Meet: 10:40 Brookmill Park   map, 11:00 Cutty Sark Gardens   map 

Distance: 30 miles

Phone: Ian - 07986 872 205

A ride down the Thames Path to Thamesmead before heading into the deep dense wilderness of these ancient woods.

A ride suited to mountain and hybrid bikes.

Report

A bit of a mix up on the web site meant that I had to go to both meeting places twice. Kepa and Steve met me the first time round at Cutty Sark Gardens, Roy and John the second time at Brookmill Park and Ray the second time at Cutty Sark Gardens. In between the first time at Cutty Sark Gardens and the second time at Brookmill Park Kepa Steve and I had a ride around Greenwich Park and across Blackheath.

If any of that makes any sense I think there were 6 of us on the ride.

We ambled east down the Thames Path to Thamesmead, the amble being forced on us by the biting head wind we had to battle against. At the end of the paved Thamesmead promenade we turned right and headed into the Clockwork Orange warren of paths subways, mini canals, raised paths and too many fences and styles – I wouldn’t want to be here at night. Finally we arrived at the ruined abbey and entered the still surprisingly dry woods. You don’t have to worry about the wind in the woods it always seems sheltered. We had a slow ride up the hill to Woolwich Road where John decided to leave us. The point of the ride up this hill where you don’t really go anywhere is to enjoy the ride down. Very, very quickly we arrived back at the abbey ruins.

This time we headed away in a south easterly direction following the Green Chain across new Road and Knee Hill into Bostalls Woods. We took a straight route through Bostalls and then across East Wickham Open Space – the café at the top of the hill in Oxleas Woods was beckoning. No tables inside and the wood wasn’t providing enough shelter for us to sit outside for long. Back on the bikes, still following the Green Chain we went past Sevendroog Castle and descended through Castle Wood and Eltham Common.

We split at the A2, Ray went on to Woolwich, Kepa Steve Roy and I went down the big road to Blackheath. Steve left at Blackheath and Roy and I left Kepa at Deptford.

Thanks guys for another good day out. Our next mountain bike ride – I’m not sure yet.

25 –30 miles depending on which of the starts and meeting points you went from.

Ian Pendleton

Lewisham Cyclists