Horniman Museum

First of all, apologies to anyone who picked the wrong information from one of our web pages. We have to try and make sure that all pages give the same and most importantly the correct details.

It was one of those days that when you approach Cutty Sark Gardens the number of cyclists there look fairly daunting if they all intend coming on your ride. Great to see so many out for a ride – quite a few going on a jaunt down the Thames Path and a modest 5 coming on the Horniman Ride.

Ronnie, Sarah, Keith, Roy and Ian.

Roy still hasn't got his front derailleur sorted out yet. Even after 2 visits to Lewisham's Dr. Bike and 2 visits to Tower Hamlets monthly workshop at Limehouse he's yet to get a clean change onto the small chainring. I think it's going to be one of those things that's going to take perpetual tweaking. I think we will have to keep an eye on the work in progress here.

The ride up to the Horniman Museum is a short one, about 4 miles from Greenwich , so we took route 21 Waterlink Way and ambled along. No one met us at Ladywell Fields where we left the Waterlink Way and made our way on quiet back roads, up a couple of small hills (I really don't know what those people who live in Forest Hill are complaining about) to the museum.

The museum did have about 4 bike stands, which wouldn't have been enough if we hadn't chained all our bikes together. There were two or three children's bikes left unshackled at the rear of the building.

I'd heard previously, that Horniman was a quirky sort of museum, with no central theme for its exhibits and for me that seemed to be the case. The most interesting things in the museum were sections on local wildlife habitat, about the opening and widening of local rivers which should help local wildlife and an example of the work in progress which we had seen on the ride to the museum. The River Ravensbourne behind Lewisham shopping centre is having the concrete channel removed and being widened as part of the new development there.

The transparent bee hive has to be seen. Everyone was fascinated by this.

We spent a couple of hours there, probably just enough time to comfortably look round, and have a coffee or a meal in the reasonably priced café.

The ride split in Lewisham on the return journey. The sky was dark and there were spots of rain so everyone decided to take the most direct route home from there.

Bon voyage and thanks for coming.

Photos will be on the Lewisham website tomorrow (Wednesday)

Our next ride is a National Route 4 jaunt along the River Thames to Reading details here:

http://www.lewishamcyclists.net/events.html

If anyone wants to be met on route at Southwark Needle or Wandsworth please call Ian on 07986 872 205.

Ian Pendleton .