Camden Peripherique 2013

The weather forecast had been discouraging and it had rained hard on Saturday afternoon, but in spite of that, plenty of people joined the ride and the rain held off, apart from a shower at lunch time. Paul Braithwaite led off with almost 50 riders from the start at the Town Hall. We were escorted by four police officers and marshalled by four Camden Cycle trainers and six members of Camden Cyclists. The ride followed the usual clockwise route round the boundary of Camden. This year we were led out by a group of children for two circuits round the Inner Circle. Lunch was in Golders Hill Park. We then rode back to the Town Hall and a few stalwarts completed the ride up to Hampstead Old Town Hall (via the wards not on the boundary). A total of almost 25 miles.

Click on any of the photos to see an enlargement.

Start at the Town Hall

Paul Davis and Michele Jamieson were ready at 9.30 to greet and register riders. They were soon joined by the cycle trainers (Toby Jacobs, Joost, Irina and Emmy) who checked the state of the bikes and made minor adjustments. Our police escort included three officers who have been before (PCs Phil Bloor, Dave Keith and Robert Slater) and one new one (PCSO Talat Mahmood).

Before we set out, John Chamberlain instructed the marshalls: the four cycle trainers and the following people from Camden Cyclists: George Coulouris, Jean Dollimore, Angela Hobsbaum, Alex McKinnell and Geoff Stilwell.

Paul Braithwaite then spoke to the assembled group to explain the plans for the day and John followed up with instructions for riders.

The photo below shows the group setting off down Judd Street at about 10:30 am.

Paul Davis calculated that we started with 36 people who signed up; plus addition 4 police officers, 4 cycle trainers and the marshalls (about 50).

Town Hall to the border of lslington

We set off down Judd Street turning left along Guilford Street and Calthorpe Street, reaching the border of Islington where we turned right down Phoenix Place. We passed the big Royal Mail sorting office on our left, went along Warner Street and the up the steep and cobbly Back Hill into Hatton Garden and then via Cross Street into Leather Lane. Leather Lane leads via a shared-use space to a useful crossing of High Holborn into Fetter Lane now on the border of the City of London. The photos below were taken in the shared use area which leads to the border of City of London.

City of London border to rest stop in Lincoln’s Inn Fields

We followed a short length of Fleet Street then turned north into Lincolns Inn Fields for our toilet stop. On arrival, Emmy tried to block a white van coming towards the group. The driver then ran over the wheel of her bike. He did stop because he couldn’t get past us and the police escort spoke to him about the matter. The trainers helped Emmy to change the tube and she was then left to struggle home on what was left of the squashed wheel.

The white van	Emmy with her damaged bike

The others in our group relaxed in the quiet atmosphere of the fields.

Along the Westminster border

The signals at Kingsway give little time to cross into Great Queen Street, but after a few phases, we reassembled near the Freemasons Hall, now on the border of Westminster. We turned into Shelton Street and had to get off and walk round some road works. The short ride through the Covent Garden area is quite peaceful, but then you get to the very busy section up Charing Cross Road and Tottenham Court Road. The photo below shows the group waiting to cross over into Charing Cross Road.

Having negotiated the turns via St Giles, we were relieved to leave Tottenham Court road for the peace of Fitzrovia, riding up Charlotte Street and then turning westwards on Howland Street and north again to the junction of Euston Road by Great Portland Street station. After crossing into Albany Street we turned left into Chester Gate and through into Regents Park.

Regents Park meet up with junior cycling group

We met up by appointment at about 11:45 with the junior cycling club that do their training by riding round the inner circle in Regents Park. One told me they often ride 25 circuits. These very enthusiastic child riders led the group for two circuits round the Inner Circle.

Camden’s young cyclists, trainers, five Councillors and the Chief Executive on the Broadwalk before the ride

The following photos were taken as the young cyclists led our group round the Inner Circle.

Regents Park Broadwalk

We always enjoy the peace of the ride up the Broadwalk. This time we were accompanied as far as the drinking fountain by the children on bikes and one family joined us as far as Boundary Road before heading back.

After the Broadwalk, we headed westwards round the Outer Circle, then turned right into Avenue Road then left through many quiet residential roads, reaching Boundary Road where we continued to head ever westwards on the Westminster border until we reached Kilburn High Road.

Along the border of Kilburn

Kilburn High Road runs north on the Camden and Brent border between Westminster in the south and Barnet in the north. It was not so busy as sometimes, but was, as usual the low point of the ride. Lots of signalled crossings to break up the group, too many buses to overtake and too many exhaust fumes to inhale. After about one and a half miles, we were relieved to turn right into Mill Lane.

Hampstead Cemetry and Barnet border

After a short distance on Mill Lane, we turned through a couple of residential streets and up into a quiet footway leading past a recreation ground and then into Hampstead Cemetery. The photos below were taken on approach to and in the cemetery, where we always pause for a breather and to regroup.

Although the rain was holding off, nobody asked for the tap to fill up the water bottles.

Ride down the hill and up again

On leaving the cemetery, we headed down Fortune Green Road to the safe crossing of Finchley Road between Lyncroft Gardens and Heath Drive. After a few lefts and rights on steep uphill roads we joined Platts Lane and eventually after another climb. crossed over into Sandy Lane which continues up a more gentle slope with the Heath on the right and Golders HIll Park on the left.

The photo shows the more energetic members of the group waiting on Kidderpore avenue for the rest to struggle up the hill.

Lunch stop Golders Hill Park

The majority of the group arrived at about 1:15, but John was delayed until about 1:35 as he waited for a tired person to walk up the hill. We sat on the grass and enjoyed conversations whilst consuming our sandwiches. The shower started at about 1:45 so we put our waterproofs on, moved under the trees to enjoy our ice creams. We then unlocked our bikes and prepared to set off for the return down the hill to the Town Hall.

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Round the north east corner of Camden from the Barnet to the Islington border

After leaving Golders Hill park we looped round on Wildwood Road (inside Barnet) so as to avoid the busier Spaniards Road. We rejoined the Camden Border (with Haringey) on Winnington Road meets Hampstead Lane. A final spurt up the hill into Highgate Village took us to the highest point of the ride.

After that, it was downhill all the way on Highgate Hill, Dartmouth Park Road, Brecknock Road and York Way. Then joined Kings Cross Road and turned inside the border on Calthorpe Street and back along the way we had come to the Town Hall.

This part was done rather fast and we didn’t manage to keep the group together.

Back at Town Hall

A group of about 25 people arrived at the Town Hall by about 3:15 where we collected for the photo below.

We said farewell to our police escort and to the three remaining cycle trainers. A few others made their way home from here. A small group then set off for the final four miles.

Ride up the middle

This ride was designed to visit all the wards in Camden, but not all are on the border. The route through Somers Town, up Royal College Street and Grafton Road and Queens Crescent to Haverstock Hill takes in the land-locked wards. There is a final challenge: the steep climb on Pond Street. But that is folowed by a nice run down to Hampstead Old Town Hall.

The end at Hampstead Old Town Hall

At around 3:45 pm about a dozen riders rolled into the space beside the Old Town Hall, where we thanked Paul for the ride and then dispersed.

Some statistics of the route

You can see a map of the ride based on a trace recorded on George’s GPS device on the gpsies site.

The total distance was about 24.5 miles, for those that rode the entire route. This involved a total climb of 1178 feet and total descent of 1020 feet. The highest point in Highgate Village is at 430 feet above sea level.

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to the following:

Paul Braithwaite who organised and led this ride for the seventh consecutive year
Camden’s team of cycle trainers who checked bikes at the start and marshalled us all with great energy throughout the ride
Our Police escort whose presence appears to have great calming effects on the other road users
and members of the Camden Cyclists committee

The photographs were taken by Paul Braithwaite, Geoff Stilwell, Angela Hobsbaum, George Coulouris and Jean Dollimore.

You can see more photos of the ride on Flickr here

Jean Dollimore, 17th June 2013