- Ride 1. Canada Water to Cody Dock
- Ride 2. Gardens and Greenery part 2
Canada Water to Cody Dock
Notes from Ride Eader Amanda
14 in attendance. All went well, but got back at 2.30. A bit too long from Canada Water. Everyone loved the sky & ferry -some had never been on either, which makes it so much better. At Woolwich two ferries were running as Blackwall Tunnel was closed. This cuts down waits.
Cody dock was looking great. Funding now from British Heritage so we saw the turn-over bridge progression and future plans. Also headphones with a microphone on the seabed of the canal, made interesting listening. They have an indoor seating area if it rained and are focused on using the place in the evenings also. David was appalled to find they had proper toilets, as he liked the quirkier hole in the ground. The new cycle path from Albert Dock through Canning Town is brilliant (dedicated lights at the top of the hill righthand turn), but it’s not finished further than the bus depot yet, but an excellent addition to cycle safety.
Gardens and Greenery part 2
Report from Ride LEader Jane:
12 of us set off from Emma Cons gardens at Waterloo to complete the Gardens & Greenery Ride, which was abandoned half way through in heavy rain on 6th July. The original route was just under 13 miles long and my plan was to pick up where we left off in the pedestrianised area at St Mary Le Strand church by Somerset House and continue westwards, but somehow that didn’t look interesting enough… With a few tweaks and several bonus ‘Living Walls and green spaces squeezed in, I managed to stretch the second ‘half’ up to 12 miles, but no-one seemed to mind, and we even spotted a couple more living walls once our eyes were attuned to the colour green.
With horticultural highlights aplenty, it was hard to find a street devoid of plant-life in some shape or form, from well-tended planters on Westminster window-sills to the splendid formal bedding in Victoria Embankment Gardens (plus the fabulous bronze memorial to The Camel Corps located there) – the pollinators have lots to keep them busy!
Special mentions for the traditional country garden at Duck Island Cottage in St James’s Park, the fabulous landscaping at the Chelsea Barracks development (complete with Dale Chihuly glass sculptures, there until October, don’t miss them) and the surprisingly large and sort-of secret Herb Garden in Battersea Park. Oh, and the lavender field in Vauxhall Park and the delightfully verdant enclave of Bonnington Square – everything looked lovely and was met with enthusiasm and appreciation by the group.
We stopped for coffee, just as an unforecast rain shower dampened our spirits briefly, in Tealby’s Café at Battersea Cats & Dogs Home – a recent find by the ride leader with a good range of reasonably priced fare plus secure bike parking & plenty of outside seating. By the time we’d finished snacking and gossiping, the sun was out again for our meander back via the prairie planting at the Power Station and U.S. Embassy quarter, Laud Street Allotments, Urban Oasis Garden Centre on Black Prince Road and the newish Healing Garden in Old Paradise Gardens. Thank you to everyone for joining me and sharing the joy of herbaceous borders, thanks also to Philippa for being back-marker (whom we nearly lost in the shrubbery at Battersea Park!)
Note we are gong to repeat the whole ride again on August 24th.
Ride 2 report text
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