deptfordmarmoset
Full time tea drinker
- Location
- Armonmy Way
I had to check back to see I hadn't written Radish. (Ok, so ridish isn't a real word during the daytime but it is on Friday nights when there's a full moon)
FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast - Burnham-on-Crouch 26th October
- Thread starter dellzeqq
- Start date
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I had to check back to see I hadn't written Radish. (Ok, so ridish isn't a real word during the daytime but it is on Friday nights when there's a full moon)
Sadly La Noche de Los Rabanos falls on a Sunday this year, thus depriving me of the opportunity for a joke.
mmmmartin
Random geezer
TMN, are you telling us that your tiny hands were frozen?
rb58
Enigma
- Location
- Bexley, Kent
Another winning ride from His Dellship. Thank you sir!
For me, this is what makes these rides so special and like none other (in no particular order)....... Great to reminisce with LonJog buddies; disappointment there was no helicopter in Romford; all night grocers; a windmill; a ford (magical picture Tim); the stars; mysterious flashes on the sky; a jolly ferryman; a proper rainbow; a tasty sausage; Michael's new bike (lovely, but the wheel's the wrong way round); the twinkling string of bike lights following me; getting the clothing layers just right; Thom's West End Wheels; a town from a different age; another windmill; a woolly hat; the SMRbtH speed train; a cure for insomnia; and my first century on a fixed wheel bike.
My memories are definitely richer for the experience. Thank you one and all.
For me, this is what makes these rides so special and like none other (in no particular order)....... Great to reminisce with LonJog buddies; disappointment there was no helicopter in Romford; all night grocers; a windmill; a ford (magical picture Tim); the stars; mysterious flashes on the sky; a jolly ferryman; a proper rainbow; a tasty sausage; Michael's new bike (lovely, but the wheel's the wrong way round); the twinkling string of bike lights following me; getting the clothing layers just right; Thom's West End Wheels; a town from a different age; another windmill; a woolly hat; the SMRbtH speed train; a cure for insomnia; and my first century on a fixed wheel bike.
My memories are definitely richer for the experience. Thank you one and all.
Another winning ride with a great group of people. I'm a tropical weather kind of gal and really hate the cold but am happy to wrap up so I can ride a bike and especially to ride at night with what's turned out to be a great group I came across, via the web, almost two years ago.
Bike lights. I love 'em. Have spent way too much money on them. Regular batteries now rechargeables, yet another charger, merino wool, Sealzkin, mittens, gloves of varying thicknesses and woolly socks. Rapha!! My life has changed since I started cyling and The Fridays have definitely helped in that regard.
On a cold night when I should have stayed home I put on the layers, packed extra socks and gloves and headed out to HPC. Always running late, although this time I had to turn back cos I'd forgotten that all-important extra layer.
The ride has already been detailed above so I won't add much to it. Following the line of red lights along the journey, wondering why I decided to ride the SS rather than gears and also why I believed Simon when he said it was a 'flat' route with a gradual rise at Brentwood. Yeah, right. I'm sticking to gears for all future rides from now on. For all that, I was pleased that my legs were strong enough for about 97% of the ride. I had to walk 3 small sections cos I was tired. That's allowed though.
To the people I chatted and laughed with - many thanks. Sandra, the cake request will continue to be made until you cave in. Donna, you did good and I hope you go to Brighton. Xi, yes I really am that age and looking forward to my next birthday 
Lisa, welcome and do come back.
My left knee aches a little this morning but that's ok. A little pain is a very small price to pay for discovering the joy of cycling with The Fridays.
Bike lights. I love 'em. Have spent way too much money on them. Regular batteries now rechargeables, yet another charger, merino wool, Sealzkin, mittens, gloves of varying thicknesses and woolly socks. Rapha!! My life has changed since I started cyling and The Fridays have definitely helped in that regard.
On a cold night when I should have stayed home I put on the layers, packed extra socks and gloves and headed out to HPC. Always running late, although this time I had to turn back cos I'd forgotten that all-important extra layer.
The ride has already been detailed above so I won't add much to it. Following the line of red lights along the journey, wondering why I decided to ride the SS rather than gears and also why I believed Simon when he said it was a 'flat' route with a gradual rise at Brentwood. Yeah, right. I'm sticking to gears for all future rides from now on. For all that, I was pleased that my legs were strong enough for about 97% of the ride. I had to walk 3 small sections cos I was tired. That's allowed though.
To the people I chatted and laughed with - many thanks. Sandra, the cake request will continue to be made until you cave in
. Donna, you did good and I hope you go to Brighton. Xi, yes I really am that age and looking forward to my next birthday Lisa, welcome and do come back.My left knee aches a little this morning but that's ok. A little pain is a very small price to pay for discovering the joy of cycling with The Fridays.
martint235
Dog on a bike
- Location
- Welling
Well I managed to get the clothing right for a change although when I arrived at HPC I was starting to suspect I'd melt. My hands got a little cold so although the Sealskinz gloves are waterproof I may need to go back to the gauntlet things I've got for when it's cold.
It wasn't my best ride, evidenced by the number of times I was asked "Have you been here since the start? Were you at HPC?".
. I'm not usually good at invisibility!!! I did enjoy myself though, it's always fun with the Turtle at the back of the ride. I didn't really see much of Burnham but it looks like a nice place. The bar after the ferry must have possibilities on a summer ride too.
It wasn't my best ride, evidenced by the number of times I was asked "Have you been here since the start? Were you at HPC?".
. I'm not usually good at invisibility!!! I did enjoy myself though, it's always fun with the Turtle at the back of the ride. I didn't really see much of Burnham but it looks like a nice place. The bar after the ferry must have possibilities on a summer ride too.
Well.......we sort of got away with that one.
When they asked Beau Brummel how come his cravat was so spiffy he motioned to a bed covered in crumpled silk and said 'these are our failures'. So it is with the route to Burnham. Our, or rather my, failures were experiences never to be forgotten or repeated. The route I settled on with User10571's help is a hockey stick shape, heading east north east for forty miles before turning southeast. Last Friday night it worked to our advantage - we were sheltered from the crosswind through East London, and picked up what became a tailwind in the latter part of the ride. There wasn't a great deal by way of hills and that's ideal for a beginners ride - but ask Susie about our first recce ride. We travelled over well-metalled roads, but, again, Susie will remember the horrible surfaces of our first attempt. And we stayed off the B-roads, which would be a delight anywhere else, but in this corner of Essex are the province of maniac drivers.
So..........great people, nice route (the roads round and east of Purleigh are as much a delight in the daylight, and if User10571 ever proposes a trip out to Southminster then give it some thought), lovely refreshments at Stock Village Hall, great sausages and bacon at the Dairy Cabin in Burnham, and a big thankyou to Burnham Town Council for opening up their loos at silly o'clock. The boat was fun, but I'm afraid the fifteen minute turnaround turned out to be forty and by the time we got going people were perished. The ride in to Southend.................well, it's what I expected for that time of day, which is to say busy.
Burnham is a great ride and a great destination, but I've not sussed out how to make it work. We can't get back by train. The ride to Wickford is awful (we'd be better advised to make our way to Hatfield Peverel) and way too far for beginners. The boat is a trial, but probably the least worst option. If we do it again I'll probably advertise the train service from Rochford, although it's so expensive that I'd bundle people in fours to get Groupsave.
We did chat about destinations on the train back to London and in LMNH. Every so often somebody says 'why not go to Hastings?' or some such place. And mostly I say 'I'll give it some thought', when what I really mean is 'you are farking joking, I've been riding to Hastings for 40 years and all the routes are shoot'. Ditto Eastbourne. Do not even mention Portsmouth. This year we've given Ramsgate a go. It wasn't great. We went to Emsworth, but that wasn't great either (although a Sunday morning blast to Bosham and Wittering is good). Burnham might work out, given more thought, but the truth is that we've got the best routes that are to be had, and, with Southwold on the roster, we've got the best route that I'm ever going to come up with.
When they asked Beau Brummel how come his cravat was so spiffy he motioned to a bed covered in crumpled silk and said 'these are our failures'. So it is with the route to Burnham. Our, or rather my, failures were experiences never to be forgotten or repeated. The route I settled on with User10571's help is a hockey stick shape, heading east north east for forty miles before turning southeast. Last Friday night it worked to our advantage - we were sheltered from the crosswind through East London, and picked up what became a tailwind in the latter part of the ride. There wasn't a great deal by way of hills and that's ideal for a beginners ride - but ask Susie about our first recce ride. We travelled over well-metalled roads, but, again, Susie will remember the horrible surfaces of our first attempt. And we stayed off the B-roads, which would be a delight anywhere else, but in this corner of Essex are the province of maniac drivers.
So..........great people, nice route (the roads round and east of Purleigh are as much a delight in the daylight, and if User10571 ever proposes a trip out to Southminster then give it some thought), lovely refreshments at Stock Village Hall, great sausages and bacon at the Dairy Cabin in Burnham, and a big thankyou to Burnham Town Council for opening up their loos at silly o'clock. The boat was fun, but I'm afraid the fifteen minute turnaround turned out to be forty and by the time we got going people were perished. The ride in to Southend.................well, it's what I expected for that time of day, which is to say busy.
Burnham is a great ride and a great destination, but I've not sussed out how to make it work. We can't get back by train. The ride to Wickford is awful (we'd be better advised to make our way to Hatfield Peverel) and way too far for beginners. The boat is a trial, but probably the least worst option. If we do it again I'll probably advertise the train service from Rochford, although it's so expensive that I'd bundle people in fours to get Groupsave.
We did chat about destinations on the train back to London and in LMNH. Every so often somebody says 'why not go to Hastings?' or some such place. And mostly I say 'I'll give it some thought', when what I really mean is 'you are farking joking, I've been riding to Hastings for 40 years and all the routes are shoot'. Ditto Eastbourne. Do not even mention Portsmouth. This year we've given Ramsgate a go. It wasn't great. We went to Emsworth, but that wasn't great either (although a Sunday morning blast to Bosham and Wittering is good). Burnham might work out, given more thought, but the truth is that we've got the best routes that are to be had, and, with Southwold on the roster, we've got the best route that I'm ever going to come up with.
That was indeed a fine ride. I didn't think it was quite as cold as the forecasts may have suggested, I was perfectly comfy in two layers. Occasionally the wind got a little piercing, mostly whilst hanging around waiting for the ferry crossing to complete, but otherwise I didn't think it was all that bad, temperature wise. It was almost bone dry (there were a handful of spots on one occasion), even though some of the roads had obviously seen heavier rain, so that was also very good. Stock was as good a stop as it ever is. I've been there a handful of times, and a cup of tea, sandwich and cake does me fine at that stage of the night. We even almost managed to leave at the time that Simon intended!
Since the ride stayed together pretty well, I spent quite a lot of the ride watching a close grouping of red lights stretching away across the relatively flat and unobstructed countryside, much more visible from the back than usual. Often you'll see some lights, before the next corner, or you may get a long thin scattered line of lights, into the distance, but several times on this run, there was just a solid row of bright lights into the near distance.
TECing was nice and easy this time, since I think we just had the one minor mechanical on the trip proper (Simon had a fairy visitation on the way to the station, but that doesn't count!)
I got rid of my gloves after the ferry, swapping over to mitts, it had warmed up by then. The ride into Southend was rather spoiled by the large number of cars travelling in much the same direction, and we stopped off for a brief coffee and chat at The Rose. When we eventually got back to London, Look Mum No Hands was as nutty as always, a cramped group of half asleep, half drunk cyclists, and a handful of others. We had a brief visit from Titus and friend, as well as Davy eventually catching us up.
I ultimately wimped out of cycling back to Croydon, since the Saturday afternoon traffic through Brixton and its environs is no fun. Andrij got me back to London Bridge (thanks!), avoiding the traffic with some route finding that I wouldn't have had a chance of replicating. The train was quick and simple, and then I just had to deal with the torturous road digging up that Tramlink is doing whilst replacing some lines around Croydon.
Since the ride stayed together pretty well, I spent quite a lot of the ride watching a close grouping of red lights stretching away across the relatively flat and unobstructed countryside, much more visible from the back than usual. Often you'll see some lights, before the next corner, or you may get a long thin scattered line of lights, into the distance, but several times on this run, there was just a solid row of bright lights into the near distance.
TECing was nice and easy this time, since I think we just had the one minor mechanical on the trip proper (Simon had a fairy visitation on the way to the station, but that doesn't count!)
I got rid of my gloves after the ferry, swapping over to mitts, it had warmed up by then. The ride into Southend was rather spoiled by the large number of cars travelling in much the same direction, and we stopped off for a brief coffee and chat at The Rose. When we eventually got back to London, Look Mum No Hands was as nutty as always, a cramped group of half asleep, half drunk cyclists, and a handful of others. We had a brief visit from Titus and friend, as well as Davy eventually catching us up.
I ultimately wimped out of cycling back to Croydon, since the Saturday afternoon traffic through Brixton and its environs is no fun. Andrij got me back to London Bridge (thanks!), avoiding the traffic with some route finding that I wouldn't have had a chance of replicating. The train was quick and simple, and then I just had to deal with the torturous road digging up that Tramlink is doing whilst replacing some lines around Croydon.
Oh - I got my clothing completely wrong. My Cheam and Morden top is not supposed to go around a base layer, a Fridays top and my rather expanded frame. It doesn't stretch. Every time we went up a hill it simply refused to allow me to draw breath. I found myself thinking of Vivien Leigh
so, if you were worried by the panting.........that was the reason.
Have you noticed how few punctures we have when Davy is with us? Spooky.....
And............ big thanks to Andrij who shepherded one of our new riders to the start. Top FNRttCpeep!
so, if you were worried by the panting.........that was the reason.
Have you noticed how few punctures we have when Davy is with us? Spooky.....
And............ big thanks to Andrij who shepherded one of our new riders to the start. Top FNRttCpeep!
Yet another great ride, a big thankyou to Simon and everyone else involved
Tim, how do you manage to ride with the minimun of clothing in the Artic conditions that prevailed on friday evening? I overheard you telling someone it wasn't that cold, I think the rest of us might disagree
Tim, how do you manage to ride with the minimun of clothing in the Artic conditions that prevailed on friday evening? I overheard you telling someone it wasn't that cold, I think the rest of us might disagree[quote="Paulus, post: 2122806, member: 221"Tim, how do you manage to ride with the minimun of clothing in the Artic conditions that prevailed on friday evening? I overheard you telling someone it wasn't that cold, I think the rest of us might disagree[/quote]
Here! Here! I used my heated gloves plus two liners
[/quote]Here! Here! I used my heated gloves plus two liners
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
Mention what?
Seriously though, having now done that one as an overnighter, which was nonetheless a great time for all involved, the roads were rather more problematic than solo or group in the day/evening. The surfaces don't bother you when you can see them. The bike path alongside the A3 will never be pleasant (though certainly a better option than the hard shoulder- been there, done that...!!!). And Guildford Tesco is hardly a great stop either (Guildford is a PITA to travel around, rather than pass through, and it's a Tesco....) The alternative routes aren't much better in those respects, and include more lumpiness to boot. I am resigned to that never being an FNRttC. I'm thinking of doing a day ride down to here in the spring though, as it is a great ride for the daytime. And the castle cafe breakfast is up there with the best we've been to on FNRttCs (as with Miles in Ramsgate, just a shame about the trip to get there). The night ride is one for the locals (rose-tinted glasses not required) and more grizzled- there will be a rerun though...
As for Emsworth: I think the impressions of our night were somewhat coloured by the weather and The Incident (the likes of which I have not experienced on numerous trips up and down that stretch before or since). Would have been a really good ride but for those aspects.
Steve Jones
Active Member
I got back home OK having gone via LMNH. Went to bed very early and slept until 7 including the extra hour so must have been tired for some reason. My legs feel a little heavy so I left the local cycle club "moderate" speed run out of this morning's itinerary (although I did it after the Brighton ride, so I must be getting old more rapidly than normal).
Everything equipment-wise appeared to work fine. Nothing fell off (save a chain becoming unshipped). I really enjoyed the ride, especially the part from Brentwood (including the climb up). I'll probably persuade a couple of friends to do a shortened version from East London in the daylight some time, as it would be nice to see what it looks like. I've never quite reconciled myself to the approaches to Southend though. It seems to be saturated in traffic on inadequate roads. Maybe at 7AM it's a bit quieter.
Clothing worked ok apart from the standing around at the yachting club in the wind. I shall be looking at the weather forecast later in November, and might well do the Brighton run.
Thanks to SImon, superbly organised and special thanks to those who provided the food at Stock. Excellent rolls and enormous muffins.
nb. strangely the two warmest places on the ride where the toilets at the village hall and those at the yachting club house. However, you can't really spend too long in those or people start talking.
Everything equipment-wise appeared to work fine. Nothing fell off (save a chain becoming unshipped). I really enjoyed the ride, especially the part from Brentwood (including the climb up). I'll probably persuade a couple of friends to do a shortened version from East London in the daylight some time, as it would be nice to see what it looks like. I've never quite reconciled myself to the approaches to Southend though. It seems to be saturated in traffic on inadequate roads. Maybe at 7AM it's a bit quieter.
Clothing worked ok apart from the standing around at the yachting club in the wind. I shall be looking at the weather forecast later in November, and might well do the Brighton run.
Thanks to SImon, superbly organised and special thanks to those who provided the food at Stock. Excellent rolls and enormous muffins.
nb. strangely the two warmest places on the ride where the toilets at the village hall and those at the yachting club house. However, you can't really spend too long in those or people start talking.
Mice
Guru
Wowser - that was a cold night. Determined not to have to bail due to wardrobe malfunctions - my recent investments chez Gore and Assos didnt let me down and I still had clothes in reserve! This is boding well for my forthcoming ride to Germany. On top of which the warmth generated by the caring, friendly and often hilarious camaraderie provided by the riders of the night made the whole evening possibly balmy.
I realised that the cat who lives with Their Leggships had warned of colder climes - His DZship was not only in longs but he was also wearing his Fridays shirt
which I havent seen him wear for a while! Someone told me that he was actually wearing practically every single cycling top he owns!! It was so cold that even the awesome thighs of Davy All Up WalnutWhips were in hibernation.
The meet and greet at the Arch was in full swing - a mixture of some new and some familiar faces - all wrapped up and ready for the Bollards, Bump and Bungalow warnings. There was no The Claud which was a big disappointment although the compensation was in the form of McWobble - huzzahhhh - who has recovered enough to do his first FNRttC in four months since breaking his ankle. Brilliant to see you back on two - very smart - wheels. TimO, Martint235, Ianrauk and Flying Dodo were named as the TEC team with All Up Wallnuts at the rear.
One of my first LOL moments was at Parliament Square - there were about six people in front who made the green lights, the next batch of the group and I waited at the red ones. Charlie B, on my right said "Hmmmph. I'm supposed to marking that junction" (the one ensuring peeps head for the bridge rather than going down Whitehall)! So we all had a group chat about the fact that none of us were to head towards Downing Street! Charlie shot off at the Green Light and was in waymarking position before you could say "Where's Dellzeqq?"
Cycling along the Embankment at night under a moonlit sky is a joy. London commuters weaved their way amongst us and around us, completely oblivious to what kind of a night was ahead of us. There was some inevitable Stroppy London Driving which always makes me wonder why they dont just ride a bike when they can instead? The pedestrians staggering about had massively reduced in numbers due to the drop in temperature but we did see some who clearly had forgotten to get dressed before they went out on their night on the tiles.
We regrouped a few times, cycled over the Bow Flyover (still a Nemesis in my head), out Eastwards, through Romford and on. Several of the waymarkers were on fixed wheel which always looks really cool to me. Banter from drivers was jovial - I was offered £5 to swap places with someone in an Audi! Mastercard has it right. Cost of a bike £300+. Cost of being on an FNRttC - priceless.
The urban lights reduced, I did some waymarking, the stars in the sky were bright, bright, bright. Stock is one of my favourite Stopsies. The food fantastic, those two teenagers on the till who are bleary-eyed having been woken up at 3am to then do mental arithmetic at 4am - thank you, all of you for being there. The chit-chatting and catching up that had taken place whilst cycling didnt stop as we filled our faces with rolls and cakes - sitting opposite RB58, Xi, George and Tall Michael was a lovely Derwent Manor reminiscing moment.
Out into the starry sky, the cold air seemed even colder. I realised seeing the word "Polar" across DZ's butt kind of summed up the glacial temperatures of the night. ( It may not have been the coldest FNRttC but it was pretty nippy). As we weaved our way through country lanes - George told me that the lights on the horizon having nothing to do with the sun rising but of the streetlights of Chelmsford!
I have no idea what Poor Robin does when the North Wind Doth Blow. I can tell you what a Flying Dodo does tho. He cycled up behind me and said "Great, Mice. I'm going to stay here behind you and shelter from the wind". To which I replied "What do you think I am. A ****ing barn?!" (Cheeky sod I thought to myself) Then I heard Susie laugh but apparently she was laughing at something else....!!! We saw Venus, the Plough, a couple of aeroplanes and the sun came up over Burnham on Crouch. Breakfast was absolutely delicious at the Cabin - there was a bit of a wait which according to the excellent chef was absolutely on account of the fact that all the waiting staff had over slept by quite some time!
Susie, George, Matt and I made our way to the station for the magic of groupsave! George nominated himself to being Bike Monitor, looking after our bikes and keeping them out of the way of passengers. Susie and I sat down to chat to fellow passengers who couldnt quite believe what we had done, I met someone who is not only an Arsenal Supporter but is also a CTC member. He has four bikes!! Matt sat in silence, dozing he said although I suspect regretting being in our carriage but the way he so fabulously picked up both Susies and my bikes to take them off the train was really, really slick. Thank you for that!
At Liverpool Street Matt headed home and the three of us headed to Look Mum No Hands. Our numbers increased by the hour - there was a bit of a concern when we heard that Simon was still in Southend as he was staying there for lunch????!! By 1pm we were a group of 17 and bottles of beer were flying across the place. Our numbers increased as Rebecca Olds and Titus +1 joined us for Hello and a Chat. Next time hopefully they will all be on wheels - along with TC, Greg Collins, LeoQueen82 , Redfalo and that there Andy Allsopp to name a few. There was laughter all round, coffees, food and more chat. Clearly this has been an FNRttC! As George and I left, Charlie B, RB58 and the Returners arrived!
A great ride, fab company and fantastic route. Thank you Simon and Susie - these rides are just the very, very best.
I took some pics which are pretty rubbish - great subjects tho'! https://picasaweb.google.com/108733...authkey=Gv1sRgCIjg7OHf0J_exAE&feat=directlink
Mice
Determined not to have to bail due to wardrobe malfunctions - my recent investments chez Gore and Assos didnt let me down and I still had clothes in reserve! This is boding well for my forthcoming ride to Germany. On top of which the warmth generated by the caring, friendly and often hilarious camaraderie provided by the riders of the night made the whole evening possibly balmy.I realised that the cat who lives with Their Leggships had warned of colder climes - His DZship was not only in longs but he was also wearing his Fridays shirt
which I havent seen him wear for a while! Someone told me that he was actually wearing practically every single cycling top he owns!! It was so cold that even the awesome thighs of Davy All Up WalnutWhips were in hibernation. The meet and greet at the Arch was in full swing - a mixture of some new and some familiar faces - all wrapped up and ready for the Bollards, Bump and Bungalow warnings. There was no The Claud which was a big disappointment although the compensation was in the form of McWobble - huzzahhhh - who has recovered enough to do his first FNRttC in four months since breaking his ankle. Brilliant to see you back on two - very smart - wheels. TimO, Martint235, Ianrauk and Flying Dodo were named as the TEC team with All Up Wallnuts at the rear.
One of my first LOL moments was at Parliament Square - there were about six people in front who made the green lights, the next batch of the group and I waited at the red ones. Charlie B, on my right said "Hmmmph. I'm supposed to marking that junction" (the one ensuring peeps head for the bridge rather than going down Whitehall)! So we all had a group chat about the fact that none of us were to head towards Downing Street! Charlie shot off at the Green Light and was in waymarking position before you could say "Where's Dellzeqq?"
Cycling along the Embankment at night under a moonlit sky is a joy. London commuters weaved their way amongst us and around us, completely oblivious to what kind of a night was ahead of us. There was some inevitable Stroppy London Driving which always makes me wonder why they dont just ride a bike when they can instead? The pedestrians staggering about had massively reduced in numbers due to the drop in temperature but we did see some who clearly had forgotten to get dressed before they went out on their night on the tiles.
We regrouped a few times, cycled over the Bow Flyover (still a Nemesis in my head), out Eastwards, through Romford and on. Several of the waymarkers were on fixed wheel which always looks really cool to me. Banter from drivers was jovial - I was offered £5 to swap places with someone in an Audi! Mastercard has it right. Cost of a bike £300+. Cost of being on an FNRttC - priceless.
The urban lights reduced, I did some waymarking, the stars in the sky were bright, bright, bright. Stock is one of my favourite Stopsies. The food fantastic, those two teenagers on the till who are bleary-eyed having been woken up at 3am to then do mental arithmetic at 4am - thank you, all of you for being there. The chit-chatting and catching up that had taken place whilst cycling didnt stop as we filled our faces with rolls and cakes - sitting opposite RB58, Xi, George and Tall Michael was a lovely Derwent Manor reminiscing moment.
Out into the starry sky, the cold air seemed even colder. I realised seeing the word "Polar" across DZ's butt kind of summed up the glacial temperatures of the night. ( It may not have been the coldest FNRttC but it was pretty nippy). As we weaved our way through country lanes - George told me that the lights on the horizon having nothing to do with the sun rising but of the streetlights of Chelmsford!
I have no idea what Poor Robin does when the North Wind Doth Blow. I can tell you what a Flying Dodo does tho. He cycled up behind me and said "Great, Mice. I'm going to stay here behind you and shelter from the wind". To which I replied "What do you think I am. A ****ing barn?!" (Cheeky sod I thought to myself) Then I heard Susie laugh but apparently she was laughing at something else....!!! We saw Venus, the Plough, a couple of aeroplanes and the sun came up over Burnham on Crouch. Breakfast was absolutely delicious at the Cabin - there was a bit of a wait which according to the excellent chef was absolutely on account of the fact that all the waiting staff had over slept by quite some time!
Susie, George, Matt and I made our way to the station for the magic of groupsave! George nominated himself to being Bike Monitor, looking after our bikes and keeping them out of the way of passengers. Susie and I sat down to chat to fellow passengers who couldnt quite believe what we had done, I met someone who is not only an Arsenal Supporter but is also a CTC member. He has four bikes!! Matt sat in silence, dozing he said although I suspect regretting being in our carriage but the way he so fabulously picked up both Susies and my bikes to take them off the train was really, really slick. Thank you for that!
At Liverpool Street Matt headed home and the three of us headed to Look Mum No Hands. Our numbers increased by the hour - there was a bit of a concern when we heard that Simon was still in Southend as he was staying there for lunch????!! By 1pm we were a group of 17 and bottles of beer were flying across the place. Our numbers increased as Rebecca Olds and Titus +1 joined us for Hello and a Chat. Next time hopefully they will all be on wheels - along with TC, Greg Collins, LeoQueen82 , Redfalo and that there Andy Allsopp to name a few. There was laughter all round, coffees, food and more chat. Clearly this has been an FNRttC! As George and I left, Charlie B, RB58 and the Returners arrived!
A great ride, fab company and fantastic route. Thank you Simon and Susie - these rides are just the very, very best.
I took some pics which are pretty rubbish - great subjects tho'! https://picasaweb.google.com/108733...authkey=Gv1sRgCIjg7OHf0J_exAE&feat=directlink
Mice
