Quite interesting ride on my Orange Titanium Brompton - Part 1

Last Sunday, I went on the sixth version of the ‘Quite Interesting Ride’ series, which is the brainchild of the gentleman that is, Ross. Regrettably, this was to be the last of his rides of this type, but that didn’t deter me from attending, even with the forecast predicting near-constant rain (more on that later)! After all, skin is waterproof!

The ride started near London Bridge station, and I had to resort to using several tube lines to get there on time. As you know, dear reader, I am not the biggest fan of public transport, but I steeled myself for the worst and got there in the end.

With that challenge behind me, I dusted off my trusty Orange Titanium Brompton for this occasion. (I wasn't keen on getting my G-Line or Brompton Electric wet)! Initially, riding one of my small-wheeled Brompton after such a long hiatus felt a bit odd - for about two minutes, that is. Once I found my rhythm, I was absolutely loving the ride. There’s something freeing about zipping around on a Brompton, even in drizzly conditions!

The premise of the ride was simple. We would visit 15 interesting locations covering roughly 15 miles of gentle cycling. It was a perfect opportunity to soak in the history of London. As we set off, each stop promised unique views and stories.

In this blog post, I will cover the first five locations. The rest will follow at a later date - when I have more time to write them. Keep an eye out for those. 

1. The Royal Exchange - Giant Grasshopper weathervane

The grasshopper was the emblem of Tudor financier, Sir Thomas Gresham. He founded the first Royal Exchange in 1565, establishing a vital hub for commerce. Moreover, he set up Gresham College, which delights audiences to this day with engaging public lectures. The grasshopper appears on top of the Royal Exchange building and also elsewhere in the City. 

But here’s a whimsical twist: it is said that Thomas’s ancestor, Roger de Gresham, was abandoned as a small child in the marshy parts of Norfolk. What a spot to be left! Remarkably, little Roger was eventually discovered by a lady, intriguingly drawn to the sound of a chirruping grasshopper. Now, whether this sound came from a genuine grasshopper or if young Roger was simply wailing like one remains a mystery. Perhaps it’s more likely that the tale springs from an old pun connecting Gresh and grass! Either way, it adds flavour to the Gresham legacy.

2. Fine wooden doors at 23 Cornhill. 

This location was once the headquarters of the Cornhill Insurance Company, an establishment rich in history. 

The mahogany doors, designed by the esteemed Sir Walter Gilbert in 1939, are the highlight. He was quite the noteworthy figure, also responsible for the façade at Selfridges on Oxford Street and the gates of Buckingham Palace.

The intricate carvings on the doors catch the eye, each illustrating significant events that have shaped the area over time. They serve as a visual narrative, linking the past to the present. The doors are rather lovely and stand as a testament to the craftsmanship of their time, inviting visitors to pause and appreciate the stories they tell. Saying that, I have passed them countless times and never given them a second glance. It is only thanks to this ride that I know they existed at all!

3. Mercer's Maiden

This carving in Covent Garden is the symbol of the Mercer’s Guild and signifies their ownership, appearing on several buildings across London. While there are a few in Covent Garden, this mid-16th century example is uniquely set into the wall of a newer building. The Mercers originally specialised in fancy textiles and were the foremost guild in London, playing a significant role in the city’s commercial history.

4. St Lawrence Jewry, Gresham Street. (Another weathervane). 

The original church was built here in the 12th century but was destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666. It was subsequently rebuilt to the design of Sir Christopher Wren, renowned for his masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral. However, this architectural tale is merely the backdrop to a much more intriguing...disturbing story.

St Lawrence, born in 225, served as a Christian deacon in Rome. His unwavering faith drew the ire of the Roman Prefect, who ordered a gridiron to be prepared, with hot coals seething beneath it. Yes, as one might surmise, St Lawrence was placed atop the gridiron - what a chilling fate and what a way to go! Ironically, he is honoured as the Patron Saint of individuals who work with fire. To add a layer of absurdity, he is also the Patron Saint of comedians. This latter designation may stem from the legend that, in defiance of his impending martyrdom, St Lawrence is alleged to have boldly declared, "I’m done on this side!"

5. The Castle pub, Farringdon.

The Castle pub, adorned with the distinctive three brass balls on its sign, both outside and inside, is renowned for its unique status as a pawnbroker. The origins of this unusual designation trace back to an incident involving a gentleman who, having suffered considerable losses at a nearby cockfight, probably up the road in Clerkenwell, sought assistance at the Castle Pub. In need of immediate funds, he implored the landlord to advance him some cash, offering his gold pocket watch as collateral. The landlord acquiesced, and soon after, a royal employee reclaimed the watch with a cash payment. The gentleman with the watch was in fact George IV. This transaction resulted in the landlord receiving a Royal Warrant, thereby officially permitting the Castle to operate as a pawnbroker. Consequently, it stands as the only pub in England with such a privilege. In contrast, if one finds themselves financially bereft at your local Wetherspoons, exchanging a bicycle for cash would be an improbable endeavour!

Well, that is you lot for now. Many thanks to Ross for all his research and effort into these rides. They are quite simply brilliant. There will be more in a future blog post so keep an eye for it. 

Until next time, stay safe out there people!

Meeting up with my Partner in Crime

It has been far too long since I went out for a cycle ride with my Partner in Crime, so early last week we arranged to go for one of our favoured routes that we have been on countless times before.

We met at the London Eye and were soon off in an easterly direction. Our first port of call however was to stop off for a quick hot drink and snack. Feeling suitably refreshed we continued. It didn’t take long for us to catch up on what we had been up to. 

My Partner in Crime has recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer. When I found out about this, I experienced a few reactions that varied from disbelief, to anger to sadness and then positivity. Thankfully it has been caught early and positivity is something my riding Partner exhibited. You can read his blog post about this. Click here.

At Wapping we stopped at Pelican Stairs adjacent to the Prospect of Whitby pub. Luckily as the tide was out, meaning we could go onto the foreshore of the Thames. We are definitely kindred spirits and needed no encouragement to take lots of photographs of our respective Brompton bicycles. 

Heading further east we reminisced about the many adventures we had been on. This included a never to be forgotten return journey from Whitstable! Read about that one HERE!! Our night rides to the coast. The several Brompton World Championships we have attended. We even recalled a time where a group of us inadvertently strayed onto a railway line with trains rolling past. (Understandably, I have not written a blog post about that one, nor will I)!! 

We reached the Thames Flood Barrier but the information centre (and cafe) is now only open on Saturday. So, we headed back to the establishment where we had a snack to have something more substantial. 

Of the Brompton peeps, Andrew is one of the Brompton users I have know the longest. We would never have met had it not been for the fact we both had a Brompton bicycle. We were I suppose drawn to each other. He had the Bumblebee thing going on and I the Orange thing. It is in many ways incredible that a wonderful friendship started as a result. We are both older - probably not wiser - and I know that I will have many more years of adventure on two small wheels. 

Until next time, stay safe out there people. 

"Are you Mr Orange Brompton? You here to take a photo of that postbox?!"

Not that long ago I went to Wilton's Music Hall (wonderful place) to see if I could get some tickets for an event there later in the month. (Perhaps a blog post for another time). My G-Line and I were very welcome and knowing that Wapping High Street and the Thames path were not far away, I headed south. I did not put anything into my Wahoo and tried to navigate on my own. Obviously this went wrong but I did meet a very helpful chap in more ways than one. 

I realised that I hadn't a clue where I was. I had lost my bearings and resorted to a maps app on my iPhone to at least tell we where I was and what general direction I could point my bike in - to avoid the very busy road that sat behind me. It was then I heard from behind me the words that make up the title for this blog... 

Instinct took over and I summoned up my many years of Judo that I laboured with in my youth, just in case the person who knew who I was turned out to be one of those phone snatcher rapscallion types. They weren't. What they turned out to be was a reader of my blog - Sunil. 

Sunil reminded me of a previous blog post where I had mentioned cyphers on postboxes. I have to confess that I did not remember this blog post or even taking a photo of a post box (apart from the unusual one near the Chelsea Pensioners residence with two sides). Sunil was there on the A1203 for the sole purpose of getting a photo of the postbox cypher you can see below. We had to walk a few hundred metres and there it was. 

This postbox has the Edward VIII cypher on it. He was the king who abdicated so he could marry Wallis Simpson. As such, there are very few of them in existence. Sunil was very pleased to finally spot this one and took lots of photos with a rather fancy Sony camera and lens that looked as if it would be better suited to capturing the images of wild beasts on a safari holiday. 

With directions from Sunil I said my goodbyes and headed off to the Thames Path. (Sunil, if you are reading this, it was a pleasure meeting you and when you get your Brompton on the road again, send me a message). 

As I cycled back reaching Tower Bridge I could not help but take a photo of this Victorian Penfold postbox! 

Until next time, stay safe out there people!

Duo Brompton overnight ride London to Shoreham-on-Sea

Dr John and I had pencilled in the night of 4th July for a nocturnal adventure for some time. Thankfully we could both make it, so I headed off to the meeting point near the London Eye.

It was a mild night and apart from a light waterproof jacket - just in case - there was no need for lots of layers. London was busy. Hyde Park was closed off. It seemed as if there was some sort of event in there that was just finishing. Lots of people had cowboy boots and hats, a little like when Taylor Swift was in concert at Wembley. Any cycle lanes were filled with those awful rickshaw bicycle things. Why anyone uses them is a mystery?

I arrived in good time and so did Dr John. After getting ourselves ready and with the route loaded, we headed off into the night. It was good to catch up and Dr John is great company. As such the miles passed by very easily. 

This route, although avoiding Ditchling Beacon, has quite a few ups and downs to keep one occupied. It is a route I have cycled twice with the lovely Fridays peeps and the ride leader for those rides - Jim - had chosen wisely. 

Once we had passed the various Clapham stations and turned down Cathles Road things got quieter. Cycling through Tooting Common we saw several foxes embolden by the fact they were urban and on home turf. We passed a youngish chap lying on the floor. His friend shouted out from some distance away that he was okay and just drunk. I shouted back that he should not leave him and the chap on the floor then shouted back that he was okay. 

This route seemed to get us out on to much quieter lanes sooner than our usual London to Brighton route. This made things even more enjoyable. We saw several more foxes, some deer and heard the odd bird or two letting us know it was there.  

About 30is miles in we passed the traditional stop on the organised ride (Burstow Scout Hut) and settled to eat the snacks we had brought with us on the wall of a car dealership. This did seem to be in the middle of nowhere though?

At about 04:00 the sun was ever so slowly starting to appear, accompanied by an increased chorus of birdsong. I did not take many photos for this one. I blame chatting away to Dr John! The photo below was Newells Pond (I think) and like us cycling through the night another chap in a tent had probably fished all night. (I much prefer the cycling).

The last few miles into Shoreham saw us cycle on part of the Downs Link. This is a 35ish mile mainly off-road trail.

The surface of this section of the Downs Link was pretty good and the G-Line was in its element. It is as about as much off-road as I like!

We arrived at Brighton Station and boarded our train. It wasn't terrible busy but another couple of bikes were there in a disabled seat area opposite the ones we were in. A wheelchair user boarded the train and we got up to move. The huge pannier bag on one of the two bikes in the disabled area prevented him from getting to the area we had vacated. At first he simply ignored me asking him politely to move his bag - despite seeing what was going on. When he did get up he said to the gentleman in the wheelchair 'where do you expect me to put them?' referring to his bikes. What a charmer! 

Saying our goodbyes, I got off at Farringdon and Dr John at St Pancras. Once home I was out for the count once my head hit the pillow. 

This ride was a little over 67 miles and certainly provided a good workout. As always thanks to Dr John for his friendship and company. (And in case you ask, Dr John was banned from using moisturising body lotion for this ride)!

Hopefully we will have another adventure sometime soon and we might cycle to another favourite haunt. 

Until next time, stay safe out there people!