- Mystery Ride – Royal parks
- S E London Sights
Mystery Ride – Royal Parks
Report from Ride Leader Jane
15 riders turned up for the “Mystery ride” – it was mysterious because the only information posted was for a 3 hour ride with a coffee stop. As ride leader my inspiration was the closing statement made earlier in the year by the managers of the late, lamented café Look Mum No Hands in Old Street:-“We started with not much of a plan – sometimes it’s best to just get on your bike and start pedalling. The best rides are not really about the destination but the things you see, the snacks you eat and the friends you make along the way.”
However, there was a plan and it went quite well considering the potential for disruption on the day. We went out via Kennington and Waterloo over Blackfriars Bridge then on up through Bloomsbury to Regents Park where we stopped at the Broad Walk Café for a short break; most of us had warmed up enough to sit outside in the sunshine. Out across York Bridge and then through quiet streets in Marylebone to enter Hyde Park near Marble Arch – the original route was adjusted here to account for large numbers of protesters assembling at Speaker’s Corner for a march, along with droves of visitors coming from all directions to see Winter Wonderland. Happily we managed to avoid the crowds and made it across Hyde Park Corner and into traffic-free Constitution Hill before the marchers had set off from Park Lane. Homeward over Westminster Bridge (teeming with tourists) to Burgess Park by way of Elephant & Castle and Walworth Road, arriving back exactly 3 hours after we’d started. Many thanks to Eva and Eduardo for back marker duties on the outward and return journeys and to Eduardo and Andrew for seeing us safely across the many busy junctions en route. Chapeau! also to our adventurous Southwark Cyclists who turned up on a cold autumnal day with barely any info but happy to just “start pedalling” – we had a lovely time and perhaps we’ll do it again before too long!
Approximate route: https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5154410.html just under 18 miles
SE London Sights
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