I took a small group (5) of ten year old Level 3 trainees out on a
night ride last night.
From Blackheath we rode through the private (and very expensive) Cator
Estate to the (large and ugly - soon to be blown up) Ferrier Estate
using the only (pedestrian) crossing point between the riches and
rags.
Escaping the Ferrier Estate on the eastern side was even harder. The
children's bikes could go through the anti motorbike barriers with
moderate ease, but it was rather more difficult to get my bike and my
co-instructor's bike *over* the barrier.
We passed under the railway and A2, a motorway standard road through
Kidbrooke, and used back roads to the Well Hall roundabout, where the
Rochester Way and South Circular Road meet. The London Rush Hour
traffic was particularly understanding as we snaked through the
roundabout. Along the Rochester Way the traffic was backed up from
the Westmount Road traffic lights, and we neatly filtered up the
inside at a gentle pace.
Into Oxleas Meadow and a puff up the hill to the tea shop with only
two trainees making it to the summit without dismounting. The tea
shop was closed. Fortunately I had doughnuts, orange juice and a huge
bar of chocolate in my pannier. This seemed to give the trainees a
turbo boost as they were soon racing around the tea shop while my
co-instructor and I relaxed and waited for dusk to turn into night.
We plunged into the forest (Jack Wood) and complete darkness. This
was were the girl with a halogen light realised the benefits over LED.
My own SON hub and B&M proved to be of no use when we stopped to
examine whose lights were most effective, however, my now obsolete
Cateye Stadium came into its own as I turned it on and night was
turned into day. I turned it off again - I had no intention to make
it easy for the trainees.
As tarmac path turned into gravel track, back wheels started to slide,
and yelps from the trainees drowned out the hooting owls. The
mysterious silhouette of Severndroog Castle appeared in the heart of
Castlewood and we rode a meandering course towards it. We still had
plenty of time, so we completed another lap of the wood.
From the car park at the top of Shooters Hill, my co-instructor
suggested an off road route, joining the busy Shooters Hill Road at
the old police station and the South Circular Road. Knowing the path
to be muddy, and picturing a messy risk assessment, I said that if he
wanted to go that way, he could lead - so he did. A steep descent, in
the dark, on a muddy track, with five novices - I didn't really want
to think of the possible consequences. In reality, the most likely
consequence of any fall would be a muddy child. Of course, we all got
down safely.
Left onto the South Circular, right into Wricklemarsh Road, right onto
the Rochester Way and left into Nelson Mandella Road... and a dead
end! I took the lead again and led the trainees back to school.
Night time cycling is not part of the National Standard for Cycle
Training. It should be. The trainees loved it - so did I.