Friday yesterday was grey miserable dull wet windy. I bike slogged through Thamesmead into ubiquitous wind wondering who was responsible for such awfulness. Continuing.

Today 10 met at 9am Cutty Sark Gardens and rode 25 miles to Gravesend and met 4 off that train. Gloriously blue sky weather. Chilly but rising. Greg's the bakers 5p mince pies.

Two separates phoned and thought we were meeting at Southwark Needle.
Wrong. One got the train easy. The other just got horrid when we wouldn't wait. Don't blame me for your mistake.

The very good seaside Promenade Cafe on Gravesend Riviera has been closed for the winter lately despite summer weather so we had truly awful coffee and plastic milk in the 500 year old Three Jackdaws pub next to the oldest cast-iron pier in the world.

Then we passed that cafe.....open....bad research on my part. I'll check next time...the sign outside said every winter weekend, subject to the weather. 01474 365 432. Try their bread pudding. But they were closed on the last 2 great weather rides....Lesson.

Then through the Shorne Marshes (noisy summer bullfrogs kipping in the
mud) to the Cliffe pools. The London airport threat has gone. Lots of birds. Lovely sight of maybe 100 Brent Geese arriving (from their Arctic or Siberian breeding grounds about a month later than usual.....that
warming) and chattering to each other really loudly as they wheeled about looking for somewhere to settle. (No no not there....it's her from Novosibirsk...same spot every year. Gannet). Then over the fence and down the deserted lane to Cliffe Fort....40 coot splashed away from us at speed....odd......they'd've handbagged us in London...and the
wire-guided torpedo that cost millions and never did work.

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~dkbrown/cliffe.html

Two of us saw a tiny hawk flushing the hedges......Hobby......not sure. Twitch. (They catch screaming 100mph Swifts in season).

Big pub lunch in High Halstow that bloated me far too long after lots of orchard lanes under those huge skies with the estuary around every corner. Sat outside in the sun. 3pm. Time to head back. Some left at Gravesend for the train.

9 rode back to Greenwich. 5 of us Richard 1'd it.

Most of us did the full 72 miles. The train crew did 20 or so.

Fine Kent day.

Good to know that Newham Cyclists are doing a feeder ride to the Greenwich ceilidh.

Report reproduced on this website courtesy of Barry Mason (Southwark Cyclists)
07905 889 005