FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast - Whitstable 31st May

[velovoice]

Well, that was just perfect.

And full "ride report" now here. Hope Tim H and Tim D don't mind the hyperlinks to a few of their wonderful photographs.

 

[swansonj]

Did anyone suss out what the presumably official guys in orange walking along the other side of the canal back to their car had been doing?

 

[slowmotion]

Did anyone suss out what the presumably official guys in orange walking along the other side of the canal back to their car had been doing?

Yes, I wondered about them. Perhaps just night fishing.

 

[ianrauk]

Did anyone suss out what the presumably official guys in orange walking along the other side of the canal back to their car had been doing?

Working on the railway that runs parallel to the canal.

 

[Tim Hall]

Working on the railway that runs parallel to the canal.

I'd agree. We went past a Network Rail van a bit before, which accounted for the gate being open. They were by a signally type junction box and had orange hi-viz on.

 

[ianrauk]

I'd agree. We went past a Network Rail van a bit before, which accounted for the gate being open. They were by a signally type junction box and had orange hi-viz on.

Good thing they didn't Bluur anything Uuurp!

 

[Snail Bait]

Working on the railway that runs parallel to the canal.

Thank goodness for that. There was me studiously avoiding looking through any of the parked car windows. Just in case.

 

[slowmotion]

Thank goodness for that. There was me studiously avoiding looking through any of the parked car windows. Just in case.

...another sort of night-fishing altogether....

 

[Aperitif]

Blessed are the cake makers...
...an appetite for an extra slice or two of pretty, then I can assure you that the kitchen can prepare additional tarmac to assuage your collective pallettes...
...Meanwhile, thank you all for your company on what was a great ride, especially thanks to DZ and the Strood volunteers for making it all happen.
See you on the road.
Hopefully soon.

*This sentence may contain lies or traces of lies.

An insightful, pleasant read, thank you.
Always trust User10571.

 

[dellzeqq]

Blessed are the cake makers.

It was late in May of 2009 that DZ, Adrian and myself met on a weekday night at midnight by the Cuttty Sark, to carry out a night time recce of the canal path and beyond (to see whether it would work with the Whitstable ride) vs the more conventional route which takes us through Chalk and Lower Higham..

when did we first do the Whitstable ride? I have this from The Mysterious Pavel in October 2008

 

[dellzeqq]

ah - it was October 2008

User10571 - it all looks pretty good. Now....this is my difficulty

July has to be Brighton - the whole idea is that we run a genteel ride for those not up for the DD

August is going to be a Guildford stop. Sorry, but PXXXXXX's calling card has been well and truly marked, and I'm not letting him get away with it! Since Wittering is a bit of a stretch we're going to head for Shoreham-by-Sea. This has the advantage of the Loxwood Road, which is one of the smoothest, easiest rides you could wish for, although the bridge crossing at Wisborough Green is a hazard that we'll have to work out.

Which leaves October and September for Whitstable and Southend. Looking at the distances it might be better to do September Whitstable, and October Southend - BUT - the September tea stop could be in a marquee.....and I'd anticipate a bigger crowd in September than in October, so the six trains an hour from Southend might come in handy.

So, all in all, the most convenient way for me (if nobody else) is to go for Whitstable in October. At 66 miles it would be the longest ride of the year, and might be sold on the basis of being just that little bit more adventurous.

November would be Brighton - probably down the main roads, for a dedicated few.

So - I hope this isn't too disappointing, given all the work you and SimonW have put in - but perhaps we can talk about the timing on June 20th

I'll give Kieron a call and sound him out. I'm not at all worried about the Whitstable end. There's a couple of places in the High Street that look desperate for work, but, yes, a balcony over the sea would be pretty spiffy. I'll talk to Sharon and Fay. For the moment I won't commit to a date.

Simon​

 

[velovoice]

A little peek back into FNRttC history?

 

[dellzeqq]

and here's the list of participants!
Jonathan T
User10571
Brian P
Tim O
Adam Y
John K
Jane K
Greg C
Dave K
Adam B
Adrian C
Andrij Z
Clive B
Jasper R
Dan B
Paul R
Marna G
Tim H
Dave J
Jane D
Werner W
Iftkhar H
Tim H
Eric M
Laura B
Jonathan L
Eddie C
Pete G
Robert C
Steve A
Oliver S
Matthew S
Des O'D
Zoe F
Chris R
Els V
Paul C
Mike E
John G
Jane G
Alan Ball
Anil B
Justin S
Martin S
Ian C
Doug W
Howard R
Andrew J
Tom McD
Pavel Z
Jack F
Charles E

So of that first happy crew we had User10571, Jane K, Adam B, Adrian C, Paul R, Dave J, one of the Tim H's, Tim O and Jane D on last Friday's ride. Four and a half years on. Blimey!

And let's remember the places we no longer go to.
Bracklesham Bay (the absolute coldest ride ever)
Cuckmere Haven (that was only ever going to be the once...)
Cleethorpes (a good ride, but Hull is better)
East Wittering (our first ferry trip)
Shoreham-by-Sea (at the time the biggest ride ever, but breakfast was a disaster)
Morecambe (don't write it off for 2014)
Blackpool (what possessed me?)
Harwich (now replaced by Southwold)

the 2009 diary looks pretty familiar
13 March Brighton via Gatwick
9 April (Thursday) Southend via Junction 31
8 May Brighton via Horley Scout Hut
5 June Whitstable via Andy's Café Rochester
3 July ‘Genteel Ride’ to Brighton via Horley Scout Hut
7 August Bognor via Cabin Café Faygate
4 September Whitstable via Andy's Café Rochester
2 October Southend via Junction 31
30 October Whitstable via Andy's Café Rochester
27 November Brighton via Gatwick

 

[Wowbagger]

Can we please desist from referring to the amphibians encountered on the Thames and Medway canal as "bullfrogs"?

They were, I am sure, marsh frogs. I have found a convincing piece on the Surrey Amphibians Group website about bullfrogs and I quote:

The Bullfrog is native to North America but has been introduced to sites across the world. In Europe, large established populations are found in Northern Italy. In the United Kingdom it is occasionally found as isolated individuals, probably released as an unwanted pet. There are no known breeding sites of this dangerous introduced species in Surrey. Any sightings should be reported to SARG as a priority.

...
Bullfrogs are active feeders throughout day and night. The Bullfrog is known to have bred wild in the UK on only two occasions, both during particularly hot summers.
...
The males call with a cow-like repetitive moaning sound which can carry long distances.

 

[Wobblers]

I lie in the bath corrected.

post contains more detail than is strictly necessary.