[Closed] Right then by Popular Demand- 'Winter Festival' London Pootle and Drinks

Sounds fun, maybe on the 17th?
Is we gwan go thru the badlands of New Cross Gate? [gulp] back via Millwall....

Sounds good!!

Rachel

Pig's Ear Beer Festival's earlier in the month isn't it?

Are non-locals allowed? Especially visitors from far-flung lands such as Wales?

Will be down in that big city for a meeting, so could do the Saturday. Sunday would also be a possibility depending on train times from Norfolk into London.

16th Dec is a Friday

Soz; 17th not the 16th. 😳

I shall suitably chastise my PA.....

All welcome, including swarthy foreign types cos we're diverse an ting down ear, innit? You may need to bring a translator if you speak a funny indecipherable language mind, so's we can understand you.

The Pig's Ear beer fest [i]is[/i] earlier in the month, however there will still be fine ales on offer, don't worry about that.

Fixie-ist

But if you can ride down stairs on your fixie then it'll be fine 🙂
I think the tandem might be a bit dangerous around the likes of elfin...

Sue - you're in Norfolk???

Rachel

SS'ist..

Will be in that Loonedon that day too..

SS only though.

Rachel - will be at some point that weekend - my folks live there, so it's a pre-xmas visit. Is that where you are?

Elf - wyt ti'n siarad cymraeg i Llundain? (... thinks I might need my passport to enter foreign Englandshire city ...)

Fixie-ist

I'm afraid so. I'm a member of the Make Fixies History movement. Our aim is to rid our streets of this vile abomination...

Singlespeed is fine, however, indeed actively encouraged. 🙂

Elf - wyt ti'n siarad cymraeg i Llundain?

😯

I beg yer pudden love? I hope you jolly well have not just bin rude. 😳

Passport? You'll need inoculations!

Finally, a pootle I can make & theres beer! YAY BEER!

Hey & I is gonna be down wid der yoof doncha know on me bastid SS conversion..

Will there be kebabs 🙂

the missus is working that day. i'm there!

On the calendar. I'm in.

But I'm riding a fixie though...

No you're bloody not. 😡

Don't you have some railway sleepers to pick up that day or sumfink anyway? 😐

HD; there could very well be kebabs. I won't guarantee it though. I can guarantee good food to be had though, that's fo sho.

I'll come if you do it in North London on the 18th and if I can ride my fixie, naked, without a lock

18th is my first wedding anniversary so I might not be able to make that one... 😆

I am.

And it [i]always comes back to the sleepers[/i]

Give it up man...

Yey! Have secured passout from family festivities for the day 🙂

(Bit of a tricksy conversation ... hello family, I'm coming to visit the weekend before Xmas, but I have an important prior engagement ... "what's that daughter?" ... erm, meeting some strangers off a t'internet forum to ride bikes round London ... slightly stunned silence on the other end of the phone ...)

Will there be tinsel, and funny hats, and mince pies, and slightly tipsy wibbling?

PS - I have a full compliment of gears and brakes (and a pannier rack!) - will I be allowed?

And it always comes back to the sleepers

Give it up man...

I can't. It's an unresolved issue. I'm still upset....

(Wait for it...)

Got to deal with Sue first:

Will there be tinsel, and funny hats, and mince pies, and slightly tipsy wibbling?

I'm sure this can be arranged. Feel free to bring whatever Winter Festival* stuffs with you. 😀

(*So as not to upset any minority groups and that you see)

I have a full compliment of gears and brakes (and a pannier rack!) - will I be allowed?

Well we can take the pannier rack off and throw it in't river, so you'll be allowed, just....

Right. Here you go then Bully, I know it's what you really want:

[img] [/img]

(He deliberately upsets me just to get this reaction, you know. 😐 )

No fixies allowed

Is it cos mine's black? Racist.

DrP

(it is actually black)

I don't care if it's a black singlespeed Lefty forked bicycle with odd sized wheels; if it's a fixie it's not allowed. My Pootle; my rules.

Fine. I'll find something else to do.

Will you still be wearing your little sister's jeans?

Ooh, that's not a pleasant thought... 😯

Ok ok you can bring a fixie if you must (Jeeze otherwise we'll never hear the end of it) 🙄

I spose we really should welcome all without discrimination.

Just make sure the bloody thing's got brakes ffs...

Does a unicycle qualify as a fixie?
It's probably allowed as long as it's not accompanied by ironic knitwear or spray-on jeans right?

Don't worry, it's not a 29er uni, so the wheel won't explode or anything.
Might stick an inflatable dinghy in my backpack so I can float home if we get the tides right.

[img] [/img]

Workin me... 😕 Soz....

Ah, Khani; shame. 🙁

I have no idea what Bully's on about, in fact I think he may very well have gawn mayd. 😐

Maybe the excitement's all bin a bit too much for him...

Does a unicycle qualify as a fixie?

Ah Jeeze [i]another[/i] one! 🙄

Bring what you want. I don't care any more.

Sob.

😥

Surely 'what type of mince pie' is more important at this time of year than 'what bike'?

... no? ... ah, maybe it's only me that's already thinking of Christmas food then ... 😳

Sorry Sue you can't mention 'Christmas' as it's culturally insensitive. 😐

They have to be 'Winter Festival Pies' or nothing.

Hackney Rules you see.

Damn, no festive London Pootling for me 🙁

Have been trying to find a way of bringing my bike down with me (5 day trip, multiple places due to work meetings, family and friend meeting etc). But trying to sort out taking a bike on 10 train journeys, involving 3 different companies all with complicated booking proceedures, needing to leave London some time between 4 and 6pm, trying to find secure bike storage in central London - end result: IMPOSSIBLE! So much for encouraging more sustainable travel ...

Looked into hiring a Boris bike - but expensive for more than short trips. So unless I can come up with another easy solution for a bike to pootle on for the day, then I can't come ...

Bummer! Was really looking forward to meeting up with folks.

Sorry, off to Australia then. Have a beer for me though.

Silly Sue. One of my bikes will suit you fine! They're quite tiny. 🙂

Noooooooooo!

Cannae make it.

That's mighty kind of you! Although I am smaller than small, so it might have to be you're tiniest of tiny bikes (have had unfortunately painful close encounters with too high top tubes before - learnt the hard way that adequate standover height is crucial 😯 )

Although have found a bike shop that hires out fixies ... am soooo tempted 🙂

So is it still on then?
What time, what place?

Trip to Brick Lane first Sue for a town runaround 😈

It will be cheap and good quality.

Deffo still on. Like, it [i]woon't[/i] be?? 😕

Some folk are apparently going to have to shoot off early, so I'll plan a route what does not in any way take us too far from t' centre, or good train links back in.

Ride will be like 2 or 3 hours, then pub, I reckon. Probbly meet up somewhere easy like Tat Modern or maybe the Norf side of the Wobbly Brij.

As for bikes, just bring something that can handle different terrain as I said, and make sure you are fully self-sufficient when it comes to punktures, mechanicals and that.

And requests for anything in particular, sightseeing wise? Let me know asap and I'll consider it. Not much chance I'll pay any attention to be perfectly honest, but ask anyway, you never know.

i'm still in, looking forward to it! can't decide which bike to bring, though...

are you going to go to the Lego Christmas tree?

Well, it could be fun to do dirty long skids on that nice white polished floor, coon't it?

[img] [/img]

Trying to persuade Mrs W to visit relos in that Bethnel Green. Something I don't normally do. Nothing against Bethnel Green but the relos...... Anyway should be there but will need pointing in the right direction at the end please, and I'll need to have consumed plenty of anaesthetic to cope with the evening.

Trip to Brick Lane first Sue for a town runaround

It will be cheap and good quality.

erm ... fails to understand the reference ... suspects it might be some insider London thing and I'm going to look like a bit of a t*t for not getting it 🙂

Anyway, if I manage to get over being poorly and having 'birdflu', I'm there (well, will be when I know where 'there' is - Elf, at some point details of a specific place and a time to meet would be useful!)

It's in London isn't it .. so that's a fixie or a brompton and skinny jeans, yes?

(If it was in Wales it'd be wellies, waterproofs, and lots of gears ... but I hear you do things differently darn south in that there big city)

Trip to Brick Lane first Sue for a town runaround
It will be cheap and good quality.

erm ... fails to understand the reference ... suspects it might be some insider London thing

You can buy stolen bikes at the end of brick lane , allegedly. 🙁

So, when and where's the start? Brompton do?

Yes, do tell!

Old St Pancreas Church is lovely. Yes I know it's St Pancras but having achurch and rail station named after a body part is much funnier 🙂

Got clearance so am in attendance. With the potential range of machinery in attendance and hostelries to be visited will there be a dress code?

Actually, we could have a tour of sites of religious interest. Nice churches and stuff, some fabulous architecture in London, including stuff like this Big Domey Thing*:

[img] [/img]

(* ©SueW, June 2011)

So its a morally uplifting tour before a descent into ale filled revelry?

wingnuts - 'dress code'? Ah ... I'm going to have chose from whatever I can cram into my case, which so far comprises of:

- party frock and heels (coming straight down to London on Thursday night from a xmas party)
- work suit and boots for meetings on Friday
- wellies and waterproofs for a weekend in the Bedfordshire countryside with my sister's pack of gundogs

Somehow, I suspect none of the above will be entirely suitable!

If I can bring the Roadrat, and I don't end up going roadying with Dulwich Paragon then count me in....

So its a morally uplifting tour before a descent into ale filled revelry?

Oh yes.

[img] [/img]

Think I'll be the character sitting at the back in black holding his wig!

Is there a start time and place yet? I have a 2nd birthday party I would love to [s]miss[/s] attend in Brighton at 4pm

what's the deal for the weekend then, dudes?

Noooooooooo!

Now I can make it, but have the lurgy.

I wanna come, but I doubt I'll be able to make it. Visiting the out-laws, see? Gahh.

Never say never though!

Think I'm going to have to bow out of this one. My family need a definite answer about what I'm doing on Saturday, and this pootle is somewhat short on any firm plans and seems a bit dead in the water! (must be all that pollution in the Thames 🙂 )

Hopefully it'll happen another time, and I'll get to meet up with you folks then.

I thought it was a definite, just waiting for a start time and place. Elf?

Elf is having a little "holiday." coutesy of the mods I'll email him

Again? I take Mark is involved.

Mailed him as well

Gawd knows.

We could DIY! Do i recall a suggested start at 11.00 by the wobbly bridge? Lets invade otherwise I'll be stuck with outlaws in Bethnal Green!

Elf says it is a 11am start at the North end of the wobbly bridge.

Snacks and pubs en route.

And yes Elf has been victimised by Mark Alker again.

Why do I keep paying Alker his wages? Remind me please?

I saw the thread in question - Elf was not out of order. Others get awa with far more

the wobbly bridge i take it being the millennium bridge from TM to St P's?

shame we can't make it 10, by the way - not light for long at the end of December!

the wobbly bridge i take it being the millennium bridge from TM to St P's?

I might be able to make it now, can someone confirm the meet point?

I'll email him too, as well

(cheers TJ & Pete. It's not a surprise any more, is it?)

Still looking to do this too, foldie for me now cos' I'm not too sure about leaving my 29er out in Londons daylight.

we're not going to be leaving our bikes anywhere we can't see them. or at least i'm not! wouldn't worry about security.

ohhh really?? i thought elfs "bring a lock" was cos' we're gonna end up in the pub...(s,s,s,s,s add infernytum)
excellent.

well last one of these i went on we did end up in a pub, but were outside not far from all the bikes. don't know about this time as it'll be colder but i would rather ride my bike and miss out on the pub bit if not compatible!

I for one will not be attending sounds like running a group ride has gone to his head 😆

PP - the wobbly bridge i take it being the millennium bridge from TM to St P's?

Yes it is and I'll be there at 11.00, with a big lock.

Right ok sorry I'm late, bin 'away' for a couple of days, in't I?

Bit silly really, cos whilst I'm banned for alleged 'negative use of the forum', I can't be on here using the forum for positive things like organising Pootles now, can I? And is not that what the forum's all about? 🙄 😆 Oh teh ironing...

Hey ho.

Anyway's up; meet is 11 am-ish, norf end of the wobblyMillenium Brij, what joins Tat modern and St Pauls near enough.

Here:

[img] [/img]

See those stairs? At the foot of those. Out of the way of most of the tourists, there.

Then, right, we'll just pootle around the City, have a look at some old stuff, interesting bits and pieces. I thought we could take in the Temple, Royal Courts, Lincolns Inn Fields, Grays Inn, Smithfields, the Barbican, round the Gherkin and that, Leadenhall Market, down to the Tower, then along to Wapping for a pint. The Captain Kidd has an off-street outside bit, where bikes should be safe but bring a lock anyway, We can lock bikes all together they will be safe.

So, loads of history, architecture, art and more. Loads of really famous and historically significant places. Bung a bell on so's we can ring at the camp by St Pauls.

And don't forget to wrap up warm for the love of God. It'll be proper chilly on Saturday, although should hopefully be quite sunny. We'll be moving quite slowly so warm clothing is very important. Bring extra layers with you!

It's not going to be a mega-pootle; several people have to leave early, some people are recovering from illness/operations and stuff, others may be joining late so they'll need to be able to find us, and it's sometimes nice to just ride along slowly, take in the sights. Nice, gentle pootle. Will still be good fun though.

As for locks; look, it's a massive city and there's crime. Even if you just want to pop into a shop for a mo, you'll need a lock.

And that should sort us out nicely to then head back into town, for a Waterloo Sunset...

looking forward to it. if it stops snowing!

Yeah bloody snowing! Leave it out! 😡

The weather is forecast to be cloudy then brightening up a bit later hopefully for our Pootle.

But if that changes dramatically, and it's proper pelting it down, then we'll have to cancel I'm afraid. 🙁 I don't think it will be though.