Mice Attempts to Show London to Friends

Star Date 68 15.12 miles, average speed 8.8 in 1hr56; laughs - too many to count.  15 fabulous miles with friends - also known as London Hybrid Rides.   

A few months ago, a couple of friends who live in Brighton and I thought it might be fun to play host to each other in our respective cities. We could then show and share our favourite spots, cafes, routes and give a sort of insider tour of our neighbourhoods.  The only rule is that there is no rule - the host has a vague plan as a sort of default but it can all change on the day the moment someone wants to cycle somewhere else (although Birmingham isn't an option - yet!).  The only reason there is a plan is to avoid standing on the side of the road saying "where shall we go?"!  

Today's tour started at Victoria station from which a beeline was made to breakfast at Look Mum No Hands in Old Street just north of The City.  They do a very good breakfast and are totally bicycle-friendly (but bring locks).

 

 

On the way there as we weaved our way through quiet streets we found ourselves stopping every so often for a photo or just to have a look at a building or a view.

  

We took in Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament before heading down to the Embankment which has a cycle lane along it (in part).  The sky was grey and St Pauls was barely visible in low cloud. It was cold but it didn't rain. 

I got lost a couple of  times but the great thing about being a guide is that noone notices when you actually get lost!  (Or rather nobody cares - it's a bike ride!)  Once at Smithfields Market we were back on track and at Look Mum No Hands.  With the bicycles locked up we sat down to Brunch.  As is de-rigeur the first thing we all did was to take photographs and post our location and status on Facebook and Twitter! 

Half way through scrambled eggs and mushrooms on toast we were joined by another friend. Two hours later we were still there, eating, chatting and generally having a good time.  A geeky techno moment occured as we turned our table into a Carphone Warehouse store comparing Iphones, Samsungs and Blackberrys.  The Blackberry lost on several counts - not least because it was unable to connect to the wifi during the entire time we were there!  Whatever the topic of conversation, we all found ourselves laughing loudly and very  frequently.  True friends are worth their weight in gold and carbon!

Eventually we managed to tear ourselves away and headed west.  For some reason the Brigtonians wanted to see Hyde Park so they could compare it with my photos...!  Into Trafalgar Square where there was an International Womens' Day March.  A reminder of how things have changed thanks to the stoic and humbling efforts of women in the past.  

We cycled through Admiralty Arch which is always special and as we made our way along the Mall, Sahar spotted a friend of hers who had come up for the march.  Timing really is everything. 

We stopped for a Hello before making our way to Buckingham Palace (as you do)!

Along Constitution Hill from where we popped into a shop to have a look at a spinning bike.  This is no ordinary bike. It is the Tour de France bike and has been designed to enact every inch of the Tour de France - it has hydraulics so that it can put you in the actual position of any part of the route matching the exact ascent or descent.  Amazing.

Time had flown by and we were thinking of food again!  Hungry in Knightsbridge is expensive so we popped along to South Kensington where the eaterie options are plentiful and not quite so pricey.  After a recce of about eight restaurants we settled on Le Pain Quotidien where we ate hot soup, followed by salmon with couscous and roasted vegetables. 

Real food, healthy, freshly prepared and delicious.  Topped off with carrot cake or in my case Apple Crumble and an enormous pot of clotted cream!  Calorie ratio intake:burnt not ideal.  The day however had been fantastic.

As a footnote, these rides are a real opportunity to discover your own manor. You see sights and streets that you that you have noticed before -a great way to share it with friends and to spend time in fine company with a bit of a bike ride.  Bring locks, puncture repair kits, a spare tube, pump and lights. (see basic kit).   But they are definitely days to remember.