Asylums, Hospitals, Almshouses and Colleges
This was an all day challenge planned by Werner for the August Bank Holiday. This epic ride took people on a journey into London’s social history viewed through the buildings that housed and sheltered people in difficulty. Figure of eight route starting and finishing at the Southwark Gateway Needle, London Bridge. 11 riders set off at 9am on a loop south of the river ending back at London Bridge after 40km on a route including the Friendly Female Asylum in Burgess Park. Trin,ty hospital (Greenwich) and City of London Almshouses (Brixton). After a break for lunch 5 riders completed a north of the river 25 km loop passing the Museum of the Home (formerly Geffrye Museum) and Bishop Wood Almshouses and several other sites. Map below (you may need to upload the file) shows route and list of most of the stops.
Comments from Werner: “As promised two coffee stops, first in Dulwich Park, second in the Museum of the Home which may have tempted some to return for a proper museum visit. And lunch opportunities at LBG. Simon backmarked and we did almost all traffic lights in one group, maybe he was pushing riders from the back to bunch up. First return to the Needle at 13:30, nine expressed interest in the 2nd loop but three reversed their decision after a minute. Start again at 14:00 and then back with Simon and three riders at 16:30. Some peeled off when they were close to home, e.g. a rider from Stratford. For some it was a seriously long ride but they all seemed to enjoy it. I was happy with the speed, I had no idea what to expect but considering we stopped at each location at least briefly it was faster than my prediction. The only busy area was around Borough Market, tourists not natives. And full market day despite now opening on Sundays and usually staying closed on Mondays. Even the East End was quiet and we didn’t have problems with traffic.”
Some nice comments on WhatsApp. Helen: “Thanks Werner (and backmarker Simon) for a really fantastic ride today, Really interesting”.
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