Overnight ride from Cambridge to King’s Lynn on a Brompton

Last Friday, I joined the lovely Friday peeps for a ride that is a firm favourite of many, but one I had never participated in before: Cambridge to King’s Lynn. Now, let me tell you, I had been asked whether I was going on this ride for some time, but as it doesn’t start in London and getting back can take a while longer than usual, I was rather undecided. But, when Dr John and Geoff, two chaps I know all too well, confirmed they were up for the challenge, I thought, “Why not?” So, I signed up and purchased my train tickets.

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!

Orange Brompton Dunwich Dynamo #5

Saturday was Dunwich Dynamo day and as can happen with things you have had in the diary for ages, it arrived quite rapidly. The preceding couple of weeks had been hectic to say the least and there had been little time to devote to thoughts of the Dynamo. 

I had a family event earlier in the day but before this I did manage to give all three of my Brompton bicycles a thorough clean. That done I set off for my family event which I enjoyed for a few hours. Once home I packed the Mini O bag and saddle bag and set off with my Orange Titanium. 

Not far down the road I heard a slight clicking sound. When I stopped to have a look, it seemed as if my rear wheel needed tightening and there was a little play. I am sure that it would have been okay but not wishing to chance it as I had the best part of 120 miles to complete, I headed back. I swapped the bags over and took my Orange Black Special Edition. 

Sadly, all of this meant that I was going to be late. To stand any chance of getting top the start at London Fields a little after the Brompton peeps had left would mean me taking the tube. This was horrific! It was hot and crowded and several routes to Liverpool Street were closed off to me as there were various closures. Eventually, after taking all sorts of combinations of tube lines, I arrived at Liverpool Street Station. 

Geoff kindly said that he would wait for me and we would catch the Brompton crew up but upon arriving at London Fields they were still there. It seemed that Mark (King of the Hill) had taken the troops via the scenic route and as such were a little later than planned arriving at London Fields themselves. 

Our initial pace was purposeful. This year getting back from Dunwich was going to be rather different. There would be no standing in a queue hours before the coach you managed to get on set off. Mark had arranged the hire of a smaller but perfectly formed coach that would be at Dunwich beach by 11:00 a.m. Normally I would be motoring along to try and get there as early as I dared to secure a slot on the earliest coach I could. This year, that was taken out of the equation, so I didn't really care. 

The sight of a Brompton peloton was a sight to behold. For the first few miles were were pretty much together but we did start to thin out. Poor Geoff was left behind for a good few miles after the group continued at a set of lights. 

Riding along I think many of us Brompton riders received compliments from our roadie cousins. Some could not fathom how or why we would complete this on a Brompton. Others asked whether mine had a motor. One nice lady stopped to chat for a good few miles. I told her about the Brompton peeps and the rides we did and also the Fridays. She was interested in both and after saying our goodbyes, she was off into the distance. 

The evening gradually turned into night as the sun did its job of closing shop for the day. The scenery was rather lovely and the variety of colours in the sky was stunning. 

The disco ball light was a talking point for many and definately the must have accessory for next year. 

We stopped at a few places that had stayed open and this also acted as a regrouping point for those that had been further behind. 

Outnumbered by our roadie cousins, I do feel that all the Brompton riders taking part more than made up for it with their enthusiasm. 

The moon was almost full and at one stop we were all busy trying to capture a photo of it as it emerged through trees. In the photo below you can just see Jenny (The Mile Monster) doing just that. 

Apart from packing a good supply of water, I had probably underdone it on the snack front. (This was to haunt me later on). I had a burger at one stop which served its purpose of providing fuel but the best thing about it was the ketchup that came with it. Later on the van than sold the sausage in a roll was very good to say the least. You would have thought that this was enough to have kept me going. 

The early hours were cold, really cold and I donned arm warmers, a gilet and a boil in the bag rain jacket. I am so glad that I decided to take these as even with them all on I still felt the chill for quite some time. 

At about the 101 mile mark with another 12 miles to go before we arrived at the end of the ride at Dunwich beach, I started to slow down. Luckily I was cycling with Andrew who had managed to secure a spot on the coach at the last minute. Andrew told me about his work at the national Theatre - and they really should pay him a great deal more for the incredible enthusiasm he holds for the place - and I started to slow down. At one point I actually felt as if I could quite literally fall asleep while pedalling and had to try and wake myself up. Getting progressively slower and knowing I was in a little trouble, I asked Andrew if he happened to have anything with sugar. He handed me one of those gel things that in addition to sugar, also had caffeine. A few minutes after gulping this down, I felt much better and normal service resumed. 

We met the rest of the Brompton crew at the next stop. After a short while we were off again and again spread out at our various paces. 

The last few miles I took sedately, enjoying the scenery and the sounds of nature. There seemed to be many Yellowhammer birds singing away at either side of the road and they were to serenade me almost right up to the end of the ride. 

I clocked up 114.08 miles with an average pace of 12.2 mph. This was slower for me that previous attempts but it wasn't a race, there was no rush and i don't think I could have gone any faster. 

A few riders had been in the sea for a dip and I retired to a nearby tea room for a breakfast. This was eaten with great enthusiasm! 

Our coach arrived before 11:00 a.m. but as the driver needed to have his rest break we didn't leave until 11:40ish. The coach was lovely and the air conditioning made things so much better. With our Brompton bikes placed in Ikea bags and neatly stowed in the storage area we headed off for Stratford. 

I sat next to Geoff but there was little conversation. I nodded off several times only waking fully for the last 30 minutes or so. Even for that I was in a near-vegetative state. Arriving at Stratford just after 15:00 I said my goodbyes and headed into the station to get the Jubilee Line to St. John's Wood. The tube carriage was fairly packed and the journey hot and noisy. Arriving at NW8 I speculated as to whether the people I cycled by would guess that I had cycled over 114 miles overnight on the Dunwich Dynamo? 

This was a lovely adventure. The weather (apart from the cold bit) was great and the absence of wet stuff a real bonus. The Brompton coach home was just brilliant and many thanks to Mark for organising. Also many thanks to my fellow Brompton riders for always making things fun. As always thanks to Geoff! 

Before I stepped through the front door of my house, the date for the Dunwich Dynamo 2023 was released. I sent a message to Mark joking that he could put me down for a space on the coach! I think next time, I really do need to get some more rides in and pack a few more snacks. (I am normally good that doing just that on the many night rides I do but think the swapping over the bikes meant the emergency rations were left sitting on the chair in my office). 

Until next time, stay safe out there people!!

The best overnight Brompton ride to the coast so far for 2021

After a very bust few days at work I had been looking forward to the night ride to the coast I had planned with with Dr John a few weeks ago. We had intended to choose Whitstable as our destination but with the Bank Holiday timetable being slightly disrupted making the return leg for Dr John problematic, we opted for our joint favourite Brighton. 

I cycled part of the way and encountered very few other cyclists in Hyde Park and The Mall. The start point was not too long before midnight near the London Eye. The South Bank was busier than it had been the past few weeks but still nowhere near as busy as before the 'C' word. It was good however to see some normality return. Dr John was there waiting when I arrived and not too long thereafter we were off into the night. 

Our pace was conversational but the few miles between Oval and Clapham South we always take a little quicker as it tends to be a more lively location. We made the left turn at Cathless Road but for once there was no fox to be seem stealing across the road in front of us. 

We reached Farthing Downs and the infamous cattle grid! Infamous as on the small wheels of a Brompton it is a big deal riding over it!! After taking a few customary photos and having a snack we headed off. At this point our respective dynamo lights were beefed up with our larger offerings on our handlebars, as this point becomes more rural. 

At a location called Chaldon the sign that mentioned the date 1086 caught my eye. I do not know for certain but I would imagine this dates from the Domesday Book on the same year where it must get a mention. 

Not too long after 2 a.m. we arrived at Outwood Mill, having been looking out for it. This time we walked round to the side to get a better view. This is a privately owed and a sign reads 'viewing by appointment.' I fancy it would be well worth doing just that. When I looked at the photo I had just taken the reddish hue to the sky took me back to the story of the workers putting the finished touches to the top of the mill, who could see the glow of the Great Fire of London in 1666. 

Our halfway stop was the usual 24-hour petrol station that had the bonus of a hot drinks machine! Once we had eaten our various snacks, yet again I started to feel a little chilly so on it was with the boil in the bag light waterproof jacket. This stayed on for a few miles before coming off again. 

Turners Hill - once a challenge came and went and now serves as a way of warming us up. Dr John usually calculates what the temperature will be there at 03:00 to help decide what clothing to wear. 

Dawn arrived not too long after 04:00 with birds stating to sing their hearts out. In some of the fields in the photo below we spotted some Red Deer running. They settled but as soon as they saw me - trying my best to take a photo - they bolted. A lovey sight though.

For this ride I had decided to abandon my saddle bag in favour of my Mini O bag. I liked having the extra capacity and didn't mind the weight being on the front. 

Pressing on and with the sun doing its thing, the scenes before us were stunning. On our previous rides this year we have missed these views altogether as sunrise has been much later. It was great to see and experience it and one of the draws for this sort of ride. 

With the sign pointing for Ditchling we knew that the big test, in the form of Ditchling Beacon, was not too far away. The lovely scenery made for some great backdrops (for my Brompton) so I snapped away quite happily. 

Arriving at the car park at the base of the Beacon we got ourselves ready. Our ascent would not break any King of the Mountain times on Strava (not that I am on Strava) but that really wasn't the point. We made our ascent together and as we rode up, to our left the views in-between the trees and hedges were stunning. 

Before 06:00 we had made it and welcomed the next few miles into Brighton, most of which were downhill. 

At Brighton I took a photo of the Pier and we headed off to the station. Our train should have taken us to St Pancras but instead stopped at London Bridge. Punching a route to Baker Street into the Wahoo we headed off to the Wetherspoons for breakfast. 

Breakfast arrived quickly and eaten as rapidly. That done we went our separate ways until next time. Another great adventure. Many thanks to Dr John for his company and friendship. I am sure that we will do something like this again soon. 

I got home in very good time and after a shower and cup of tea I headed off for a few hours sleep. As I type this I feel fine but my legs are telling me that I have cycled from London to Brighton. 

Until next time, stay safe out there people!!

London to Cambridge overnight on my Orange Brompton

Friday marked the end of a very long week and Friday itself dragged. The only thing keeping me going was the prospect of a night ride - not to the coast - to Cambridge. 

I decided to take my Titanium Orange Brompton with me for this adventure. There was no prospect of rain (always a deciding factor) but thinking things might get a little chilly I wore one of my 'Proviz' jackets just in case.

The route for this London to Cambridge run looked rather good and being relatively flat I decided not to get the tube in from where I had taken sanctuary. This meant a 15.5 mile cycle to the meeting point outside Euston station. 

My journey to Euston was plain sailing and things definitely seemed a great deal quieter than they should be. Stopping to take a photo of my Brompton in a dark, atmospheric passage was a rather eerie affair as a large crow cawing was just about the only noise that could be heard echoing but not seen.

Somewhere further along I caught sight of someones front garden that was on many levels far more sinister that a Victorian alley. The garden was filled with potted garden ornaments. I took a couple of photographs, initially oblivious to the fact that through the windows a television was on with people watching it, watching me. I pondered on what sort of people would have such a front garden and quickly pedalled on!

Reaching Euston station in good time I made my way to the front entrance. The station itself was almost devoid of people and the only ones I did see were security guards. It was unusually quiet. Waiting for me was our ride leader Nick, along with fellow participants Gordon and Dr John. The others that would have made up our six bailed so it was to be the four of us. 

We set off just before midnight, riding in London streets that were more like 03:00 a.m. on a Monday than just before midnight on a Friday night. It was all rather strange. 

Our route took us through Holloway, Finsbury Park and on to Enfield. The further we cycled the more we started to leave the urban behind. By the time we passed Hoddesdon and Harlow things started to get quieter and street light gave way to the many lumens on our various front lights. 

For several miles I was alone in my own thoughts, getting some (and I hate this word but will use it) headspace.

At one point I really felt the cold and was actually shivering. Pulling up the zips on just about everything that possessed a zip I carried on and only felt better a few miles thereafter. Luckily this feeling did not linger and for the remainder of the ride I did not experience this again. 

We were one of I believe five separate groups most of which followed a slightly different route. A few minutes after we arrived at the service station off the M11 in Bishops Stortford  a small but perfectly formed Brompton contingent arrived. Socially distanced we had a chat while consuming our various items of food and drink. This was at roughly 37 miles in which meant we only had 30 miles remaining. 

After saying our goodbyes we stepped out into a chilly and still dark morning. I put on a snood but didn't really feel the cold and the pedalling helped to keep any feelings in this direction away. 

At 50ish miles we reached the highest point in Cambridgeshire, Little Chishill. This is reached by a long incline that takes one up to St Swithun's parish church. Some of the American readers of my blog are always amazed by the age of some of these buildings I mention in my blog that most people living here wouldn't bat an eyelid at. This church was founded in 1136 with parts of the current building surviving  from1275. In daylight I would imagine that there would be some pretty good views but sadly as it was still dark, we just had to imagine what they might be.

Sunrise is one of the main draws of nocturnal rides. Experiencing the change in light, the dawn chorus from the many unseen birds lining the route and the beauty of the sun emerging from clouds is a joy. This morning was no exception, with the colours being particularly beautiful.

With the back of the ride broken the sight of the 'DNA' path - 10,257 lines of four colours representing the sequence of the BRCA2 gene - meant that Cambridge was but a step away.

At Cambridge station we saw some riders from a different group who beat us to it. Dr John and I said our goodbyes and thanks to Nick and Gordon and we bound the 08:03 train from Liverpool Street. At 09:15 we arrived back in London and shortly after Dr John and I said our goodbyes too. I arrive back home before 10:00 a.m. which I was rather pleased about.

In all I cycled just over 83 miles and as I type this I feel pretty good. My Orange Titanium Brompton was a joy to use and along with my Orange, Black Special Edition I feel I have a wonderful stable of Brompton bikes for many adventures ahead.

Many thanks to Nick for the great route and being our ride leader and to Gordon and Dr John for their company. 

Sadly, this might well be the last night ride of this type for 2020. October does traditionally mark the end of the night rides to the coast anyway, so it will probably be March 2021 before I can experience of the joys of these again. However, this will not stop several more adventures before the year is out.

Stay safe out there people!!