Cutty Sark to Crawley using NCN21

Since its introduction a few years back, this has become one of our signature rides. The basic idea is travel to The Cutty Sark at Greenwich and then ride back to Crawley along National Cycle Network route 21. This year we had the uncertainty of the bike provision on the trains due to London 2012 Olympics restrictions. One rail operator, FCC, managed to give us a definitive "Yes, we can carry your bikes*" answer a couple of weeks before the ride, but the other, Southern, just referred us to their ambiguously worded website and then, only a couple of days before the ride, deciding to go back to the normal cycle restrictions. All these rail operators get on my wick - they take more money off me through my taxes than British Rail ever did and then mug me again with their lack of provision for cyclists and intricate fare entrapment methodologies. The cheapest fares are for people who can book up several months in advance, on a particular train for a particular journey with only 5 shoelace holes in their left shoes - OK I made the last requirement up, but you get the picture.  Try booking a long way ahead when the same rail companies can't give you a definitive answer to the question "Can I take a normal bike on your trains on Sunday August 19th?".

In the light of Southern's tardiness with an answer, I'd moved the planned rendezvous at Victoria Station (served only by Southern trains) to Evans Bike shop just outside London Bridge Station (regularly served by FCC trains). This meant that one train in particular ended up with five of us travelling on it! Sod's Law meant it was one without any proper cycle facilites (or at least, none that we could spot as it pulled in), so two of us got into the front carriages and the rest in the rear carriages. Fortunately the train wasn't busy and standing our bikes in the entrance lobbies didn't present any problems at either Gatwick Airport or East Croydon. We walked through the station, across the walkway and regrouped outside Evans. Here we were met by Mike's son Eric. We waited a while, but in spite of a number of cyclists milling around, no-one else was joining our ride.

It's a relatively short and direct route from London Bridge to Greenwich and I shot off along it, not noticing I was spinning along at 17 - 20 mph! However, everyone managed to keep pace and we soon arrived at The Cutty Sark where we were met by Norman - he'd come up on an earlier train and had enjoyed a pleasant ride north of the river before reaching the start point. We took the opportunity to have some refreshments before finally setting off on NCN 21 at about 10:30.

 

The first part of the route heads up the valley of the Wandle (I think it is) through Orpington and eventually to Croydon where we skirt New Addington with a long climb alongside the tramway. We continue climbing through the suburbs and thence into the North Downs abd the lunch stop at the White Bear in Fickleshole.

 

Here we dined on some very nice sandwiches (and a couple of oints of ale - we needed the calories, honest!).

 



After lunch the character of the ride changes and takes on a rougher aspect with a succession of bridleways. It's for this reason that I always use my full offroad tyres for this ride.

 

My favourite section is a one mile downhill track that bursts out of the trees by the clubhouse of a golf course - I love the look on the faces of the golfers sat outside the clubhouse as I come rattling and banging into the sunshine at about 25 mph scattering stones and dust everywhere, wearing a smile as big as their largest sandtrap!

 

An offroad hillclimb is followed by a long uphill drag (on tarmac) through the grounds of a school and shortly after by a very tough offroad uphill - this photo shows it, but doesn't really give away how hard it is!

Yet another tough uphill, but on tarmac eventually brings us to the scarp of the North Downs and a lovely sunny viewpoint

Micheal took the opportunity to have a quiet lie down:

Once off the Downs the surface of the route improves a bit and, in spite of being tired, the average speed started going up again.

Near East Surrey hospital there's a small store where we stopped for chilled bottled water and other refreshments before finishing off the ride on familiar trails through Horley and Gatwick and back to Three Bridges Station.

Fifty something miles with a nice group of fellow cyclists and taking on several challenges en-route - perfect!