FNRttC Night Ride to Whitstable 7th April 2017

[Nigel182]

Enjoyed it to the Halfway Stop from where I had to head home.

Was great catching up with Friends i've not seen in ages. Glad my mileage distance is increasing.

Tim, Martin, TEC's conrgats on another Job well done

Halfway Stop Staff excellent Food and Service (have you thought of doing it Professionally ) although don't the Kids will miss you so glad the money raised goes to a worthy local hardworking charity.

 

[ianrauk]

Well that ride was a success wasn't it? OK it was a little colder then the weather Gods had predicted, and nowhere in the weather reports mist was mentioned. Not just any old mist, but a real pea souper too. Things we didn't see. Castles, Submarines, Estuary Marshes and Bridges.
Only the one mechanical. A terminal nipple failure for @rb58 which meant he had to decamp to Sittingbourne Station and to home.

The halfway stop! Blimey O'Reilly! How good were those cakes? I had 4 different ones (greedy guts) and each one was better then the last.. The Victoria Sponge topping the bill. Truly scrumptious. Thanks Mr & Mrs Decker and Mr & Mrs Marcus. Stirling work indeed and for such a good cause too.

At the start of the Graveney rush.. I held back to wait for the tail end of the ride... and then went for it. I couldn't help myself. Cutting through the now stretched out peleton, I near bust a gut getting to the Waterfront. I caught up with @CharlieB near the front of the ride only to be denied by white van man traffic in the narrow high street. I'm not sure but think Nick got there first. I wasn't far behind. Jolly good fun but not for the legs

As usual the delightful peeps at the Waterfront served up brekkie, mugs of tea/coffee and beer to those who partook with their usual cheerfulness and efficiency. Such a great venue.

So thanks glorious leader of ride @Trickedem . Another most successful FNR. It was really nice to hear first timers telling Tim how much they enjoyed it and will be coming back and to see and speak to some first timers from last months ride back with us again. Great stuff.

So, scores on the doors. 138 miles. With the SMRbtH with @StuartG who accompanied me to Rochester. I then cut cross rolling country hills back to home. In glorious warm sunshine. Put my head down for a couple of hours and now dosing up on copious amounts of tea before turning to the medicinal properties of Hobgoblin.

Roll on next month and the ride to Shoreham.
I'm loving this FNR lark again.

 

[StuartG]

A great ride. The dawn mist amongst the trees was unforgettable. Oh - had we had @swarm_catcher along to photograph them!

What can one say? Having done the Whitstable more times than I may wish to remember - its the differences in route that one notices most. And Trickydem triumphed there. A great route became greater. Few will shed a tear for losing Erith. Plus the Strood stop was excellently organised. The last thing one wants is to be standing around after 35 miles or so.

I succumbed to the siren call of @ianrauk and the SMRbtH. Wow! he roared off across the Marshes, my Dilithium Crystals were soon spent but fortunately my tractor beams held and Ian pulled me along at (for me) unheard of speeds. We did over 30 miles back to Rochester Station in two and a quarter hours at average moving speed of almost 15mph!

Thanks again Ian. I hope you upped that on the last bit as you re-entered @rb58's gravitational field. And has everyone else noticed @ianrauk's Eddington number went up a notch today?

Oh @Sketchley - don't panic thinking something was up by passing on the beer. I made up for it when I got home. Three pints of Adnams Ghost Ship rendered me very happy and unconscious on the sun kissed back lawn.

 

[mmmmartin]

This talk of beer. Not sure I'm about to make the correct choice between tomorrow's 200k and some bottles of IPA lurking in the kitchen. Plus I'm back at work next week so it'll be a good idea to have working knees. But hey, it was a fabulous ride so should be celebrated.

Great spirit, much determination and good humour.. Newbies were numerous and damned fine peeps. We must be doing something right. Route was an improvement I thought. The Waterfront staff were efficient and pleasant. Good grub, nice bacon and sausages.

The new start at the BFI is definitely an improvement on the Place That Shall Not Be Mentioned, and shifting 20 metres round the corner was quieter. All good.

 

[ianrauk]

The new start at the BFI is definitely an improvement on the Place That Shall Not Be Mentioned, and shifting 20 metres round the corner was quieter. All good.

Agreed.
A point to note. Excellent toilet facilities in the BFI too.

 

[robjh]

I will remember this as the fog ride. From the light nighttime mist after Gravesend to the dense post-sunrise fog around Sittingbourne it added unforgettable atmosphere and some great visual effects, but it made it cold, so much colder than many had been expecting. But we all made it, and it was another wonderful ride in good company. This monthly Friday night stuff becomes strangely addictive. Many thanks to @Trickedem and the TEC team - your work is appreciated.

I left the Waterfront fairly early and followed the Crab and Winkle Way to Canterbury. It was a lovely route over hills and through woods, but an erratic mix of tarmac and steep gravel sections, and I had a quick scout round Canterbury before getting the 11.25 high speed train for St Pancras. But I just couldn't escape from Friday peeps, for on the platform at Canterbury I bumped into @mmmmartin , then on arrival at St. P. saw the 3 Abingdon riders heading away, and caught up with Martin from Norwich just before Liverpool Street.

Here are a few more pictures.
Greenwich

Fog

the sun starts to break through

the end

 

[Fab Foodie]

The halfway stop! Blimey O'Reilly! How good were those cakes? I had 4 different ones (greedy guts) and each one was better then the last.



View attachment 346280

It was noted....

 

[HertzvanRental]

It was noted....

View attachment 346437

Was that a meeting of "Slimming World?"

 

[Trickedem]

For a fiver we could have one roll and two pieces of cake, or two rolls and one piece of cake. The first comment on hearing that was, 'Can we have three pieces of cake and no roll?'

That would have been fine. We had less left over than ever before, but I have still been eating cake non stop since getting home. In fact I have just had a bit of Victoria Sponge with my morning tea!

 

[HertzvanRental]

For a fiver we could have one roll and two pieces of cake, or two rolls and one piece of cake. The first comment on hearing that was, 'Can we have three pieces of cake and no roll?'

You have been introduced to the Strood monetary system!

 

[Trickedem]

Thank you everyone for your kind words about this ride. I think I can confidently state it was a success.
I am glad to report that we raised £320 for Step and Learn through the sale of refreshments.

For future rides, I will tell people to not rely on the weather forecast for an accurate estimate of how cold it will be overnight. That fog really bought the temperature down and my Garmin was showing 3 degrees before Sittingbourne. I think several people would have liked an extra layer and some warmer gloves.
Please come back for the next ride to Whitstable on August 25th, when hopefully you will be able to see castles, cathedrals, subs, armoured fighting vehicles, views of Sheppey etc.

 

[mmmmartin]

This idea worked out well. Towards the end of our tone ing the hall we were told to go and finish off the food. I did my best but not many did and there was some left over. Can't see how or why Victoria sponge was left, it was delicious.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Was that a meeting of "Slimming World?"

The cake stuffers and grunters club more like....

 

[Dogtrousers]

"'Why the f--- am I doing this?’ - the question that always precedes something worthwhile." - Brian Eno

I always find London exit of the Whitstable ride to be particularly prolonged and cack. It's not until the left had turn by a garage at the far side of Gravesend that my enjoyment of the ride starts. I sometimes wonder whether we couldn't go more South earlier and go between the A2 and the Swanley-Gravesend railway line skirting South of Dartford, Northfleet and Gravesend, then nipping through Higham. Unfortunately that would make the longer and hillier, so maybe not.

Anyway, things got going after the Gravesend garage as we immediately entered fog and disturbed some sleeping horses, had an excellent feed in Strood. I then learned why Rochester castle has three square towers and one round one. The fog really made the rest of the ride, and gave it a spooky air. I heartily approve of the Basser Hill avoiding reroute. By coincidence I rode almost exactly the same route a few months ago. And got exactly as confused in the housing estate as we did. I bailed in Faversham and rode over the Kent Downs, where I paused to polish off my doggie bag from the Strood stop before pushing on to Sevenoaks.

Thanks everyone.

 

[User10571]

I'm curious as to which way the route went that avoided Basser Hill - was it via Raspberry Hill Lane?