What: Bicycle ride Where: London to Hastings Why: When: The first one is planned for September 10th. Meet at Trafalgar Square at 9 a.m., right in front of the National Gallery:
Or you can join at Crystal Palace in the Dinosaur Court at 10. Find the Iguanodons. If you miss it there may be others; stay tuned. This is weather dependent! The views are best appreciated and the hills friendlier if the sky gods don't glower or demand soggy sacrifice. The final decision won't be made until the day before. If it doesn't happen, another date will be picked, then another, until it does.
This is not a charity ride, unless you buy a Big Issue in London at the start that you wouldn't have otherwise. Nor is it expected to be experienced at a pace suggested by the name, as there are many of nature's speed bumps along the way. The alliteration is merely mnemonic.
Dunwich Dynamo We will be passing by or through or over the following: Dinosaurs Chartwell Hills
with great views Disgusted
of Tunbridge Wells More
hills 1066
Country Another
hill or two and
Hastings. Here is a recent photograph: This seaside town offers many attractions and diversions, including: a
beach-launched fishing fleet to supply the chips shops funicular
railways intellectual
pursuits art castle
ruins pier
ruins a
red light district convivial
public houses well
used cycle paths a
working space shuttle 'The poor man's Brighton' has hosted over the years: Pre-Raphaelite
bro Dante Gabriel Rossetti looking
a little like Norman Mailer, prolific
author Catherine Cookson the
occasional pirate herbivores This is an unsupported ride. This does not mean that if you run into problems you will be left by the side of the road to die. (Probably.) It means that there is no sag wagon and no small army of helpers to soothe your fevered brow. It's just me and whoever shows up, providing good vibes. I would recommend that you bring a working bicycle, a spare tube if only for ballast, whatever tools comfort you and which you actually know how to use, and a mobile phone to curse at when there is no signal.
General advice for cyclists is to eat before you get hungry - preferably several days before - and drink often so that you can mark your territory as the ride progresses. If you want to bail out, the Hastings railway line, usually cyclist friendly, runs within swearing distance for a good portion of the journey.
Anyone who completes this ride will be eligible for an e-certificate to be treasured for generations to come. Questions? Ask them on acf or anywhere else I've advertised. |
