Dunwich Dynamo XX 2012 FAQs - The essentials & coach back tickets

Even if you’ve read these a dozen times before, please read them again for some important changes.

If you’ve not read them before, welcome….deep breath……and, careful, this ride will change your life.

What is the Dunwich Dynamo?

Simple. A turn-up-and-go challenging free-entry overnight 120 mile bicycle ride on-tarmac from London Fields in Hackney to the lovely, lonely Suffolk beach at Dunwich.

More?

It’s not a race. It’s unsupported. There’s no van following. It’s a long way for nearly all of us. There will be times when you wish you were tucked up in bed.
But you’ll love it. The adrenalin buzz, the experience, the achievement, the smiles will cling forever. For a lot of us it’s almost the highlight of our bike year. That rare and precious human collective/supportive thrill is fabulous. Unmissable. We should rule the world.

Organisation?

Minimalist. Honest. Yes really. And we aim to keep it like that.

Patrick Field’s London School of Cycling has been in from the start (1992) and provides route sheets and catering at the half-way hall. Read this.

Since 1999 Southwark Cyclists have organised the main convoy to bring cyclists and their bikes back to London. This is the thirteenth trucking year. Our second without Barry Mason whose words have been adapted and updated here. Time flies.

How many people ride it?

230 riders in 2003. Numbers have increased year on year since, so there were approximately 1500 in 2011 despite stormy weather and rain at the start.

Who does it?

Mostly your average bike-to-workers for whom this is very, very long ride. A daunting but exciting challenge. A few semi-pro cyclists, more road bikes every year, more and more fixie-skidders, a whole fleet of low-life recumbents, several Bromptons, some tandems, a Boris bike and two spaniels in 2011, a penny-farthing in 2009.

How long does it take?

Starting between 8pm and 9pm, most get to Dunwich between 7am and 9am the next morning...so about 10 or 11 hours, depending on your pace and number of stops.

What’s it like?

It’s a friendly adventure with bike-minded people along surprisingly traffic free country roads, with riders that soon settle into bunches at various paces. People give each other mental and if possible, mechanical support all the way to the sea. Glimpses of village Saturday night and the throbbing marquee in the middle of nowhere, bats, stars. The sense of very real achievement at the end is a huge lift that will stay with you. The worst bit is missing a night’s sleep. But that’s also the best bit. We ride into the sunrise.

Resonance FM’s ’Bike Show’ special for 2011 is available online.

The new DDXX show can be found here along with the 2011 route.

Be aware: the official route map with the half way hall details is only available at the start.

Bats?

We see them every year but noticed them for the first time in 2005…on the quiet road ahead. Serotin bats, the UK’s largest, are our only ones that sometimes land to feed. It looks like these have learnt to find moths and beetles etc. on the tarmac. They’ve got much better radar than hedgehogs so you needn’t even try to avoid them. And no, of course they won’t go for your jugular. Probably.

When?

The next Dynamo, DD number 20 (XX) will be on the weekend of 30 June / 1 July 2012 - brought forward to avoid clashing with London’s Olympic Games. Back to mid-July next year.

Where is Dunwich?

Map about 200km (120 miles) north east of London on the lonely Suffolk coast between Southwold and Aldeburgh, right next to the internationally important Minsmere bird reserve.

What is Dunwich?

A thousand years ago wool-rich Dunwich almost rivalled London. Coastal erosion means the medieval metropolis is now half a mile offshore, on a quiet night they say you can hear the watery tolling of the lost church bells. Nothing stays the same, the ride gets shorter every year.

Where is the start?

The ride meets at the Pub On The Park, Martello Street, London Fields, Hackney E8.

Bikes everywhere. Bemused locals (though perhaps no longer so bemused). We’ll do a feeder ride from Greenwich that evening. Meet 6pm at Cutty Sark Gardens - the Greenwich Foot Tunnel lifts normally run 24/7.

What start time?

Be at the Pub on the Park by 8pm for a 9pm start. That’s PM. Saturday evening. 30 June 2012. Careful, that start time isn’t precise, people start to leave when they feel like it after 8pm. A sort of momentum develops like those bats from a cave, and suddenly it’s gone. Some leave much earlier and most can’t see the point of that. It’s not a race so why rush?

Be careful out there…

Be aware that the first few kilometres follow very inner-city streets that were never a problem until 2005 when a late-ish starter in a group of three got his bike taken from him by a few youths. Look out for each other and maybe leave your alone moments for the greener bits later. And, tragically, in 2006 in the village of North Weald, a stupidly driven van came round the corner on the wrong side of the road and killed well-equipped rider Andrew Rawlings, and injured another. In 2008 a rider got hit by a can thrown by some young drunks from a front garden. When Barry phoned that in when he heard about it days later, the Essex policeman who took the call had been on the ride and loved it. The house in question got visited. Another reason for always reporting yobbery.

How do I follow the route?

You’ll be offered a route sheet at the start (suggested minimum £1 donation to help cover some costs) but the route is unsigned. The OS Travel Map 'Road map East Midlands and East Anglia Including London' covers the whole route. ISBN 978-0319230916. From around £2 plus delivery from Amazon.

Hackney fairies will try and put some night-light jam jar lanterns out along part of the way. And follow the flashing red-lights ahead. That memory will linger.

What’s the route like?

It leaves London surprisingly quickly and slightly confusingly, is all on tarmac, and once through naughtyboy-racer bouncer-guarded road-pub Epping Forest, it’s mostly unlit county lanes all the way with a few villages and small towns. Moreton, Leaden Roding, Great Dunmow, Great Bardfield, Finchingfield, Castle Headingham, Sudbury, Great Waldingfield, Needham Market, Framlingham, Rendham, Darsham, Westleton …

Topography/Contours/Nasty bits?

A few short sharp hills and more steady climbs, nothing very serious. Mostly very flat. Tarmac throughout.

What do I need?

Lights. The clear sky requested. Lots of stars out there make it surprisingly undark. If you use little blinky city lights you’ll sometimes want to tuck in behind someone with a beam…it can be dark out there, unnerving in the gravely tree tunnels. Bring a pump, a spare inner tube or two (and associated tools), and spare batteries if you might need them.

Any stops?

Around 55 miles out the half way hall will be specially opened by lovely people and you can buy hot drinks and good basic food there. 

Note this carefully please: This is a turn up and go ride and we intend to keep it that way. We’ve no way then of knowing how many people will want feeding here in the early hours.

We can’t of course afford to get food in and then not sell it. We’ll aim to feed the majority of riders. But no more. Please make sure then you bring something to eat with you anyway, but especially in case there’s nothing left. There will be queues.

Every year, too much litter is dropped by non-thinkers. Our kind food people spend an extra few hours cleaning it all up, which just isn’t fair on them. Please respect them and your planet - use the bins.

More pop-up stops opening this year too - watch this space for updates.

Best avoid the siren call of the open pubs. Unless of course you need coffee/loo. The few all-night garages can be handy. Moths to a flame.

What happens if my bike or I break down?

There’s no following magic bus to sweep you up or mend your bike but fellow riders often work wonders. The ride is unsupported. You are on your own. If you’re in trouble, expect help from others but if you just get too tired or a knee gives out or whatever, then you’ll have to find a lift or cab to get you to the nearest station.

Small print:

Skip this. The Dunwich Dynamo is under the London Cycling Campaign’s £5m public liability insurance cover and if you are not a member please consider joining.

What happens at the finish?

Dunwich Beach. The steep shingle beach makes for great cleansing wake-up swim.

The Flora Tea Rooms opens specially for us at 6am (some get in sooner, don’t bank on it). The Ship Inn likewise. More and more pop-up cafes along the route this year, follow our Twitter feed as we reveal where they are.

Once fed, most then snooze on the shingle a little. Some then have a beer or two.

How to get home?

A few seasoned (or nutty) riders just turn round and spin back to London. Most get the coach or train. Some just cycle up the coast for a long weekend.

Coach:

We’re openly biased. We recommend the coaches for the snooze home. It’s Hamiltons Removals’ biggest job of the year. We put the bikes in 32 tonne pantechnicons with their professional packers. Tandems and recumbents fit easily. That said, whilst we will take every care with bicycles brought back to London, you and your bicycle remain your responsibility. If you’re worried about your pristine paint job then bring a wrapping sheet or blanket or similar but we tell the firm to bring lots of cardboard and try to get all the pedals pointing in the same direction.

Hugely important note: Sorry…no refunds since that would make organising it all impossible.

NEW FOR THIS YEAR: Our staggered trucks will load from 9am with the first convoy leaving Dunwich Beach at 10am, the last one leaves at 1pm. The journey to central London (new destination to be confirmed) is about 3 hours. And sorry, no, we can’t add in extra stops.

Take your time on the beach or head straight home as you wish. With an earlier start we hope that we can get those who wish home sooner, perhaps move more of you, avoiding that painful ride to Ipswich. The later convoys are for those who want to swim, eat, snooze, relax, and quite rightly slow down and savour the moment, not rush.

(We have always left on time, except in 2009, when the truck firm mistakenly arrived with one vehicle that was too small…had to get an extra…delayed us an hour. Logistic wizardry said the Guardian).

We moved a record 731 people and their bikes back last year.

Alex will be waiting at the London end for us, with helpers. Once back, some of us then find a pub. Optional extra (the pub that is, not Alex).

Transport back tickets are £20 if paid for on or before 31 May, £30 from 1 June, and £35 on the day IF space is still available.

Important: We close online bookings around noon on Saturday 30 June to make sure the lists we use outside the pub are complete. (Apart from the year we had to close it the week before as Guardian readers booked in huge numbers!)

We can’t afford to make a loss so base the earlybird coaches/trucks ticket price on a cost-covering not-for-profit basis, transparent books.
The early bird price only just covers actual cost and the increase over last year’s £14 is due to the price last year having been set too low to cover actual costs.

Money from the route sheets goes to the London School of Cycling. Any surplus helps the LSC pay for the glow-lights, the workers’ food and general expenses. If a loss develops, we’re in trouble. Late booking is more expensive so as to encourage early booking and easier estimating of numbers. It’s difficult and extremely expensive to get more capacity at the last minute.

SO, EARLY BOOKING IS ADVISED. Places are of course limited. We try to ensure there’s room for all who want a seat but cannot promise that.

People leave belongings on the coaches … jackets, cameras, bungee cords. All usually reunited later but it’s avoidable tiresome hassle. We and the drivers check the coaches before they head home (we know you’ll be tired and/or buzzing) but please look after your stuff.

How do I book a coach place?

PLEASE READ ALL OF OUR FAQS, and then:

Print off your PayPal acknowledgement and bring it between 7pm and 9pm to the ticket desk (there will be queues) outside the Pub on the Park at the start, to exchange it for your transport ticket. The latter guarantees your seat and will be required when loading at Dunwich beach. If you do not collect your ticket at the start, your seat may be resold as there are always people wanting tickets on the night.

Can I buy coach-back tickets at the start?

Don’t count on it. All tickets will almost certainly have already been sold. However - partly depending on the weather - there may be some no shows on the night. We will be at Dunwich with a Q&A point from 10am on Sunday, possibly sooner, so if you are chancing it make sure you have cash. If you lose your ticket overnight, it is at this meeting point you come, to try to convince us.

Train:

The nearest station is Darsham, four miles back along the route from Dunwich. The first train of the day is at 8.45am (Alex checked on 2 May 2012 but do check for yourself) then every two hours……change Ipswich, arrive Liverpool Street 11.02am. The single fare from Darsham to London Liverpool Street is approx £37.90 on the day, from £9 in advance. You can book from May via www.thetrainline.com, delivery is free, and Southwark Cyclists will get commission if you book with thetrainline using this link.

Ipswich station is 30 miles away and has 3 trains an hour. Journey time of about 75 minutes and £31 on the day, last year. Engineering works may or may not be happening - Sunday is the favourite day for them and could result in coached sections that might have no room for bikes. Check National Rail Enquiries for engineering work notices nearer the time - enter your journey and click ’check for updates’. And careful … that Darsham train is only allowed to take 4 bikes. If the Guard obeys the rules you might have to wait and wait. Some are now riding to the station before Darsham to ensure they get on. If there are bikes on the train before you, your reservation won’t help a bit. You’re platform fodder.

Rules?

Be nice. Be considerate – of each other and the locals. Noise is the chief complaint made against us by local residents in towns and villages along the way.

Alex doesn't want to read, reply to and give feedback to riders about irate emails and voice messages this year. That'll make her grumpy and sad.

So, please use common sense and be courteous of sleeping folk when passing through and stopping off in residential areas.

Do not chat under bedroom windows at 3am in the morning or at any other hour.

And do not under any circumstances leave litter.

*This is for the benefit of local residents as well as your fellow riders, as it will ensure the contuity of the ride in its present ungoverned, unpoliced, unticketed form, for years to come.*

Our Survival tips:

• Do some longish rides beforehand … Southwark, Greenwich and Lewisham Cyclists do a lot: see Rides and Events on our website
• Don’t overdo the alcohol, etc. for a few days beforehand
• Pack spare layers of clothes, it can be very warm or chilly or damp or wet
• Money. Always handy
• Phone: yes
• Most jeans have lumpy under-seams that you don’t notice for a few miles. Then you notice.
• Tools: at least a pump, a small multitool and a couple of spare inner tubes. Tyre levers too.
• Make sure your bike is in good nick. Give it a good clean, lube and service a few days before. On the day, give it another look, give it an M Check and, for example, flip it over and check the tyres for those infiltrating little sharp bits. If you’ve been thinking about getting new tyres, splash out before the ride
• Lights: you’ll need them. LEDs can last all night, but bring spare batteries anyway, tuck in behind someone with a beam for those tree-tunnel lane stretches
• Saddle? Apply Vaseline, chamois cream or similar if/before your bits get sore. Recumbent riders, they boast, needn’t bother
• Carbo-loading works for most: a large pasta meal the night before. Some swear by cutting out caffeine for a few days beforehand so that the 3am halfway coffee really j o l t s
• Drink water before you get thirsty, snack and nibble before you get hungry. That way you’ll avoid hitting the spirit-draining brick wall (or bonk) of no energy
• Don’t sprint off with the skinny greyhounds unless you are one. Settle into a group doing a pace you like. If it turns out slow, dance in the pedals and catch a quicker group. Bit too fast? Drop off the group and wait to be caught up
• Swim at the end (a change of pants is a good idea)
• Keep looking at our website/Twitter feed
• Love it

Alex C (with help from Barry) 2 May 2012

If you have any queries about the Dunwich Dynamo 2012 and they are not answered here, please contact alex@southwarkcyclists.org.uk, or if email won’t suffice 07775990087 - she'll do her best to help.