Sunday 25/12/2005 dawned blue, bright and clear. Wonderfully sunny post-solstice midwinter lengthening day. 30 of us at Cutty Sark Gardens for 10am. Lots of new faces including more than expected from the 4 mentions (including best event of the day) in Time Out. Doug was the other only one who'd now done all 5 x 25/12 rides to date. Someone passed round the sherry and I wondered if Greenwich Council would turn up en masse with the promised forms they threatened. A dozen joggers in baggy red suits and false beards, a fir-tree high up on the top-mast above us, a solitary security guard watching us from the river-wall repair compound....none bearing gifts, forms, summons or injunctions.

We left in no hurry around 10.20am to go round most of the one-way system and were the only traffic heading west down oneway Nelson Road and I was chatting at the front as a car turned the corner and into us. Lost and slow. Speedy u-turn

Then Creek Road and the main ones west. We stayed together well and slowishly and stopped at mostly deserted red-lights as I'd asked. At Blackfriars Bridge the first leaver got a comehome peelsprouts call. At the start of Tooley Street at 10.30am, far too early so quick right into Shad Thames and Gainsford Street. Past Jacob the drayhorse cemented in the blue circle (that had some gasping never been here before) then right down Horselydown Lane and left at Jacob's old brewery, under Tower Bridge's armpit odourised by a steaming hotdog cart, and onto the riverside. Knots of tourists ambling around, City Hall, Belfast, Hays Galleria and a cheerful security guard who ignored us, and then left down St Olaf's Alley over the ghost of that church that stood here for 900 years (Olaf went to sea at 12 as a Viking mercenary, tore down London Bridge in 1009, converted to Christianity, became King of Norway 1015 and was canonised in 1032. Patron saint of Norway. See also St Olaf's Square Norwegian church and Square at the south end of the Rotherhithe tunnel we'd passed earlier) onto the branch of Tooley Street then the hairpin turn onto little known Duke Street Hill and so to Southwark Needle by 10.40am. Lots more people, tinsel, hats and tiny flashing trees on luggage racks. And more sherry. Someone reckoned 90 people. A couple of delighted American tourists who'd flown their bikes over in case there was riding to be done. Some flew under to convenient Southwark Cathedral as it filled for another service. I wished I'd made the 9am.

Just to confuse a few we turned back down Duke Street Hill, hairpinned then under London Bridge, and through exhausted Borough Market onto Redcross Way then Southwark Street and Stamford Street. Down Hatfields and onto Upper Ground and the Lambeth/Southwark border at Oxo's western edge. Under Waterloo Bridge and almost due south and a right onto the riverside just before County Hall. The London Eye was deserted but for several security guards who sussed no problem and at once smiled us by and under the scruffy stinky whitetiled Westminster Bridge underpass. Onto the Albert Embankment riverside, under Lambeth Bridge, past the Fire Brigade HQ (moving to Union Street, Southwark soon....the floating fire station isn't), around Terry Farrell's London Ear (it's an iceberg.....most is underground), and under Vauxhall Bridge. The huge St George's development here will produce a new riverpath soon, but not yet. We uturned onto Vauxhall Bridge approach and waited for 15 minutes to regroup/catchup. Several asked about the sloping tuning-fork roof of the newish Vauxhall bus interchange by Arup Associates. I discover that the upturned left-hand skijumps face due south and help provide 200sm of solar panels that, they say, provide London's second-biggest bus-station with 30% of its electricity. (Ski-jump? Nooo. Think trolley-bus roof-electricity pickups. Like those on trains).

Bike laned round the development site and are on the riverwalk at Nine Elms Lane. The Wandsworth border. Houseboats, back to the road, houseboats...Kirtling Street runs partly through the vast Battersea Power Station site. We're onto Nine Elms Lane for a few hundred metres and turn right at the lights (hark the deserted doggies sing....it's Battersea Dogs Home not the South Chelsea Hunt), into Queenstown Road. Sorely tempted to ride the downstream pavement, turn right to the river and see if the bridge under Chelsea Bridge was open today, it's a fine way into Battersea Park that won't really bloom until the Power Station riverside opens up. But we went 40% round the Queen's Circle (that roundabout) and into Carriage Drive East, Battersea Park. Posher pooches, kids, no recumbents. Loads of cheerful families walking. There are No Cycling signs along the park's riverside but it's 20 metres wide and I see no sense for that ban here. The locals were lovely to us. The gilded Peace Pagoda 1985.

Out of the park by Albert Bridge and it's famous "troops must break step" sign. Albert Bridge Road was quiet, we crossed easily and back to the riverpath. Past Ransome Dock and the balsa models of Norman Foster's HQ and home, then over the approaches to closed Battersea Bridge (very worth a look at the 2 temporary bike lanes over) then Richard Roger's Montevetro (glass mountain) flats and St Mary's Battersea village church where a Sunday-best service was spilling out.

Mile of river before we're forced onto Lombard Road by the railway line. Back on the river just after the Westland heliport and then river almost the way to Wandsworth Bridge, an inland detour that skirts the site and ends up on the southern end. Not long before the path pushes through here. Crossed the south end of Wandsworth Bridge, headed north 50 metres and tuned into Jews Row, and the river again. Lots of new riverside here but it's blocked by a busy waste transfer depot and it's Smugglers Way to the river Wandle's meeting with the Thames. Attractive little island and the foot of the Wandle Way where 10 years ago all was car-wreckers and rubbish dumps. No kingfisher today. A fiddle back to the river through new flats and a tricky to see the ramp from the steps drop onto the path and into Wandsworth Park (more cheery walkers) and the 5 bird-barges moored offshore and out through a new mews and Deodar Road and under Putney's District line bridge (and little known walkway) and round St Mary's Putney (New Model Army/Levellers eponymous debates) Bridge, over the High Street, onto the Embankment. We used the riverside railings (light and dark blue. Oxbridge boat-race start), the sheffield racks and the pub-benches to lockup to outside the Duke's Head. Big proud bosomy Victorian Young's pub with wide river views whose theatrical 1894 interior has been well looked after. They coped with us all fine. We stayed there perhaps 30minutes. Some locals were glad to get seats back by the blazing fire. The Pollards Hill crew of 6 or so left here.

Then it was north over the river cross Putney Bridge and sharp left after into Bishops Park (ex-Dr Patrick Troughton impaled by falling lightning conductor in The Omen under this church), left again past sculpture garden through more white tiles of Putney Bridge underpass. Putney Bridge tube station on the left, under the mainline rail once more (bike park in good use of dead space) and on the grand gates of the massive and much too exclusive Hurlingham Club. 42 acres. 13 year membership waiting list. 750 metres of riverside which they will not allow public entry too.

We detour round, crossed Wandsworth Bridge Road after Carnwarth Road (where we skipped a short riverstretch), passed some of the London's last derelict riverside warehouses on Townmead Road, the UK's highest perhead spending Sainsbury's , the huge Chelsea Vista development, under the mainline railway bridge and Chelsea Harbour. Lot's Road still generates power for London Underground . (Greenwich's used to too but now's just backup). Then on the pavement for 300 metres past Cheyne Walk's houseboats. At Battersea Bridge up Beaufort Street into wonderfully deserted Kings Road. Sloane Square. Across Knightsbridge into Hyde Park by Albert Gate. Busy park. Lots out walking. Across sandy Rotten Row onto a bike park. Past the fenced off Diana Memorial. Over Serpentine Bridge and on the path by Carriage Drive up to The North Carriage Drive. Closed signs. The whole kilometre stretch was full of fair-ground rides. All closed. Slowly past the deller art. We wondered where all the punters would come from. Then round part of the Marble Arch gyratory onto Edgware Road. Packed with motors and people. A few hundred metres up on the left at number 71 sits the Cafe du Liban. I'd called in to see them a few weeks back and as promised had phoned them from the Duke giving them a rough ETA and count. We were 45 minutes late. Usaf the manager was waiting, not a bit worried. He'd cleared the place of all but two regulars and made one long 45 seater. I parked us fast and grabbed a prime spot. We packed the place. Around 30 more or so went next door and further. The Cafe was fine. Good big reasonable menu. It took a while for all to get served, no surprise with that number. All seemed pleased. The slow ride evaporation that started at the Duke's head as people headed home for family or whatever accelerated fast. It was 4pm and dark. Usaf whispered that an unknown leaver had quietly paid for my £8 lunch too. I was chuffed. Nice. Thanks.

Then the only problemette of the day. Someone we knew had gone home had left his bike Dlocked to another. We were wrong 10 minutes later. It was someone else who hadn't gone home. I'm still not sure why we were sure that anyone would gone home sans bike.

30 of us then.....Oxford Street was busyish with cars full of families seeing the lights. Then so quiet again. Clerkenwell Road was empty……at the back of the Duke of York 8 people were sat round a table and perhaps turkey. Staff meal. We all headed through the City and over London Bridge back to Southwark Needle by 5.30pm. We hadn't passed an open pub but no one seemed very bothered. Someone said really nice words about the great quiet route to Putney. We all said farewell, good day, and went various ways.

Barry
07905 889 005     
29 December 2005