Night ride to the seaside 28/29 April 2011
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- Start date
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frank9755
Cyclist
- Location
- West London
Martin looks nice and warm...
frank9755
Cyclist
- Location
- West London
I seem to remember you promising it would be flat...
Flying Dodo
It'll soon be summer
I think that's the problem with long topics - vital bits of information can be overlooked.
Very nice to see Mice at HPC, even if she wasn't on a bike. I think we set off at the correct time, heading down towards Buckingham Palace. Constitution Hill was closed to vehicles but no-one seemed to object to us cycling along. When we got to Buckingham, it was just awash with people. As I was suitably attired in red, white & blue with matching flags (as shown in the photos), I think we may have attracted a bit of attention from the tourists.
Parliament Square was solid with traffic which we zoomed past although we couldn't turn left onto the Embankment, so we crossed the river to meet up with Stu at London Bridge, and User10571, further on.
I thought initially we seemed to be heading for Whitstable, until eventually we turned south towards Lewisham. Generally the roads were very quiet, and the suburbs slipped away, until we'd reached Brands Hatch. I think this was the start of the hilly bits! Somewhere around there, we passed an enormous mast, which in the gloom, with 3 rows of 2 sets of red navigation lights at the top, middle and towards the base, seemed to appear like sets of UFO's floating in the sky. Very eerie.
Out in the Kent countryside, with daylight around, once we'd got past Hawkhurst, the long bits appeared - long slow undulating uphills, followed by long undulating downhills. They really were a killer which wasn't helped by the fact that the speed limit around there seems to at least 80 mph. Rolling into Hastings on the A21, by some miracle, we managed to find an open cafe in the High Street which seemed a bit overwhelmed by a visitation of 15 cyclists, but eventually everyone was fed. They were very cheap there though.
Well done Adrian for organising this - I can see why Hastings is not likely to appear on the FNRttC official visiting rota though.
Once I've tidied up the entries, I'll post a link to the gpx route taken.
Very nice to see Mice at HPC, even if she wasn't on a bike. I think we set off at the correct time, heading down towards Buckingham Palace. Constitution Hill was closed to vehicles but no-one seemed to object to us cycling along. When we got to Buckingham, it was just awash with people. As I was suitably attired in red, white & blue with matching flags (as shown in the photos), I think we may have attracted a bit of attention from the tourists.
Parliament Square was solid with traffic which we zoomed past although we couldn't turn left onto the Embankment, so we crossed the river to meet up with Stu at London Bridge, and User10571, further on.
I thought initially we seemed to be heading for Whitstable, until eventually we turned south towards Lewisham. Generally the roads were very quiet, and the suburbs slipped away, until we'd reached Brands Hatch. I think this was the start of the hilly bits! Somewhere around there, we passed an enormous mast, which in the gloom, with 3 rows of 2 sets of red navigation lights at the top, middle and towards the base, seemed to appear like sets of UFO's floating in the sky. Very eerie.
Out in the Kent countryside, with daylight around, once we'd got past Hawkhurst, the long bits appeared - long slow undulating uphills, followed by long undulating downhills. They really were a killer which wasn't helped by the fact that the speed limit around there seems to at least 80 mph. Rolling into Hastings on the A21, by some miracle, we managed to find an open cafe in the High Street which seemed a bit overwhelmed by a visitation of 15 cyclists, but eventually everyone was fed. They were very cheap there though.
Well done Adrian for organising this - I can see why Hastings is not likely to appear on the FNRttC official visiting rota though.
Once I've tidied up the entries, I'll post a link to the gpx route taken.
U
User10571
Guest
That was a ride! 
And a half.
Did someone say 'lumpy'?
I enjoyed it. I hope everyone else did.
It was a good size for a sociable ride.
Thanks Adrian for organising, and all others for your company.
Gin & Tonic @ 09:45?
Who?
Me?
Surely not.
And a half
.Did someone say 'lumpy'?
I enjoyed it. I hope everyone else did.
It was a good size for a sociable ride.
Thanks Adrian for organising, and all others for your company.
Gin & Tonic @ 09:45?
Who?
Me?
Surely not.
Nigel182
Guru
- Location
- Chafford Hundred,Essex
Well a Top Class Ride.
Cheers Adrian for Organising.
Everyone Else for Attending....Nice to put Faces to Names from CycleChat.
Only found the post the other day but decided to go.
Had a good ride....to be Honest
Adrian you said it looked like I wasn't enjoying it...but that was only the Hills...
According to my Mr.Garmin :
Distance 71.98 Miles.
Time Moving 5Hrs 58Mins 16secs.
Average Moving Speed 12.5mph.
Max Speed 38.0mph.
Climbing 3,946 Feet !!!! Higher than Beninn a' Bhuird in Scotland...But I bet the descents wouldn't have been as smile inducing.
The ride had it all:
Brilliant people to ride with.
Great Conversation when I wasn't to Knackered Climbing.
Went Past Brands Hatch where i've not been since Childhood...(must go back again sometime soon).
Oh yes almost forgot....there was an incident with an Elephant in Swanley !!!!
Well till the next time, again thanks one and all.
Am attempting to sort out my Pics will post here when done.
Cheers Adrian for Organising.
Everyone Else for Attending....Nice to put Faces to Names from CycleChat.
Only found the post the other day but decided to go.
Had a good ride....to be Honest
Adrian you said it looked like I wasn't enjoying it...but that was only the Hills...
According to my Mr.Garmin :
Distance 71.98 Miles.
Time Moving 5Hrs 58Mins 16secs.
Average Moving Speed 12.5mph.
Max Speed 38.0mph.
Climbing 3,946 Feet !!!! Higher than Beninn a' Bhuird in Scotland...But I bet the descents wouldn't have been as smile inducing.
The ride had it all:
Brilliant people to ride with.
Great Conversation when I wasn't to Knackered Climbing.
Went Past Brands Hatch where i've not been since Childhood...(must go back again sometime soon).
Oh yes almost forgot....there was an incident with an Elephant in Swanley !!!!
Well till the next time, again thanks one and all.
Am attempting to sort out my Pics will post here when done.
martint235
Dog on a bike
- Location
- Welling
Martin was melting by 10am. However that said, I must say having a decent jacket makes the night time bit so much more enjoyable
martint235
Dog on a bike
- Location
- Welling
Thanks to Adrian for organising. I can safely say that Hastings and back is "challenging". Mick remember the breakfast conversation about falling asleep, it happened to me on the run in to Dartford. Thankfully no injuries and no beeps just understanding motorists (is there something special about today?)
The GPS worked for the most part and myself and Izap travelled largely by country lane. I didn't see the point of making Izap climb West Kingsdown when he could go round via Sevenoaks. (anothter Lithuanian "nutter" {Hi Rimas, hope the audax goes well]in the making, we're going to have to watch him!!!)
Forgot to turn my Garmin back on at Hastings but it was navigating so 146 miles for me. I would say this is a good bordering great ride, it does need to come with a warning though!!
The GPS worked for the most part and myself and Izap travelled largely by country lane. I didn't see the point of making Izap climb West Kingsdown when he could go round via Sevenoaks. (anothter Lithuanian "nutter" {Hi Rimas, hope the audax goes well]in the making, we're going to have to watch him!!!)
Forgot to turn my Garmin back on at Hastings but it was navigating so 146 miles for me. I would say this is a good bordering great ride, it does need to come with a warning though!!
Aperitif
Meme bar
- Location
- ...I don't have much idea - really.
Nah. I vouch for User10571 - definitely not. That was a leg-breaker of a ride. Hastings is twinned with both Sutton and Stockport in the Night Ride ledger, but there were some typical looking everyday folk to be seen amongst the misery. The pier was a mess, as were the tables after arial bombardment from the Seagull Squadron. I was just pontificating how lucky I was, when a 'doseage' dropped from the sky and splattered the table and Dave's bike locked with mine, outside the restau, when a thankfully less hungry version dropped one straight into my cycling glove, all over my hands , arms etc...
I tossed the bunting, through the sun roof, to a car full of girls who thought Olaf and I were hot. It's amazing the effect that even weak sun can have on vunerable characters. Olaf and I imbibed at the Wilton Arms - vey nice.
I tossed the bunting, through the sun roof, to a car full of girls who thought Olaf and I were hot. It's amazing the effect that even weak sun can have on vunerable characters. Olaf and I imbibed at the Wilton Arms - vey nice.
MacB
Lover of things that come in 3's
- Location
- Farnborough, Hampshire
If you're saying that then I'm glad I didn't decide to 'give it a go', no point in breaking my spirit just yet
Glad you all had a good time
U
User10571
Guest
I'm well nackered, what a great ride
thanks to Adrian for organizing it and others for keeping the company
also thanks to martin for making me cycle back home! lol!
Well done, that chap!
Did your cousin (sorry - i never got his name) accompany you?
J
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
I would say this is a good bordering great ride, it does need to come with a warning though!!
+1 to that. Marilyn and, to an extent, Nigel, in particular were finding it hard going I think, definitely not one for an FNRttC. The rest of us I think found it merely, as Martin puts it, 'challenging'.
Evening didn't start that well for me- signal problems in the Portsmouth area meant big delays and cancellations to trains, didn't get into Waterloo till gone midnight. I'd already been in touch with Adrian about the problems, so I went to Tooley Street and met the peloton there. Thankfully, the rest of the night went much more smoothly- very little in the way of mechanicals, no punctures. Traffic in the smoke was fairly light. At Swanley ASDA we made the pleasingly plush acquaintance of Mr LE Phant, who was perched on the bonnet of a van and featured in an impromptu photo op (mine are really dark, unfortunately). After we'd refuelled, we continued to make steady progress, despite increasing lumpiness of terrain. Simon's new support vehicle turned up at our midway stop
(How's that for a coincidence?!)
Dawn saw some fantastic views, though it also brought more traffic. Hastings is perhaps even more 'faded' than Bognor, but the cafe (once we found an open one) did good food, if somewhat haphazard service (my pot of tea was at first lacking, er, tea...).
Thanks Adrian for organising, and to everyone for a really great ride. Congratulations to IZaP's cousin (whose name I too didn't catch) for more than doubling his ride mileage record, and the man himself for recovering from his fatigue at the cafe to ride back- it was a pleasure to meet you both.
Managed not to restart my Garmin after Swanley until Wrotham (I think)- guestimated milage from Waterloo 73.55.
Nigel182
Guru
- Location
- Chafford Hundred,Essex
Pics Hopefully
martint235
Dog on a bike
- Location
- Welling
Unfortunately no. The first minor Garmin error was to send us up a steep incline just on the way out of Hastings. When it then beeped and said "Make a U turn as soon as possible", that was enough for him.
Cheers Izap for the company on the way back. You should be really glad I suggested you take the A25 to Sevenoaks rather than climb back up to Brands Hatch. The man who owns the shed company was treated to the sight of a very tall bloke force feeding himself fig rolls!!
