Derek: cycling trips: Barnet to Broadstairs & back

Some friends moved to Broadstairs and I had visited them once in the car but the idea came, via a mutual friend Steve, to cycle down to see them. Steve, a few years younger than me, was at the point in his cycling where I was a year ago, able to cycle 50 miles without a problem but didn't know if he could repeat it on consecutive days. We hatched a plan to split the 100 mile journey into two stages, have a rest day and then cycle back over two days. It was all flexible as hotels aren't busy and so if it all got too much we could just find the nearest hotel and book a room. Also, my co-director was doing a day trip visit by car on the Thursday and so she could bring my car if needs be, put the bikes on the roof and we could come back in the car or when we liked by train.

Steve lives in Enfield, near my favourite bakers since Victoria Bakery closed down, Holtwhites, who bake prize winning bread and Pastel de Nata, Portugeuse custard tarts which transport me to Porto if I close my eyes. Please don't go there and buy them all up. Like old folks on a train trip we used up what was in our larders and made sandwiches for lunch, banana sandwiches for Steve, cheese & cucumber for me on Holtwhites sourdough.

The plan was for me to set off at 9am, flog up Ferny Hill, always a good start to a ride, past the lovely West Lodge Park Hotel (an excellent place for lunch or dinner but you'll need a few quid and they have an arboretum I must visit) and then get to Steve's at about 9:30 He was really excited, he said when I got there, about the adventure. Cycling gets you like that.

A quick look at his bike, a Kia, I didn't know they made them, came 'free' with a car apparently and it had then been gifted to Steve, was lightly loaded with modest panniers (Steve not needing a computer like I lug around with me as some work still has to be done and a phone or ipad just isn't adequate) and ready to roll. Off we went. Steve leading through the quiet back streets of Enfield and Bush Hill Park, across the A10 at Lincoln Road and then onto the tow path.

The tow path was quiet as it was a drizzly day and it seemed like, before you knew it, we were in the Isle of Dogs. It was a route Steve had ridden a few times before and myself just once and his route knowledge was better than mine. A slight faff once on the island due to a building site closing off our route and no diversion being posted but before long we were where we needed to be.

You can see it was a bit wet but I was ready for it.

This is the rotunda

which contains the lift and stairs on the Greenwich side, where you come out and are right in front of the Cutty Sark.

I hadn't realised you could check if the lifts were working, I naively assumed they would be, but both were out of action (you can check the lift situation here) and so that is 87 of these to get down, with a fairly well loaded bike

and then 100 on the south side to bump up. Tiresome & tiring.

There were other options available but we just sighed and got on with it.

The industrial sections along the river bank were surprisingly interesting to cycle past. Here is a typical scene.

The sandwiches were taken on the banks of the Thames under some old concrete steps with a viewing platform above which gave us some shelter from the light rain. In the 30 minutes or so for which we stopped only 3 walkers came by, it wasn't the day you would choose to go for a walk.

The whole section, whilst a bit wiggly, was great to ride although one or two signs seemed to be missing but we either used our heads or google location on the mobile (I didn't get around to loading a route up on the Elemnt Bolt) only got slightly lost, which can be fun as you find new things, and didn't find ourselves to have over-exerted from doing 50+ miles plus some steps.

It carried on drizzling which stopped the camera coming out again and we meandered along route 1 and 177 until Shorne where we were booked into the Inn on The Lake. The hotel is right next to the cycle route so no time is lost in finding it although it is adjacent to the A2 and some slight noise does penetrate the double glazing but it isn't enough to cause any annoyance.

We didn't go to look closely at the lake so here is one of the hotel's photos of it.

There were no cycle racks at the hotel nor a bike store which is a bit of a lost opportunity for a hotel sitting on a cycle route. Reception didn't bat an eyelid though, just put your bikes in the lift to the first floor they said and keep them in your room, clearly the safest place for them, so we did.

The rooms are clean, a good size and reasonably priced. There happens to be a stock photo of my dinner which was tasty (chef hadn't got around to making more fishcakes so I opted for cod & chips with garden peas not mushy). The menu was extensive and adequate calories for cycling were to be had.