Monday 29 July 2024

Beetlejuice on the London Underground

If you have read my blog you might be aware that I am not a fan of public transport. I favour walking or taking one of my Brompton bicycles. There are however times when doing so is worthwhile. 

This morning I had to take the tube - thankfully at a time when all the people that work had long gone - and I glanced up and saw the poster you can see below. I could not resist taking a few photos of it. The original film is a particular favourite and this is obviously a little bit of marketing of the highest order. 

I suspect that later on tonight I will watch the original and look forward to the second instalment, whenever it arrives. 

Until next time, stay safe out there people!



Tuesday 23 July 2024

Thank you for reading my efforts people!

I just had a quick peek at my humble blog statistics - something I do very infrequently. The number of people reading my efforts has continued to be ridiculously high. If things continue like this for the remainder of the month, I will achieve the highest number of page views ever. (Well since the last few months where this record has been broken). 

Looking at where the my readers are coming from, there is no surprise that the UK, USA and Germany are pretty high. My readers in the far East - Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore and China are also making themselves known. 

You can also follow me on Instagram (I could do with more followers) where you can see lots of photos on a near daily basis. Find me by typing the following into a search engine @orangebrompton 

Again, thank you all for reading and I hope that you keep coming back.

Until next time, stay safe out there people!

 

Monday 22 July 2024

Dunwich Dynamo Number 6 Brompton Electric Edition

Yesterday was Dunwich Dynamo number 6 for me. I have always had a love/hate attitude to the Dynamo over the years. I enjoy the ride but the getting back can be a pain. In addition to this, was the obvious issue of whether my knee would cope with another 100 miles? 

There were only two contenders from my Brompton fleet, my Orange Titanium (my lightnest) or my Brompton Electric (much heavier but the option of the motor). The decision was quite an easy one in the end. With the battery placed into the larger Brompton Electric bag, I had plenty of space left over for everything I needed. The extra weight didn't bother me as it rolls very well and the gearing works for hills and flats. Of course, at the push of a button I would have the motor to help!

You will not be surprised to hear that my ride partner was again Geoff. Of all the Brompton peeps out there, I have known Geoff the longest. I doubt whether I would attempt the Dynamo without him - whomever else would be in attendance.

We met outside Liverpool Street station just before 18:00 and after loading the route we headed off. The reason we set off early was simple. It would avoid the rush at the official/unofficial start time. It would avoid the hassles of the official/unofficial start at Hackney Fields. Thanks to Geoff, this start time would allow me to cycle at a measured pace and just enjoy the ride. 

The first few miles getting out of London is rarely fun. Epping New Road - that felt as if it would never end - was horrid. The road surface, how busy the road was and how close some of the cars passed, all conspired to make it rather unpleasant. Once however we got off this road, things got a great deal better. 



Less busy roads appeared and the sun gradually started to set. We cycled past chocolate box houses and little quaint villages where time seemed to have stood still, like old photographs capturing bygones years. 



We stopped only a few times where the scenery compelled us to halt cycling to fully appreciate it - and to capture the moment in a photograph. 



At about 25 miles in, we stopped at Fyfield where the scouts were on hand to replenish water bottles and wonderful food could be purchased for the weary traveller - or in this case not actually that weary Brompton user. We were joined by many other cyclists and a few of our fellow London Brompton crew, who like Geoff and I, were doing their own thing at their own pace. 


Feeling suitably refreshed, we headed off again into the night where the sun was still trying to set. 


The next few miles were like the last few miles - lovely - and in clouds in the distance I thought I saw the flashes of lightning. This kept happening and I wondered if rain would actually fall? The flashes kept happening but no rain fell. Strange. 


Our next stop was the Fox Inn at Finchingfield. We didn't eat anything here but merely had a rest stop. There is a sharp ascent which you can possibly see in the photo below. For this I turned the power on. Ascending it was effortless and my knee thanked me. Once at the top the power was turned off again. For the entire ride up to the 100 mile point I actually used the power only twice for a total of probably less than a minute. Here at Finchingfield and once more at another ascent. As I type this, I do see the stupidity of not embracing the power more but I felt fine no longer using clipped in pedals and by taking things a great deal easier than I might have in the past.  


The weather really does need a mention. It was pretty much perfect conditions. Warm but not too warm. A gentle breeze to our backs. I wore a polo shirt all night and only donned arm warmers and a lightweight jacket once setting off after an extended rest stop. Of all the Dynamo rides I have done, this was the best weather-wise. 


Our final stop was at Gosbeck Village Hall. At this point we were only 27 miles from the the end at Dunwich beach. If we had of headed off quickly we would have arrived very early. Lots of the other London Brompton peeps joined us and we chewed the fat for a hour or so before heading off at one after the other.  

The final push saw the sun on the horizon, the sound of the dawn chorus and that change of light as dawn progressed. 


Once we reached the 100 mile mark, I turned the power on to setting one and left it on until I reached the beach. I am not sure that I needed it, as my Brompton Electric and those 12x gears, were rolling rather well. I enjoyed using it all the same. We even saw the always happy Sam and Jenny cycling in the opposite direction doing the Dunwich double (and over 200 miles in the process)! 


We arrived at Dunwich Beach just after 07:00. My coach with the London Brompton peeps was arriving at 11:00 but poor Geoff was on the coach were you queue with your barcode to get a ticket, then queue with your ticket to get your bike on the lorry and then queue to get on the coach. This took ages and I sat on a bench looking out into the sea watching Geoff's bike and then the bags he would take on the coach while he did all the queuing. 


Once Geoff was in the queue for his coach - that was due to leave at 10:00 we said our goodbyes. Again, I was very grateful for Geoff's company. He could have gone faster but it was great cycling with him for another Dynamo. For me the Dynamo isn't really about how fast you get there, it is more about the enjoyment of a night ride and the transition into day. There is also something about staring out into the sea - even for a fairly short amount of time - after starting out from London that is rather pleasant. 

I retired to the beach and found Mark (King of the hill) and a few of the other London Brompton peeps, in our usual spot. A little after 11:00 we boarded our coach, placing our Brompton bikes (carefully packed in IKEA Dimpa bags) into the boot and made ourselves comfortable. We had two seats to ourselves and once the coach set off, I closed my eyes and got some sleep on and off until about 20 minutes before we arrived at Stratford. 

Unpacking and saying farewells to people, I turned the power on and set my Wahoo for north London. The almost 9 miles were easy and the worst of north London's hills a breeze. Looking down at my Terry Thomas sticker, I considered again whether using the electric motor was cheating. The simple answer was...I didn't care!


The ride was just over 114 miles, not including the ride to the start and from the end at Stratford. I would go as far as to say that this was the most enjoyable Dunwich Dynamo so far. As I type this, sitting in my study at home, I don't really feel as if I cycled over 100 miles yesterday. My legs feel fine and my right knee is okay too. I am convinced that the Brompton Electric helped with this - for the time I used it.

Thanks to the many volunteers at the food stops, the people wishing us well along the way and to Paul of the London Brompton peeps who arranged the coach. Of course many thanks - again - to Geoff for his company. As for my Brompton Electric...I love this bike! Nothing more to say really. I am just having a great deal of fun with it!

Until next time, stay safe out there people!

 

Wednesday 17 July 2024

The grave of bare knuckle boxer Thomas Sayers

I have said it many times, Kensal Green is my favorite of all the great London cemeteries however Highgate does come a close second. If you pay a visit you have the choice of two sides, east and west. Lots of the great and the good are buried there, but one particular grave has always been of interest - Thomas Sayers.

Thomas Sayers (1826 -1865) was the last of Britain's bare knuckle boxing champions just before the famous Queensbury Rules came into being. Sayers was 5 ft 8 ins and in his day there were no weight divisions, with fighters going toe to toe anyone. Sayers would have almost certainly gone up against opponents much heavier and taller than he was. Also in his time, fights could last well over two hours!


Born in Brighton he became a national hero and was incredibly famous. After his last fight he retired and gifted £3000 by public subscription (a huge amount for the time) to ensure a comfortable post-boxing life. At the age of only 39 be died after suffering a short illness at 257 Camden High Street. 


His funeral, a week after he passed away, drew a crowd of well over 100,000. It was said that the crowd who accompanied his coffin extended over two miles. Sayers pet dog a large black mastiff called Lion, was chief mourner at his funeral and it is perhaps fitting that he guards his tomb. 

It is very likely that many people who look at his grave, take a photo or perhaps you out there reading this might not have ever heard of Thomas Sayers. There is of course no reason why you should. I do find it amazing that someone so famous in their own time would be unheard of in another. 

Until next time, stay safe out there people. 



There are gates and then there are gates!

London is full of some rather choice locations. Some properties have all manner of steel gates that swing inwards or glide horizontally. There is even one set I have seen in N6 that actually go down into the ground. There are however some that buckle the trend. 

The location will remain nameless, apart from me saying in is in north London. The gates you see below are wooden, original to the Victorian gothic house they lead to and as for the colour...

The photo below is of the pedestrian gate leading to the front door. There is another set, exactly the same to the right. They are also in a vivid blood-orange colour that are so bright they almost glow. Needless to say, I have always loved them in this colour. They have been other colours over the years that have been similar however this incarnation is my favourite. What do you think?

Until next time, stay safe out there people!



Monday 15 July 2024

Passing the Freud Museum on a Brompton

Part of the joys of owning a Brompton or two - or even more - and living in London, is the fact that you can find all sorts more or less on your doorstep. The other day (when the sun actually came out for once) I was ambling quite happily on my Brompton Electric, revelling in its power in getting me up any ascent. Having tackled some of the finest hills in north London, I headed south towards St John's Wood. In doing so I passed the Freud Museum. 

The museum is at 20 Maresfield Gardens. Freud only lived there for about a year and passed away in this very house. Hsi daughter lived there up to her death in 1982 and a few years later, her wish that the house be converted into a museum was released. 


While cycled up to the house to take photos you can see here, a large group of people of all ages were queuing quietly two houses up? I asked them whether they wanted the Freud Museum to which they replied, yes. I delicately informed them that the museum was a couple of houses up at number 20! What they were doing at their queuing location, I do not know!?


I have only ever been inside the museum/house once and that was very reluctantly and not my choice. As I recall I wanted to go up the road to 2 Willow Road, former home of brutalist architect, Erno Goldfinger. As you might have guessed I am not a particular fan of Freud and have passed his house many times over the years, thinking or saying under my breath, full of s@#t. I wonder what he might have made of that?!

Until next time, stay safe out there people!

Sunday 14 July 2024

Jack Straw's Castle on Brompton Electric

The other day I needed to go to a shop in Hampstead High Street - a location I am not really fond of. To make things a little more palatable, I decided to head past Jack Straw's Castle to see what they have done with the place since I last paid it a visit when it was a pub. 

The journey wasn't going to be far as it was only a little over a mile and a half. It would however involve cycling across the Heath and some of its gravelly paths. Making it safely to the other side I headed up to the location. 


It has been quite a while since Jack Straw's Castle made its transition from pub to - yes you guessed it - luxury flats. (I think it has more than just flats thought I think). Being tea total, a pub is wasted on my for anything alcohol related but I do remember that they did rather good pots of tea, that I happily drank while my friends had something stronger. 

The former pub got its name from Jack Straw, leader of the Peasants' Revolt in the late 1300s. There is almost a little bit of artistic licence on his involvement - if at all - but he supposedly took sanctuary at/near this location before being captured and executed. 

Apart from myself, there have been many famous patrons. Charles Dickens (he really did get about) visited the pub as did Wilkie Collins and William Makepeace Thackeray. Even Professor Van Helsing paid a visit! A shame on several levels that it isn't still a pub but hey that's progress as some people say. 

Until next time, stay safe out there people!