Tag: Sea Cycles

The sun will surely shine on Camber Sands, a beautiful strip of dunes on the south Sussex coast. It’s a moderately hilly ride from London on a mixture of country lanes and (hopefully quiet) A roads, through the beautiful High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It’s 70 miles from Greenwich to the coast, with an option to join the ride at Sevenoaks for a 45 mile ride. Continue reading Camber Sands ride details

So, the idea was to ride to the beautiful beach at Camber Sands on the first day of summer. A quick double-check of the return trains before we set off threw our plans into disarray with the dreaded words Rail Replacement Bus Service. Now, we’re tough, but not tough enough to cycle back after a 70+ mile ride. So we’re postponing the Camber Sands ride – keep an eye out for updates.

It’s the first overnight bike ride since SeaCycles began, and we meet at midnight at Monument, ready to cycle all night to the coast. I am feeling groggy after a brief two hour nap, David has been in the pub, and Paul has just arrived on a train from Brighton – for him, this is a cycle ride home. Continue reading The Magic of Midnight

Our first overnight ride! See London from a different perspective as we zoom along streets that are usually packed with traffic, then ride through the countryside in the wee small hours into the sunrise. Continue reading Brighton night ride: details

“There will only be three of us tomorrow, so we’re meeting at Cutty Sark at 10am”.

Thus Anna emailed me in response to my last-minute enquiry, to join her & David’s second monthly cycle-ride to the coast. I’d been on the first ride too with six other riders, and we’d pedalled through a great deal of cold & rain but with a tailwind to Southend, and then pranced around briefly in the chilly sea. Continue reading Whitstable Ride

10am, London Bridge. A motley crew of cyclists gathers, dressed head to toe in waterproofs. At least one of us was wondering why we’d bothered to come out on such a horrible day in order to ride 50 miles in the rain. But I had promised cookies, and was the only one who knew the way, so there was no option but to turn up dressed for the weather (meaning, TWO waterproof jackets). Continue reading Riding to Shoeburyness

Our next ride will be to the Kent coastal town of Whitstable, famous for its oysters, castle and boat-strewn beach.

Date: Sunday 28th February

Time: Meet 9.30am

Location: London Bridge, just outside Evans Cycles (corner of Tooley St)

Distance: 62 miles

Projected arrival time: Approximately 5pm

Return journey: Trains depart twice an hour and take an hour and a quarter to reach London Cannon Street or St Pancras / Stratford

What to bring: lights for your bike, snacks for the journey, togs for swimming, cash for fish & chips

What to expect: A small, friendly ride at conversational pace. The route is on a mixture of roads and traffic-free cycle paths. If we reach Whitstable at low tide we can walk out on ‘The Street’ sand spit. If it’s high tide we’ll swim in the cold cold waves!

So, we’re cycling 50 miles from London to Shoeburyness on the Essex coast. In the middle of winter. Why oh why would we do this? Here are 10 good reasons: Continue reading 10 reasons to cycle to Shoeburyness

Date: Sunday 31st January

Time: Meet 9.30 for a 10am departure (early arrivals will be rewarded with tea* and cookies) *bring your own tea

Location: Meet on London Bridge, just outside Evans Cycles (corner of Tooley St). This ride may finish in the dark so make sure you and your bike have lights.

Distance: 50 miles, roughly

Projected arrival time: Depending on size and ability of group, between 3pm and 5pm.

Return journey: Trains depart from Shoeburyness every half hour and take just over an hour to reach Liverpool Street (Cost: £12.50).

To whet your appetite, here is a blog Anna wrote about a previous winter ride to Southend.