| To London by
bike Part 2 - From Elstree to Romford |
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| To London by
bike Part 2 - From Elstree to Romford |
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| Day 4 | Elstree | Hampton Court | 35 km |
| Day 5 | Hampton Court | Romford | 58 km |
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After St. Albans we found a great hotel in Elstree, where we could park our bikes at the disabled parking. When getting there, we had to ride through the Friday evening traffic. After a few days with quiet country roads we are glad the holidays are already starting, so it is not as busy as usual. |
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| On Saturday morning we do the last bit to our hotel at Hampton Court. First the normal city roads. England is not really used to bicycles. Often there is a small path at the side of the road with a bicycle painted on it, but there are a lot of holes in it. Suddenly Leon takes a left turn and there we stand, right at the side of the Union Channel. It is really peaceful here, it could be the middle of Wales instead of London. We ride a few kilometres next to the locks, passing some people with their boat or walking their dog. |
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 We take the bus from our hotel to the Twickenham Stadium, were the Iron Maiden concert is. We are early, so we sit in the sun, buy some T-shirts and enjoy the crowd. Even though the gates open almost an hour late, no-one complains. The ambiance is great all evening. The sound was really awful, but that didn't really matter because the people on the bench behind us screamed all the lyrics even louder than we did, and we loved every minute of it.
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| After the concert we and several thousands of hard rockers walked towards Twickenham station, filling the street completely. And the best thing was that the police just screamed at us that the station was right ahead, and not that we had to keep to the pavement or something. Wonderful. | |
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| Ever since we booked this trip, Mirjam had fantasized about biking on a Sunday morning through London, along the Thames. The first part, through Richmond park, was almost like she imagined (except for the Thames). |
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| But then came the disappointment: almost nowhere you can get close to the river. Sometimes you are not allowed to bike on the towpath, sometimes there are a lot of steps to conquer and sometimes it is just too busy. We managed to get a picture of ourselves with the Houses of Parliament on the background, and another one on the Tower Bridge. But that was about it for the Thames. But it must be said, the Isle of Dogs is by bike better than on foot, especially when you have a navigator like Leon who keeps you off the highways and out of the tunnels. |
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When it really starts raining, we find a Premier Inn with a bath tub. And our bikes can stay inside, in our room, so they are safe. |
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