London by bike

Well not exactly the whole of London just the bit from Victoria to Hampton Court and back.

If you asked someone to drive you and your bike 280 miles to London and back for £10 , well you can guess what the probable answer would be.  But Megabus will do it, and so thats what cycling club friend Ivor and I did last Thursday. 

We took our folding bikes and as long as they are bagged and below a certain size there's no extra charge.

So from this.

to this

It was a cold morning [6C]  cycling the 7 miles into Cardiff but the rest of day in sunny London was cycling in short sleeves.

Cycling in London is not as bad as you may imagine, yes you have to be alert, but then thats the same for anywhere when riding in traffic, and there are now many dedicated cycle lanes and routes and surprisingly the drivers that we encountered were  friendly and often gave way for you.  So thats always worth a thank you and a thumbs up.



This was our route to Hampton court, its about 30 odd miles, allowing for a few wrong turnings, but generally the the routes are well sign posted.  The route out was part of NCN Route 4 which goes all the way to West Wales and the route back was mainly on the London cycle route the A3 Parallel, which is a cycle path adjacent to, but well separated from the  South Circular A3. A relatively straight and easy to follow route, as it was time critical, but not as interesting as the outward journey

As the time was limited by getting back to Victoria coach Station  I didn't take many photos, so I borrowed the next two pictures from the Thames path website .
Lots of good information on this site.

This is riding through Richmond Park, such a huge area, but we didn't see any deer.

Finally our destination and a welcome lunch in the Tiltyard cafe.

The two intrepid "old" explorers.

The only downside of Meagabus is the time spent travelling but thats down to the volume of traffic, especially in and out of London. It took 3.30 hrs to get there and 4.10 hrs on the way back.  But whilst the train journey is quicker it would have cost over £80 even with a Senior Rail Card.
I rest my case.

A trip on the Waverley.

Once a year the sea going paddle ship The Waverley, the only sea going one in the World,  visits this area and runs a series of day cruises in the Bristol Channel, and if we're around we  go  as its a good day out,  not only for the joy of the boat but also its a great place for people watching.   

These trips usually appeal to a certain type and age group and I would guess that the average age of the passengers is between 60 to 80 plus.  

Arriving at Penarth Pier with the Channel pilot as escort.

Not many on yet.

Sometimes the lulling motion and the sound of the engines becomes too much!

and talking of engines.

There is a large viewing window for those passengers who are interested.

Many more getting on at Cleveden

From  Cleveden its down the estuary and then under both of the Severn Bridges. 

This is the Second Severn Crossing Bridge.

In the middle of the estuary is Denny Island with the remains of a medieval church, said to be visited by pilgrims.

and then under the original Severn Bridge.

After turning around and heading back to Cleveden it was down the channel to the islands of Flat Holm and Steep Holm,

before returning to Penarth Pier.

and maybe a trip next year??