Wed 29 May 2013
Our ride to The Bull in Locksbottom was a fairly quiet affair this evening. Spencer led out 6 riders out from the usual start point and we headed through Jubilee Park to Petts Wood. We were pleased welcome Paul who was on his first organised ride after recovering from injury.
Happy Cyclists
In Petts Wood Spencer delighted in pointing out the newly resurfaced Beaumont Road. Tarmacked after years of being a surface of concrete sending horrid vibrations through the arms and shoulders of any unsuspecting cyclists who were lured along it.
There was an interesting wriggle followed by a steep descent which brought us out at Church Hill in Orpington.
Crossing the Orpington By-pass we turned south along Gillman’s Road and so into Goddington Park which has some newish cycle paths laid as part of the Cray Valley Greenway Project.
From the northern end of Goddington Park we re-crossed the By-pass and joined the cycle path which runs alongside this very fast road. This cycling infrastructure is very tired, but with a little TLC could easily be restored to something quite useful. A simple drive through road sweeper and a trim of some of the over-hanging vegetation would be a pretty good start.
Leaving the By-pass we descended Chelsfield Hill and after crossing over the A21 we arrived at our destination where we locked our bikes in the beer garden and were soon in the cosy surroundings of the public bar.
You are coming camping!!
We stayed until closing time during which time the author of this ride report was forced to take several rearguard actions against the onslaught of the ‘come camping brigade’.
Why aren’t you coming camping?
In between skirmishes the perennials were revisited (the World Naked Bike Ride, Andrew Fergar’s hills, the London to Brighton, more camping, etc,).
At closing time we piled into the garden and whilst Spencer and Eve were trying to release a jammed lock the North of the Borough Team headed homewards. (later learned Eve had had to saw through the lock with a hachsaw.)
Unfortunately the author having eaten a huge share of a plate of chips in the pub further succumbed to the sin of gluttony opposite Bromley South Station by visiting the kebab shop; as the words ‘a small healthy chicken sheesh kebab’ formed in my brain my mouth seemed completely unable to replicate the phrase which came out as ‘a large doner with chilli sauce and all the trimmings please’ OMG!
