What a lovely day …

… to do a London Pootle and then the finish with a pint and a pie oooh the pie was that a good pie or what but more about that later. Sorry but this is going be a long post but hey it was a great day out.

We took off from Albert around 10am, yeah well early on a Saturday for me I know, but man was the weather just spot on and oh yeah the girls was out too showing off their stuff too so HOW could I complain.

We followed the route that would take us past the CTC old strong holds, in their 125+ years in business. So that took us down via Fulham where we stopped at …

6 Fulham Park Gardens. London home of Thomas Hiram Holding who in 1876 initiated the idea, at a time when there were few cycle tourists, that there was a need for a club which would bring cyclists together and arouse interest in cycle touring amongst men who would be glad of each other’s company.

we then went onto Putney to see …

Earldom, Landford & Hotham Roads Putney, boundary of area occupied by Putney Velodrome existing 1891 to 1905, first concrete cycle racing track in England, world cycling records set here attracting crowds of 5,000 to 10,000 spectators. Cafe at Leaders Fields Playground on Putney Embankment

then via Bishop Park and the Fulham football ground (people was all ready getting ready for the game) we headed towards …

Seagrave Road off Lillie Road, location of Lillie Bridge cycle track like Putney was one of several built in 1880s, destroyed by a riot amongst spectators at athletics meeting Sept 1887, ‘the death knell for the professionals really came with the destruction of the Lillie Bridge ground at Seagrave Road, Chelsea on September 1887’.

and the on too Craven Hill , where we forgot to take a photo we were more interested in cycling around …

3 Craven Hill, impressive home of CTC from January 1927, continued rises in membership in 1926 made it essential for the club to ‘possess it’s own club house’.

Then we headed for Portland Place where we saw the paps and autographs hunters waiting outside the BCC, that brought some memories back for podge_on_a_bike …

Portland Place, start of early-recorded ride in London in 1869, on a Michaux Velocipede.

From there we headed towards Primrose Hill, well the route sheet said we just had to go via but we decided to climb it, with my “wee bug” and podge_on_a_bike few days off riding , because he went down on his weak knees, the ride up the hill was a good workout. After a while huffing and puffing I heard a lady saying that we did a good job as she had a hard time getting up there too, so I felt so much better. Thanks to the nice German tourist who too this picture ….

And then we went past , erm we missed it …

280 Euston Road, CTC’s third London office 1920, before moving to Craven Hill, ‘less expensive, more convenient and commodious offices were needed’.

Well again we were only thinking about riding around town and missed this point, so sorry for the lack of photo’s, as we also went flying up Pentoville Hill right past a guy on his new cruiser that he just got but the chain snapped pour sod …

Pentonville Hill, early recorded ride on a ‘new velocipede in 1837’, propelled by foot up the hill at 16 mph! (shocking !!!)

Then after some zigzaging around and by passing the official route we made it to …

35 Old Street (crosses Goswell Road), premises of gymnasium/academy teaching velocipede riding. Charles Spencer owned premises wrote the book ‘The Modern Bicycle’ in 1876 with a friend John Mayall rode the route, which we are retracing in 2003.

Then it was strait down to …


Mansion House, round England relay of DA riders started & finished here, after six days of riding to 30 centres in May/June 1923 during first National Bicycle Week.

I really think that we where starting to think too much about the end, you know the pie and pint I talked about at the start, but you are going to wait a little bit more before I tell you all about it. As we for got to stop and check out …

139/140 Fleet Street, first London offices in 1883. (Premises of Sporting Life), moved south from Bradford, the origins of CTC were in the north of England and Scotland.

And then we went to have a sandwich well not really as that pie and pint was getting closer and closer ….

47 Victoria Street, Westminster, second CTC office in London.

Off from there we headed via the Queens digs where we took this fine picture of me and without the tourist and not that there was few of them there either.

And then onto Rotten Row via Hyde Park Corner and onto the strait back to Albert where he have been sitting all the time while we where pootling around town.

It took around 3 hours and 20 min to do the 29 miles around the big smog and the weather was just great, so all in all this ride was a great pootle around the big smog, saw some bits that I haven’t seen before and stuff from different angles.

We only had a little miss hasp with the other users of the roads near Earls Court and true to the style we had 3 nutters in 100 or less yards, but hey it’s London.

Oh yeah I nearly forgot about the pie and what a pie it was too, now look at that don’t jut get your water going …

And if you don’t belive me just have a look at podge_on_a_bike’s face when he go served …

-H

P.S. If you were wondering where we got the pie and pint it’s at the The Hereford Arms, Gloucester Road