There was a pretty good turnout at The Green Bridge for this ride, so we decided to split up for trains to Upminster, with some going direct from Limehouse and others cycling to Bow Road and changing at Barking. As it happened we all ended up on the same train and once we had emerged at Upminster and collected a few people who had elected to meet us there, we had a staggering 25 (please stand still while I count you!)

We set off down the Ingrebourne Valley, a traffic free route which is the subject of a Sustrans Connect 2 scheme, with some not able to resist a quick go on the outdoor gym after the first mile. We detoured from the main through route to climb the new hill just before Rainham, a vantage point that quickly reminds you that you are not in a rural area - looming large are the Dartford river crossing, the power station and the factories and wind turbines of Ford at Dagenham. Here we had the first gear failure of the day - a broken rear derailleur. The bike underwent emergency surgery from the Wheelers workshop team and re-emerged as a single speed, whilst thoughts turned to food and an order was phoned through to the RSPB café to ensure there would be sufficient hot food available when we arrived.

After a short on road section in Rainham village, and some shared use pavements, we joined another traffic free cycle path, this time along the Thames part of NCN route 13. In order to do this we had to pass through the "worst cycle barrier in the world" - with 20+ cyclists we just gave up and passed the bikes over the fence! Another 2 miles with the sun shining brought us to the RSPB visitor centre, and food.

The next part of the journey to Grays started with the "hole in the fence" which leads to the roughish path alongside the flood wall. You have to lift your bike up a few steps in places but the slow progress is rewarded with panoramic views of the river and then...the graffiti wall - this should really be considered as an outdoor linear art gallery, with new panels in progress as we cycled past. Owen captured this magnificently with his camera-shot video (link). The next highlight was St Clements church (the funeral in Four Weddings and a Funeral) - tucked in almost beneath the great Proctor and Gamble works, it is now de-consecrated and a nature reserve.

From here it was a shortish haul, along Grays riverside and some rather dull suburban roads and shared use pavements to the Worlds End at Tilbury. It's an apt name for the pub, as after passing the docks and the ferry to Gravesend, there is a definite "end of" feeling. There was also for us the chance to have a drink (alcoholic or tea/coffee), and seven people left us to return to London from nearby Tilbury station.

The remaining 18 carried on mostly via fairly quiet lanes, cutting north to Chadwell St Mary, Orsett and Bulphan towards Upminster. About 4 miles before journey's end, bike failure number 2 struck - and was quite spectacular. Even the Wheelers workshop team could not do much with a freewheel which was now freewheeling in both directions, rendering any pedalling action totally ineffective. Undaunted though (and no doubt not relishing the thought of a 4 mile walk) an improvised towing line was made from two bag straps and the disabled machine was towed behind Dave's Brompton all the way back to the station. A first for a Wheelers' ride!

Pics by Owen, Ian & Geoff

Owen's on Flickr

Geoff's: