while. Steve's knees were beginning to grumble, so he called time and headed back homeward, but not before posing for the victory shot.

Steve - posing for the victory shot

Getting to the bridge control from the riverside is quite awkward thanks to overlapping security fences around the base of the bridge and nearby power station, but after consulting the maps and some faffing about, we eventually found a way through.

Lots of barriers - finally a way through!

At the bridge we used the free taxi service to get across the river to Thurrock, this involved getting our 3 bikes onto an adapted pick up truck, once done there was the 5 minute journey through the tunnel to enjoy.
From Thurrock it is just 10 minutes to Purfleet and the start of a route through Aveley marshes, Buster expected a mud fest but it turned out to be well paved and civilized. We followed the route as far as the hill, unusual feature for this part of Essex and as far as I can tell man made. But it does provide some fine "big sky" views of Essex, Kent and landmarks in London such as Canary Wharf and The Shard.

Ever wondered where all the £60 mountain bikes go to die?

With the clock ticking and already feeling worn it was time to turn around, this being just the halfway point. Back at Thurrock we made the jaunt South taking the QEII Bridge which also gives some excellent vistas of the river. Back in Kent we said farewell to Andy Z who was off to Dartford for a crafty (car) ride home to Sevenoaks with his Mrs, well done that man, a sterling effort for a first timer and winner of the "I've been brave" award.

Andy Z - winner of the "I've been brave" award

This just left Buster and I to head back towards Greenwich, at least the wind was behind us, even so I called a 10 minute rest break to finish off the last of my snacks and get a quick energy rush. Fortunately Buster had left his car in Beckenham so we rode the last section from Greenwich together in the gathering dusk. It was with aching legs that I helped lift my bike on to his bike rack and we both marvelled at the iron man stamina it must take to do events like Mountain Mayhem.

The last section from Greenwich in the gathering dusk

So that's another route in the bag, I still think it could do with a few more tweaks and would definitely benefit from being a circular route, I just need to find a pleasant way to get from Rainham Marshes to Gallions Reach. My thanks go to my fellow riders for making the effort and look forward to the next time, #2 Suburban RetroBike is this Saturday coming!

Introduction

Today was an excuse for a proper bit of "Old Skool" exploration, just as it was done back in the day, without any fancy GPS smart phone wizardry. Taking a rough idea for a circular off road route around the Southern limits of the London boroughs of Bromley and Croydon, checking with the map as we went. Alasdair was my riding companion, it started as a suggestion of his and two is definitely company for this type of ride. He must be at least 10 years younger and considerably fitter than me, so there wasn't going to be too much slacking today.

Alasdair - 10 years younger and considerably fitter

Stud Farms, Parks and Woods

The starting point was Bromley South railway station, quiet on a Sunday but still very much a metropolitan area. Yet after less than a mile of suburban semi detached houses on the road you are already on Bromley Common. Skirting around the grounds of Bromley FC you are soon in an area that I remember used to be allotments, but which have now become stud farms, not the sort of thing you expect to find minutes from a suburban town centre. Just the other side of Norman Park, at the end of Rookery Lane and overlooked by Bromley College the woodlands begin.
By this point you already feel that you are miles from anywhere, with plentiful single track paths and the occasional bridleway snaking their way through Mazzards Wood, Barnet Wood, Colyers Wood and Padmall Wood, but hardly a soul in sight. We were roughly following the course of the River Ravensbourne as it slowly ascends from Bromley Common onto Hayes Common towards its source at picturesque Keston Ponds.
At Keston Common we briefly joined the Westerham Road, if you followed the road a little further you would be at the historic war time airfield at Biggin Hill, but we were soon heading back into the woodland before then.

Furze Bottom Downhill

By Keston Court Farm we joined the excellent fast bridleway descent down to Furze Bottom. For me this was the highlight of the day, it is straight and open in places, firm and with great visibility ahead, my first chance of the day to be a Gonzo and get up some speed, my eyes were watering by the bottom. Payback came with a slow slog up Higham's Hill, rewarded with a brief rest at the top to admire the open view South towards Chelsham.
A brief sprint through Jewels Wood put us on a section of the National Cycle Network Route 21 for the short ride to The White Bear pub at Fickleshole and a chance to grab a drink and consult the map for the next leg.

The White Bear pub at Fickleshole

Ging gang goolie goolie goolie goolie watcha

Suitably refreshed it was time for a nippy descent down Featherbed Lane to The Bungalow for a ride through Fryland's Wood Scout Camp and on to Crab Wood above it. Some of the trails were reminiscent of Swinley Forest that we had both ridden a few weeks earlier, but with no other traffic. This lead us onto Chelsham Common and thanks to a couple of wrong turns to the big Sainsbury store at the edge of Warlingham.
Realising our mistake, we turned around and headed back into Great Park Wood towards Farleigh. Farleigh appears to be quite a horsey area, there are plenty of bridleways, but some were quite churned up. With the dry weather they were just very bumpy, but I imagine in Autumn they could well become a bit of a quagmire. It also seemed that some of the paths had branches and logs deliberately laid across them, could there be a bit of a horse vs bike conflict going on at the moment?

Nature Reserve

We were now on the home leg heading North towards Selsdon. There was a very rapid and slippery chalk descent through Frith Wood onto the edge of Addington Golf course. I enjoyed this so much that I missed a turning and we had to back track uphill. The correct turning took us through Bears Wood and onto Selsdon Wood Nature Reserve. You would never guess how close you are to a town here, it is so peaceful and quiet, the trails are wide and undulating with a firm base. Alasdair particularly liked the riding and we put in few laps trying all the different combinations of routes.
I was feeling quite tired after the exertion and mooted that it was time for a bun at Forestdale before the ascent of Gravel Hill.

Outstanding Vista

Climbing up Gravel Hill, with a busy road nearby and cris-crossing the tram tracks you feel very much back in an urban environment. But once at the top there is some good, but ultra slippery riding in the Shirley Hills. Gravel Hill is aptly named, the stones are so small that it is like riding on ball bearings, braking is a challenge and climbing impossible, even on foot it took careful effort. A short flight of steps took us to the unexpected pleasure of the stupendous vista from The Lookout. Local landmarks such as Crystal Palace FC were easily visible, along with buildings in the City, such as The Shard, buildings around Canary Wharf and even as far as Wembley Stadium with The Chilterns as a back drop.

Windy Miller

Our final descent of the day was down Shirley Hills Road to Postmill Close, to visit Shirley Windmill, one of London's last surviving windmills. We finished with a gentle ride through the suburban streets of West Wickham back to our starting point at Bromley.
With the excitement over, I noticed my front tyre was looking about as deflated as I now felt, just making it back to Bromley South before I was on the rims. I bade farewell to Alasdair, popped on a spare tube and took a leisurely ride back home.

Shirley Windmill - one of London's last remaining

Conclusion

To keep future rides along this route snappy, we might miss a few of the more tortuous off road sections and use a bit more road to link it all together. Likewise some of the potentially boggier sections might have to be bypassed in Winter. But this is a great circular route, with so much isolated woodland, all within easy distance of major transport hubs it is holds great potential for future rides.
Almost the entire route can be found on Transport for London Cycling Guide 13, if you want to receive a free copy please look here.

Introduction

So the recent spell of swelteringly hot weather continues and today I had scheduled to do a rather long and exhausting ride, my plan was to investigate a new route for one of my "Urban RetroBike" rides following the River Thames.

I had an idea that it would be possible to find a suitable route from Greenwich, crossing to the North side of the River Thames, then heading East and following the river bank all the way out to Thurrock in Essex. I would then cross the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, using the free "bike taxi" service and returning to Greenwich along the Thames Path.

Phew what a scorcher

Due to the hot and sunny weather, I chose to leave after lunch, with the anticipation of riding long int the cool of evening. It was certainly a hot day, no doubt The Sun newspaper would choose the headline "Phew what a scorcher!" but a light breeze stopped me from feeling the force of the heat.

The route from my home in Purley to Greenwich is by now a familiar one and follows parts of the National Cycle Network Route 21 also marked up as "The WaterLink Way" at various points. This gets me from Croydon to Greenwich in just over an hour, following a variety of quiet roads suburban and gravel paths as they wend their way through the parks and recreation grounds of South London.

From the Cutty Sark at Greenwich, I followed the foot tunnel to get to Island Gardens on the North bank, annoyingly one of the lifts was out of order, so I had to descend the 100 or so steps with my bike on my shoulder, taking great care not to wipe out any of the multitudinous German tourists coming the other way, "alles sehr gut mein lieblings?"

Island Gardens is a lovely spot to pass an idle moment, but today there was no time to admire the view, from here you can follow the Northern section of the Thames Path towards Leamouth, it yields a few good vistas of Greenwich and the 02 Dome, but it is quite dismembered as it passes through various housing developments.

The O2 Dome - funky design

A quick 5 minute burst alongside the A1020 gets you to the ExCel Exhibition Centre. It is noteworthy as one terminus of the Emirates Air Line, London's only cable car system. Oh how I love cable cars, that hyperspace shortcut from the bottom to the top of the mountains, but sadly there are no mountains here, it simply crosses the River Thames to North Greenwich. It is worth noting that bikes are permitted to travel on a regular ticket, costing £4.30 for an adult.

The Emirates Air Line - London's only cable car

City Airport and the Thames Barrier

The ExCel Exhibition Centre is next door to the tiny London City Airport, a single strip of runway set between the Royal Albert and King George V docks. It even has a bike rack outside the main entrance, yes I have used it for a flight and yes my bike was even still there (and complete) upon my return 2 days later.
Next on my agenda was Thames Barrier Park in Silvertown, it is a pretty piece of landscaping in what is otherwise an utterly derelict area. There is a great view of the Thames Path itself, a flood defense system used in extreme surge tide conditions to save the low lying areas of London from inundation.

Thames Barrier Park - Silvertown

Beckton and the Dagenham Dustbins

From this point on the next section became a tale of unrelenting bleakness. I had to skirt around the Docklands Light Railway Depot, Beckton Gas and Sewerage Works following a dismal route alongside busy roads. I was hoping to see some interesting industrial archeology at the Ford Factory in Dagenham, now standing as a silent monument to a bygone age of British industry. But there is not much to see, just endless empty factory units and the odd scrap yard. Dagenham Dock must now rank as the UK's recycling centre, with giant facilities in all directions.

Sadly there is no respite from the monotony in the adjacent residential areas, only street after street of identikit social housing, originally built to serve the domestic needs of Henry Ford's serfs.

The Worst Pub in the World

I know how fellow RetroBikers like a rest stop or three, so I was keeping an eagle eye out for a suitable venue, but the venue I spotted would have rank as the worst pub in the World. Let me paint you a picture, imagine this... a 1970's concrete block house with a flat roof, a beer garden comprised of nothing more than tarmac with 2 tressel picnic tables and a pair of derelict caravans to the side. The clientele, sat soaking up the sun, comprised 3 middle aged obese skinheads, resplendent in "wife beater" string vests and baggy shorts. I am not making this up!
I was so very parched and a lovely cool beer would have been a welcome respite, but somehow I found the strength to keep going. I really wanted to take a picture, but I sincerely thought that the inmates, sorry, customers of the establishment might have "shooters" on them.

Rainham and Wenington

And then suddenly the urban sprawl ended and you find yourself in the charming village of Rainham, which would be quite a nice place to stop and have a beer. According to the maps, National Cycle Route 13 heads out onto Rainham Marshes Nature Reserve, but after checking the time I was shocked to find that it was nearly 6pm. I needed to keep rolling, I didn't want to be out in the wilds of Kent after sun down. So I made for the Wennington Road and followed the signs to the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge.

Queen Elizabeth II Bridge

Queen Elizabeth II Bridge Southbound

Before setting off, I had phoned the bridge operations room to confirm arrangements for crossing the bridge by bike. Their instructions were simple and proved to be correct. You follow London Road underneath the bridge and by the Ibis Hotel, you see Gates blocking an access road up to the bridge, there is a gap for cycles and you ride up the incline to the blue control room. Once there a phone is provided to contact bridge control, you explain the direction you're heading in and they send a van to pick you up. I hardly had time to snap a picture before the van turned up and we were off. It made a pleasant change to be making the journey in the passenger seat and be able to enjoy the views for once. 

Bike Taxi Service - completely free

Trapped in "The Village" and Dartford Salt Marshes

Back on the South side of the river I had the chance to consult the maps and take some more snaps, but with the sun ever heading lower towards the horizon it was soon time to get a move on once more. I wanted to find the path that runs alongside the river by Littlebrook Power Station, but after 10 minutes of futile effort I gave up and found myself in a new development called "The Bridge". Annoyingly it is planned with no through roads and once inside it is actually quite difficult to get out again. I began to feel more than a little like Paddy McGoohan in "The Prisoner", if a giant white inflatable ball had started to chase me I wouldn't have been at all surprised.
Eventually I found the way out and was able to pick up the Thames Path onto Dartford Salt Marshes, finally this was the sort of hard pack off road cycling I had been waiting for all day. The area is a delight and is worthy of further exploration.

Dartford Salt Marshes - the riding I had been waiting for all day

First pint of the day

The riverside Running Horses pub in Erith High Street provided me with the hard earned pint that I had been denied on the Essex side, it hardly touched the sides on the way down. I would have liked to lingered longer, but the sun was low on the horizon and to my surprise the Thames Path marker showed I had another 12 miles to go before Greenwich.

Erith Yatch Club - the sun was low on the horizon

Beer Skates

Thanks to my isotonic energy drink aka Fosters lager I had quite a boost and decided to make the most of it before my reserves were depleted. The Thames Path is a refined pavement surface running through Belvedere, Thamesmead and onto Woolwich. Around the Thames Barrier and Woolwich Ferry the route becomes broken up by a number of recent infrastructure improvements, so I cheated a little and skipped the section around the Greenwich peninsular, following the main road back to Greenwich. After this I just had the "easy" 12 mile run back to Purley to contend with.

Sunset over Essex

In Conclusion

I don't think that I would follow this route again, especially in the company of other bikers. Trying to follow the river Thames along the northern side is pretty much an impossible task.

Firstly, there are a number of minor tributaries that you have to cross, each one involves an energy sapping deviation to find a crossing point further "inland".
Secondly, there are too many industrial areas closed off behind giant fences dogs and angry guards.
And lastly, a new cross rail route is under construction, which, in addition to the current railway lines,  high speed rail links and trunk roads all serve to carve the area up into one giant soulless transport corridor.
As a result of the above factors you are forced to ride alongside busy roads for the best part of the route, with no respite till Rainham.

I had a few stops along the way, but the loop starting from Greenwich took the best part of 7 hours.

But, I will definitely run an Urban Retro Bike ride along the Thames Path from Greenwich to Dartford and back in the near future. Perhaps with a trip over/under the river to the North side for a quick excursion into Rainham Marshes Nature Reserve.

Today was a fantastic spring day, almost hot enough to be summer, but still with a bit of a chill in the morning. I was feeling surprisingly chipper after yesterday's jaunt. You have to make the most of such conditions here in the UK, so I chose to break my journey homeward with a visit to Greenham Common.
Here in the UK the name for many is still synonymous with CND, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and in particular the Women's Peace Camp based there in the 1980's. Today, the missiles, military and political activists are all gone, the huge concrete runways have been dug up and for the most part it has been returned to common land.

The single track trails at Greenham Common were recommended to me on the RetroBike Forum, but it also has the potential for lighter mixed riding too. I "scoped out" the site before hand thanks to Google Maps and decided to use the industrial estate area as my point of entry. This turned out to be an unexpectedly busy place and  hard to find an obvious parking place without antagonising anyone.
Not wanting to find my car clamped or towed away I eventually parked on Lindenmuth Way, had a snack and a drink and got myself organised.

Busy site - I eventually parked on LindenmuthWay

The English Provender Company who make posh chutneys and pickles are based nearby, the not so posh "Monster Munch pickled onion flavour" smell pervaded the immediate area. A gate behind the factory leads straight on to the firm gravel perimeter road. From here I took a pleasant, if unadventurous, ride around the site to view; the missile silos, control tower and sundry artifacts left on show.

Sundry artifacts left on show.

At the Eastern end I found a tiny trail leading down through a gully and met a biker heading the other way searching for his dropped phone. There didn't seem to be much more to ride, even though what there is was quite a challenge with my skills. The area was hemmed in by houses and roads and not quite the epic single track I had been recommended.

Greenham Common - the firm gravel perimeter road

On the return leg back to the Western end of the site I discovered a trail leading into the woods
behind the ominous looking nuclear missile silo. This turned out to be where the good stuff is, I picked my way along tentatively, not wanting to risk picking up any speed on alien territory, this trail was above my ability level and is exactly the sort of thing I need to do more of.

The trail starts behind ominous looking nuclear missile silos

I returned to the car around sunset very pleased with my exploration of the site but feeling more than a little worn out, keeping my eyes open on the ride home was quite a struggle.

I recently acquired an unexpected opportunity to do a week's work based in Newbury, Berkshire. This pleasant home counties market town is host to the corporate headquarters of one of the UK's largest mobile phone companies. Commuting from my home in time for an early shift starting at 7am meant the only viable transport option was by car. Outside rush hour, the 75 miles can be covered in a shade over an hour and a quarter.

By contrast to my regular work, a lot of time would be spent in the car and the rest sat behind a desk. With that prospect I would soon be getting stale and needed to find myself some exercise before I seized up or got any fatter. Once again the RetroBike Forum came to my aide, I received suggestions for routes and found myself a ride companion in the shape of Gordon, aka Secret Squirrel, who had recently joined me on Urban RetroBike #3.

Leaving work on the dot of 3pm I headed for the company car park and with what modesty I could muster, changed from sober business clothes into gear more appropriate to trail riding fun. I don't know if I was spotted on CCTV, but if so, it must have given the security team a good laugh. Transformation completed, I mounted the wheels, tweaked the brakes and headed towards the centre of town.

Having consumed breakfast some hours previously, I hoped there might be time to grab a quick snack on the go, but the phone rang and Gordon was already just moments away at the train station, oh well, I wanted to shift a few pounds from my mid-rift. We met on the tow path as it runs through Victoria Park, a pleasant area complete with; band stand, early season sunbathers and the ubiquitous ice cream van.

Kennet and Avon canal - by the Rowbarge Pub Woolhampton.

Following the National Cycle Network Route 4 along the Kennet and Avon canal you pass through the town's industrial area, but the presence of so many canal barges, trees and wildlife makes for a bucolic ambiance. In spite of recent rain, the trail was dry and hard packed, which made for easy and rapid progress. There were some rooty sections plus the odd dip and bump to keep you on your toes, the trail also switches from bank to bank, so there is plenty to maintain interest.
At Thatcham you have to cross a busy road and it was not obvious where the trail continued, after a small detour, we got back on track and were riding on what was to be the best section of the route. It was smooth and well manicured, but empty, we both had some mad moments, forcing up the pace and getting a good thirst on for a swift half at the Rowbarge Pub by the swing bridge in Woolhampton.

Time for a "swift half " at The Rowbarge Pub

I could have sat and shot the breeze for longer, but Gordon was on a mission, there were kids to be collected at 6 and there were still 12 country miles to go. The next section around Aldermaston Wharf was quite rough in places, according to the signs it had been deliberately left for the grass to grow and promote the diversity of fauna and flora, etc. Furthermore, the presence of quite a few gates to negotiate made for quite a tiring leg of the journey.
At Theale we passed under the M4 motorway and soon began to sense our proximity to an urban centre. There was a notably boring slog alongside the motorway, as you skirt the Theale Waterskiing & Wakeboarding club lake, with little to please the eye and the relentless drone of drivers speeding along the M4 above.
Close to Reading, the trail rejoins the canal tow path and after passing under the A33 there are much prettier sections at Waterloo Meadows heading into the centre of town. Arriving just minutes before Gordon's 6pm deadline, there was no time for lengthy farewells, as he zoomed off to carry out paternal duties.

Plenty of fauna - Aldermaston Wharf

I was faced with a conundrum, should I grab some late "lunch" and take the train back to Newbury or turn around and head back up the Kennet and Avon canal ? My legs were already tired and this was only half way and just a couple of hours to go before nightfall descended. But there's nothing like a race against the clock to motivate you when you are running out of puff. There was a bit of a headwind to contend with and in theory you are heading slightly uphill, in consequence the ride back felt slower, but I was back at my car by 8pm, so time wise there can't have been much in it.

By my reckoning the distance traveled was 18 miles each way. Allowing 30 minutes of stoppages, I was riding for 4 hours, which makes for an average speed of 9 miles per hour, not bad considering it is only a fraction slower than the speed I make cycling in to London.

I can highly recommend National Cycle Network Route 4 along the Kennet and Avon canal, it would be nice to do again, maybe at a more leisurely pace though, or just in the one direction. I would be keen to see the continuation of the route too, which runs all the way to Bath. Interestingly by following the linked Bristol and Bath Railway Path, you can make it to Bristol too, should the mood take you.

One Life - Live it