Saturday 29th July.

Enjoy a day in Central London free of motor vehicles.

We meet on Richmond Little Green 10.00 and head off via Putney Riverside, Wandsworth Park and Battersea Gardens and then up through Belgravia to join the Freecycle where Central London roads are traffic free. Leave London for the ride home at 15.00.

Our routes in and out.

About 80 of us met up and enjoyed a good ride up to London and saw some  parts of town that were new to many. The Freecycle route itself was busy, but not impossibly so, and, as usual, it was great to see so many cyclists, some very young, making full use of London streets. With rain starting only about 30 chose to join us for the trip home and we got back to Richmond by 16.30 in a damp but unbowed condition.

As one participant said “there should be a straightforward way of cycling into London” but there isn’t , at least not without battling one’s way through heavy traffic. Our circuitous route meant that we were little affected by traffic until we hit Barnes and Mortlake.

Thanks to Jim, Jean, Ian , Cameron and Tim for looking after everybody.

Meet Teddington Station East Side 10:10.

We follow the route of the proposed Quietway across Teddington Lock and through Richmond Park to Roehampton from which we cut under the A3 to Wimbledon Common and a coffee stop at the windmill cafe. We return by a slightly rougher path down to Robin Hood Gate and back through Richmond Park.

A bit longer than our usual Rides for Everyone at 14 miles. Anyone having had enough after the break just  has to  freewheel down to Wimbledon Station to catch the train.

Route

Just 3 of us met up at Teddington. In terms of testing the route for 8-80 we certainly exceeded the upper end. Teddington High Street was unthreatening and our only issues in Ham was about signs hidden behind foliage. Marking on the road surface is most reliable.

We tried the shared use path on Ham Avenue and found the surface bumpy and the rejoining of the road inside the park difficult. (The off-road path up the hill is only suitable for mountain bikers). The rumble strips on the path through Richmond Park are no problem and Danebury Avenue shows what can be achieved by simply closing a road at one end.

This bit of the Quietway should be a useful and attractive route for all ages (e-bike may be helpful for some as it is hilly)

We diverged on a rougher path through Putney Heath / Wimbledon Common including an underpass of the A3. This was closed to all cycling until ?20 years ago. Progress does happen if slowly.

Meet Twickenham riverside 10.15

We head South via Kingston and Tolworth before heading away from the traffic along the Hogsmill and then through Horton Country Park and Ashstead Common. Emerging in Leatherhead we pass through the Mole gap before climbing to Norbury Park – Southern England’s best approximation to an alpine meadow. A Track takes us to Brockets Farm for lunch and our return journey features a foot/cycle bridge across the Mole , Oxstead Common and Claygate woods. 37 miles with a serious hill. This has been done on a fixer but not-over-narrow tyres would be comfortable.

Route

5 of us met up on the riverside despite nearly coinciding with a charity run. Apart from a headwind on the way south we enjoyed ideal weather and the paths were dry underwheel. Perhaps a bit early for maximum flowers in Norbury Park. Back in Kingston Market place where we split up at about 3.