Dunwich Dynamo 2006
FAQs: The essentials
Dunwich Dynamo?
Simple. A turn-up-and-go challenging slightly-scary free-entry overnight
on-road just 120 mile bicycle ride.
More?
It's not a race. It's unsupported. There's no van following. It's a
long way for nearly all of us. There will be times when you wish you
were tucked up in bed.
But you'll love it. The adrenalin buzz, the experience, the achievement
will cling forever. For a lot of us it's almost the highlight of our
bike year. That collective/supportive thrill is fabulous. Unmissable.
Organisation?
Minimal. Honest. Yes really. And we aim to keep it like that.
Patrick Field's London School of Cycling has been in from the start
and provides route maps and the half-way hall and food there.
Read this: www.londonschoolofcycling.co.uk
For the past few years Southwark Cyclists have organised the convoy
back.
How many people ride it?
In 2005 around 550 did the ride. The biggest ever. Around 430 did it
in 2004. 230 in 2003
Who does it?
A few semi-pro cyclists, some fixed-wheelers, a whole fleet of low-life
recumbents, several Bromptons, some tandems, but mostly your average
bike-to-workers for whom this is long long ride. A daunting exciting
challenge.
How long does it take?
Most get to Dunwich between 7am and 9am the next morning……about
10 hours. Depends on your pace and number of stops.
What's it like?
It's a friendly adventure with bike-minded people along surprisingly
traffic free country lanes. We settle into bunches at various paces
people give each other the mental and, if possible, the mechanical support
all the way to the sea. The glimpses of village Saturday night and the
throbbing marquee in the middle of nowhere, bats, stars. The sense of
very real achievement at the end is a huge lift that will stay with
you. The worst bit is missing a night's sleep. But that's also the best
bit. We ride into the sunrise.
Resonance FM's 'Bike Show' special on the 2004 Dunwich Dynamo is available
online in streaming Real Audio or downloadable MP3 format (30
MB! Best for broadband).
Bats?
We see them every year but I noticed them for the first time last year….on
the quiet road ahead. And I've checked. Serotin bats, the UK's largest,
are our only ones that sometimes land to feed. It looks like these have
learnt to find moths and beetles etc on the tarmac. They've got much better
radar than hedgehogs so you needn't even try to avoid them. And no, of
course they won't go for your jugular.
When?
The next Dynamo, DD14, is on the weekend of 8/9 July 2006.
Since when?
People have been riding London to Dunwich on the July Saturday nearest
the full moon since 1993. Legend has it that a few half-civilised City
couriers just headed east after work one balmy Friday evening…and
kept going till they hit the sea.
Splash.
Where is Dunwich?
Map www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=647875&Y=270565&A=Y&Z=3
About 200km (120 miles) north east of London on the lonely Suffolk
coast between Southwold and Aldeburgh right next to the internationally
important Minnsmere bird reserve. The wind should push us there.
What is Dunwich?
A thousand years ago wool-rich Dunwich almost rivalled London. Coastal
erosion means the medieval metropolis is now half a mile offshore, on
a quiet night they say you can hear the watery tolling of the lost church
bells. Nothing stays the same, the ride gets shorter every year.
Where is the start?
The ride meets at the Pub on the Park, Martello Street, London Fields,
Hackney, London E8 (020 7275 9586). Map.
Bikes everywhere. Bemused locals.
(I'll do a feeder ride from Greenwich that evening. Meet 6pm at Cutty
Sark Gardens Map.
The Greenwich Foot Tunnel lifts normally shut at 6pm….cross over to
Island Gardens before then and wait there).
What time?
8pm for a 9pm start. That's PM. Saturday evening. 8 July 2006. Careful,
that start time isn't precise, people start to leave when they feel
like it after 8pm. A sort of momentum develops like bats from a cave,
and suddenly it's gone.
Be careful out there…
Be very aware that the first few kilometres follow very inner-city
streets that's never been a problem until last year when a lateish starter
in a group of three got his bike taken from him by a few youths. Look
out for each other and maybe leave your alone moments for the greener
bits later.
How do I follow the route?
You'll be given a route sheet at the start (minimum £1 donation
to help cover some costs) but the route is unsigned. This Map: East
Midlands and East Anglia Including London (OS Travel Map - Road S.)
covers the whole route. ISBN 0319 230813. From around £5 with
delivery if you buy new/used from amazon. (Southwark Cyclists will get
commision if you use the use the link above.)
We'll try and put some night-light jamjar lanterns out along part of
the way.
Follow the flashing red-lights ahead. That memory will linger.
What's the route like?
It leaves London surprisingly quickly and slightly confusingly, is
all on tarmac, and once through boy-racer bouncer-guarded road-pub Epping
Forest, it's mostly unlit county lanes all the way with a few villages
and small towns. Moreton, Leaden Roding, Great Dunmow, Great Bardfield,
Finchingfield, Castle Headingham, Sudbury, Great Waldingfield, Needham
Market, Framlingham, Rendham, Darsham, Westleton...
Topography/Contours/Nasty bits?
A few short sharp hills and more steady climbs, nothing very serious,
but mostly very flat. Tarmac throughout.
What do I need?
Lights. The clear sky requested, last Thursday's full moon, and lots
of stars out there make it surprisingly undark. If you use city LED's
you'll sometimes want to tuck in behind someone with a beam..... it
can be dark out there, unnerving in the gravely tree tunnels. Bring
spare batteries, a pump, a spare inner tube or two.
Any stops?
Around 60 miles out the village hall at Great Waldingfield is specially
opened by lovely people and you can buy hot drinks and good basic food
there. Best avoid the siren call of the open pubs. Unless of course
you need coffee/loo. A few all-night garages can be handy.
Note this carefully please: this is a turn up and go ride and we intend
to keep it that way. We’ve no way then of knowing how many people will
want feeding here in the early hours. We can’t of course afford to get
food in and then not sell it. We’ll aim to feed 500 people then, the
big majority of riders. But no more. Please make sure then you bring
something to eat with you anyway, but especially in case there’s nothing
left.
What happens if my bike or I break down?
There's no following magic bus to sweep you up or mend your bike but
fellow riders can often work wonders. The ride is unsupported. You are
on your own. If you're in trouble, expect help from fellow riders. But
if you just get too tired or a knee gives out or whatever, then you'll
have to find a lift or cab to get you to the nearest station.
What happens at the finish?
Dunwich Beach.
The steep shingle beach makes for great cleansing wake-up swimming.
(I take a change of clothes and then, squeaky clean with a salt-caked
hair-cut get accused of not doing the ride. Shocking).
The very good Flora beach cafe opens specially for us at 6am (some
get in sooner, don't bank on it) for cooked breakfasts, and turns back
into a fish and chip shop for lunch.
Most then snooze on the shingle a little, some then have a beer or
two. The pub opens at 12 noon.
How to get home?
A few seasoned riders just turn round and spin back to London. Most
get the coach or train. Some just cycle up the coast for a long weekend.
Train?
The nearest station is Darsham, four miles from Dunwich. The first
train of the day is at at 8.43am (this was correct on 22 March as I
update this but check yourself) then every two hours……timetabled
journey time is 2 hours 7 minutes. There's no warning of engineering
works yet but Sunday is the favourite day for them and coached sections
that might have no room for bikes.
The single fare from Darsham to London Liverpool Street is £29
on the day, from £18 in advance. You can book from mid May in
advance via www.thetrainline.com,
delivery is free, and Southwark Cyclists will get commission if you
book with trainline using this link.
Ipswich station is 30 miles away and has 3 trains an hour. Journey
time of about 75 minutes, first train at around 7.42am from £15.50.
Check www.nationalrail.co.uk
for engineering works notices nearer the time, enter your journey and
click 'check for updates'.
Coach?
We recommend the coaches for the snooze home. We put the bikes in furniture
vans with their professional packers. Tandems and recumbents fit easily.
If you're worried about your pristine paint job then bring a wrapping
sheet or blanket or similar but we've asking the firm to bring lots
of cardboard etc.
We work the coach on a cost-covering not-for-profit basis, transparent
books. Any surplus gets split between the London School of Cycling and
Southwark Cyclists to help pay for the glow-lights and the food. If
a loss develops, I'm in trouble. No refunds though, that would make
organising all impossible.
The coaches and lorries load from 11am and leaves Dunwich Beach at
1pm, getting to West Smithfield, London EC1 (Smithfield Market) about
2 hours later, here.
And sorry, no, we can't add in extra stops.
Some of us then find a pub. Optional extra.
(Note….that 11am loading start is new to ensure a 1pm departure. And
this year I'll ensure the van drivers have maps and don't get lost!).
Coach tickets are £14 if paid for on or before 30 May. And £21
afterwards and on the day. Late booking costs more to encourage early
booking and easier estimating of numbers. It's not easy getting more
capacity at the last minute.
Early booking is advised…seat numbers are of course limited. We
try to ensure there's room for all who turn up, but cannot of course
promise that.
(Note: some ask that the coaches leave much earlier. The convoy is
for those who want to swim, eat, snooze, relax, savour the moment, not
rush. Hence the leisurely timetable).
How do I book a coach place?
Bookings for 2006 are closed!
Prices in 2006 where £14 for an early bird ticket, and £21
from June 1st.
Rules?
Be nice. Be considerate.
And, seriously, we got two sensible complaints after the 2004 ride.
Our first, and last hopefully. Please please remember that we're riding
through villages. People will be asleep. Don't chat loudly under village
bedrooms at 3am in the morning or at any other hour.
My Survival tips:
Do some longish rides beforehand…Southwark and Greenwich Cyclists
do a lot: see Rides and Events on this
website.
Don't overdo the alcohol etc for a few days beforehand.
Pack spare layers of clothes, it can be very warm or chilly or damp
or wet.
Money. Always handy.
Phone: yes.
Jeans have lumpy under-seams that you don't notice for a few miles.
Then you notice.
Tools: at least a pump and a couple of spare inner tubes. Tyre levers
too.
Make sure your bike is in good nick. Give it a good clean and service
a few days before. On the day, give it another look and, for example,
flip it over and check the tyres for those infiltrating little bits
of glass. If you've been thinking about getting new tyres, splash out
before the ride.
Lights: you'll need them. Dynamo? LED's can last all night, but bring
spare batteries anyway, tuck in behind someone with a beam for those
tree-tunnel lane stretches.
Saddle? Apply Vaseline, cream or similar if/before your bits get sore.
Recumbent riders, they boast, needn't bother.
Carbo-loading works for me: a huge pasta meal the night before. A friend
of mine swears by cutting out caffeine for a few days beforehand so
that the 3am coffee really jolts.
Drink water before you get thirsty, snack and nibble before you get
hungry. That way you'll avoid hitting the spirit-draining brick wall
of no energy.
Don't sprint off with the skinny greyhounds unless you are one. Settle
into a group doing a pace you like. If it turns out slow, dance in the
pedals and catch a quicker group. Bit too fast? Drop off the group and
wait to be caught up.
How was 2005 for me? Wonderful as ever. Bike was perfect. Much better
than 2004 when I snapped my rear derailleur 40 miles out and rode there
on one gear.
Love it.
Barry Mason
22 March 2006
Coordinator
Southwark Cyclists
07905 889 005
www.southwarkcyclists.org.uk
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