Foulness Ride

Sunday, 2 October 2011 - 9:45am - 5:30pm

A ride to visit the mysterious and normally inaccessible island of Foulness, out beyond Southend. 30miles with lunch and tea stops en route. We'll cycle down the seafront at Southend towards Foulness. After a visit to the island we head back west to Chalkwell via Rochford. Suitable for all bikes and abilities, very flat route.

Train out and back, meet outside Limehouse station at 9.45am for train to Chalkwell at 10.14am. Estimated return to Limehouse Station 5pm. Normal cost £8.80, but £4.40 with groupsave tickets.

Ride difficulty: 
Easy/Moderate
Ride distance: 
30 miles
Ride report: 

16 of us clustered outside Limehouse station on an unusually hot morning for early October.  After some confusion over the lack of group save tickets, we all bundled onto a busy train heading for the East coast.  

The tide was out when we reached Chalkwell and mudflats stretched out as far as the eye could see.  A gentle tail wind infused with the smell of Essex estuary pushed us along the seafront, as the great and the good of Southend made the most of the sunny weather. 

We continued to trundle along the cycle path, taking care not to collide with straying pedestrians and the odd, rather hot and bothered club rider.  At the path’s end, we spent our first tea break at a seaside cafe, listening to the jangling slot machines, while lapping up cold drinks and icecreams.

Heading slightly inland it wasn’t long before we arrived at the barriers to Foulness.  Unable to get hold of the island’s security before the ride, Alex wondered whether we would be able to visit Foulness at all, but thankfully they let us in and, after strict instructions to keep to the main road and not take any photos, we set off.

With a population of just 212 people boosted only by large numbers of migrating birds, there is something a little eerie about the island.   The MOD use it to test military munitions and the visiting public can only gain access during the summer on the first Sunday of every month.  The road was therefore pretty much traffic free and we sped along its straight, flat surface, arriving at the visitor’s centre after a swift 30 minutes.  Here, some surveyed the collection of agricultural implements on show while others sidled out to the garden, clutching slices of particularly delicious homemade Victoria sponge.

For once, we were thankful for the headwind keeping us cool as we made our way off the island.  A security chap shook his head in bewilderment while we pedalled on in the rising heat and, as the temperature tipped 30 degrees, many of us were beginning to dream of a quenching pint of lunchtime beer.  However, as we passed the dismally grotty pubs of Great Wakering, Barling, and Stonebridge, this fantasy gradually began to fade. 

By the time we reached Rochford, we’d given up on the idea of a pub lunch and settled for the Co-Ops finest, while Nick set to work on the day’s one and only puncture.

Maybe it was the weather or perhaps there were just too many roundabouts, but five of us managed to take a wrong turning out of Rochford and became separated from the rest of the group.  A few fraught phone calls later, Alex sped over to find the stragglers at Southend Victoria, while Nick led the rest of the group back to Chalkwell, via Westcliff-on-Sea.

Cold beers on the train home were a welcome treat after one of the warmest Wheelers rides...

Annabel

back to Ride reports

Tower Hamlets Wheelers

  • About
  • News
  • Campaigns
  • Events & Rides
    • Ride reports
      • Ace Cafe Ride
      • Afterworker Ride 3
      • Afterworker Ride
      • Afterworker Ride
      • Autumn Apples Ride
      • Bike Week 2012
      • Bike Week 2013
      • Boundary Bike Ride for Tower Hamlets "No Place For Hate" campaign
      • Boundary Ride 2012
      • Bow Floating Towpath (2) and Lower Lea
      • Box Hill Ride
      • Breakfast Ride
      • Breakfast Ride
      • Breakfast ride
      • Breakfast ride 2 - Highgate
      • Brighton Ride
      • Brighton Ride
      • Chilterns Cycleway
      • Christmas Lights Ride
      • Christmas Lights Ride and Carol Service
      • Clone of Easy to Erith
      • Clone of Lee Valley Ride
      • Lee Valley Ride 2015
      • Clone of Ride to Cake Mountain 2013
      • Clone of Sevenoaks Ride
      • Cycle Cafes Ride
      • Cycle:MK
      • Dengie Marshes
      • East End Natural Resources & Food Ride
      • Easter Monday ride to Windsor
      • Easy to Erith
      • Essex Lanes - the Frank Haines Memorial Ride
      • Essex Lanes Ride
      • Essex Lanes Ride
      • Foulness Ride
      • Fright Ride
      • Fright Ride 2
      • Fright Ride 3
      • Hell of the East 2012
      • Ingrebourne Valley - Rainham RSPB Reserve - Tilbury
      • Islands of Essex
      • Jam Factory Ride
      • Knatts Valley and Kent Lanes
      • Knatts Valley or bust!
      • Lee Valley Ride
      • Lee Valley Ride
      • Lee Valley Ride
      • London Open House Ride Saturday
      • London to Cambridge, optional Ely extension
      • Midweek ride to Windsor
      • Mile End to Cambridge
      • Mile End to Cambridge
      • Bow Roundabout Vigil 5th Anniversary
      • Evening ride, Take Flight with the Wheelers
      • Halloween Mini-Fright Ride
      • London Sights Ride to Richmond Park
      • Mile End to Richmond Park Ride
      • Prudential London FreeCycle
      • Quietway 6 assessment ride
      • RideLondon FreeCycle
      • Walthamstow Mini-Holland ride
      • Museums of East London
      • New Years Ride
      • Open House Tour
      • Open House ride
      • Parks of North London - edition 4
      • Parks of North London Ride
      • Photography Ride
      • Quirky Ride
      • Rainham Marshes Feb 2011
      • Richmond Park Ride
      • Ride to Cake Mountain
      • Ride to Cake Mountain 2013
      • Sevenoaks Ride
      • Sevenoaks Ride
      • South London Parks Ride 2012 edition
      • South London Parks and Open Spaces
      • Southend Ride
      • Southwark Cyclists' Christmas Day Ride
      • Surrey 6 Peaks
      • Surrey 6 Peaks
      • Surrey Cycleway & Box Hill
      • Surrey Cycleway & Box Hill
      • Surrey Cycleway Ride
      • The 8th Glamour Ride
      • The 10th Glamour Ride
      • The 11th Glamour Ride
      • The 12th Glamour Ride
      • The 9th Glamour Ride
      • The Big Ride - Love London, Go Dutch
      • The Thames - ride and fly
      • Tiptree Jam Factory Ride 3
      • Tour of London Garden Squares
      • Two Rivers and a Park
      • Upshire Church Teas Ride 1
      • Upshire Church Teas Ride 2
      • Upshire Church Teas Ride
      • Upshire Diamond Jubilee Tea
      • Vineyard Ride
      • Weekend Away - Eastbourne
      • Weekend away in Kent
      • Wheelers Christmas Ride
      • Wheelers Christmas Ride
      • Wheelers Christmas Ride
      • Wheelers Cycle Ride Guidance
      • Wheelers Spring Weekend Away in Kent
      • Women's Ride 2
      • Women's ride
      • Space for Cycling Big Ride
    • Cycle Buddies
  • Workshop
  • Local Info
  • Contact
Support Space for Cycling

Upcoming rides & events

Wednesday, 10 February
Monthly meeting
Saturday, 20 February
Bicycle Maintenance Workshop - CANCELLED
Wednesday, 10 March
Monthly meeting

Rides information

Our rides are highlighted by "RIDE". You don't have to be a member to join in and we're also always looking for new ride ideas. Contact our Rides Co-ordinator for further information.

There is no need to register beforehand for a ride unless this is specifically stated, most rides are "turn up and go".

If you haven't ridden with us before please read our Ride Guidance Notes.

Please note that for train assisted rides we often cannot publish times until about 2 weeks beforehand because of the need to check engineering works. Also sometimes our ride leaders do have to change dates/times/routes at reasonably short notice. Generally this website will be up to date and also details will be sent out to our email groups, but if in doubt contact the ride leader or our rides co-ordinator to check arrangements.

Social media & email groups

Keep in touch with local cycling issues and events by joining one of our email groups.

Follow @thwheelers
Join us on Facebook
Watch us on YouTube

Copyright © 2021 Tower Hamlets Wheelers
Borough group of the London Cycling Campaign Registered Charity No: 1115789