Midsummer Madness 2015

It's that time of year again! Lewisham Cyclists will lead the the traditonal yearly trip from Greenwich via London Bridge up to Primrose Hill to view the sunrise of the longest day of the year. A ride first introduced to me years ago now, by the fondly remembered Barry Mason. Another reason for keeping it going, for me anyway.
It's a Saturday night/Sunday morning, however, so our usual journey through Soho with a coffee stop at Bar Italia would be problematic. We have struggled to get through those streets on a weekday night and I can't remember the last time I managed to get inside Bar Italia on this ride. So, looks like we'll head through the city, then turn right at some point to join the old route past Regent's Park to Primrose Hill. We may skip the coffee stop, or could head past Beigel Bake on the way. Sunrise is at 4.43 so would aim to be at Primrose Hill around 4.15 to 4.30am. We usually leave Greenwich at 2am. London Bridge around half an hour later.
Generally, once sunrise is over, some people drift off but we usually lead the hungry to a caff for breakfast. Traditionally, we have used the Island Cafe, once we used Lock 7. which opened early for us. Neither of these is an option now, the former is closed on Sundays. Lock 7 doesn't really do food. So, apart from the Polo Bar or back to Beigel Bake, not sure if breakfast is possibe, unless anyone knows a caff that opens before 7 on a Sunday.
All are welcome to join us. Any advice about cafés and coffee stops welcome, any back marking help welcome.

Not quite sure how many people we will get this year.. in the past we've had up to 100, but interest this year seems muted to say the least! However, we are still planning on doing it, so bumping it up in case there are a few LFGSS'ers who wish to join us. The plan is to leave Greenwich Cutty Sark Gardens at 2am, stop briefly at Southwark Needle on the south side of London Bridge allowing for other riders to join us there and then head up to Primrose Hill, probably through the city a bit rather than Soho (for the reasons outlined above)..
Planning to leave for breakfast once people have seen the sun up...probably between 5.15 to 5.30am and thence to breakfast for anyone who's still up and riding rather than heading home. Breakfast venue is still not completely decided...but the back up plan is a 24 hour McDonalds, probably the Holborn one. How can one resist!

Why not ask those lovely people at Look Mum No Hands if they'd open? Or just pick a 'proper caff' somewhere, alot of them open early anyway!

One day I will join this ride but I'm doing something equally excellent that night, hope you have a fine time.

Interested, Seems quite fun. May tag along:)))

I think theres an all night cafe near smithfields? I got a sarni from there a while back and I think it said 24/7. Looked like a proper bald cabbie kinda place tho.. :-/

There's always Polo on Bishopsgate...it's just we like our usual greasy spoons and most of them want a guaranteed minimum number to open up as early as they would do on a weekday. And you can't blame them for that...my partner's family ran a caff in Smithfield for years...incredibly hard work and their Sunday morning lay in was precious to them as every other day of the week they were up not that long after midnight! It would have to be worth their while to open up at 6am on a Sunday.

I'll be down. The vibe on Primrose Hill last time I went was great.

The title doesn't have a date in it, nor does it have the operative 'solstice' ... maybe that would help?!

Polo has changed. Would not recommend.

Ok..it's 2am on the 21st at Greenwich Cutty Sark Gardens, heading to London Bridge for around 2.3oam. I have been reminded elsewhere that although sunrise is at 4.43am, it starts getting light a fair bit earlier and that for the full dark to sunrise contrast we should aim to get to Primrose Hill at about 4am. That shouldn't be a problem as it's only a few miles from London Bridge. Route via St Pauls as it looks quite pretty at night. The heading up and on to the cycle route through to New Cavendish St, Great Portland St, Regents Park...something like that. Afterwards, breakfast may well have to be a 24/7 McDonalds then. Any preferences, Holborn, Strand, anywhere else?

Hi
two of us here in Kent would like to join the ride. Will that be OK?

Hi there, I'm sure that would be ok. Just do it.

Yes of course. Sorry not to get back to you sooner...it's been bike week so we have been quite busy. Bit late now I know, but there is a contact number for this ride on our website events calendar (http://lewishamcyclists.co.uk/calendar-of-events/)

This is now right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWPqgJWT6R4

Cheers guys!

Thanks, folks, for coming along and being a really friendly, laid back, chilled bunch.
According to Dermot, who joined us after a night out in Soho, it was oddly much less crowded than usual on a Saturday night, so we may well have been fine riding through it and using Bar Italia anyway. Especially as the group wasn't quite as big as it has been in the past. Lovely bunch of people though. At midnight, I was almost regretting running the ride, feeling pretty shattered and if I'm honest, if I had the choice, would have stayed in bed. But, once I turned on to the riverside at Greenwich, I began to enjoy that strangely calm and free feeling that riding in London late at night always gave me years ago, when I did it far more often. Lack of sleep does seems to affect me much more than it used to. But really glad now that we haven't let the tradition slide. Next year it's on a Monday night, so Soho and Bar Italia will be fine. But on the other hand, most of us will have work the next day. Big thanks to everyone who turned up. You definitely made it a ride worth leading.