I realised that I hadn’t taken the bike out since November (having a garage with electricity meaqns I can keep the battery on trickle charge) so despite a temperature between 3 and 5.5 degrees I headed off from my trusty garage-in-progress toward a location that one of the Visor Down discussion groups suggested was a good place to ride, before the simple request for nice routes degenerated a few comments later into the trading of insults. The route recommended was from Bromley down to Westerham in Kent. I didn’t make it all the way to Westerham but turned round just past Biggin Hill airport which always reminds me of Biggles stories. (It was handy to actually have a compass on the GPS to work out which direction it was trying to take me and then make my own decision.) The weather was dry with a beautiful sun but it was low in the sky so not always easy to ride, but helped with an ‘adventure’ peaked helmet. After Bromley things definitely got more interesting as the roads change from urban to suburban to rural quite quickly.

I will definitely go back down there. I’m slowly getting used to riding in (South) London and today was quite quiet as London goes. I’m amazed at how some people drive, whether black Range Rovers with personalised number plates (e.g. Nigel 1) that weave through the traffic lanes and sail through long-turned-red lights or kids in grey track suits on mopeds zipping onto the wrong side in dual carriage ways to make progress. Most people, the dark saloon professionals particularly, seem to drive with poise. Maybe they are trying to save fuel or maybe they are just not in any hurry. Its quite reassuring.

There are no high speeds in this trace of the ride. The ride was done without even thinking of 5th or 6th gear.  [sgpx gpx=”/wp-content/uploads/gpx/Biggin_Hill.gpx”]
Here’s the trace of my leaving and arrival, almost under the shadow of the Shard.