YOUR NIGHT RIDE DETAILS FOR SATURDAY 1st JULY

The Dunwich Dynamo takes place on the Saturday nearest the full moon each July, this event doesn’t officially exist, there is no official organiser but thousands of cyclists converge at London Fields in Hackney before departing for the East Anglian coast.

West London Cycling meet at the Polish War Memorial (A40 Ruislip / Northolt) at 6pm or at London Fields, Hackney at 8pm. Once started, some riders will want to push on because they have a return journey to ride, whilst those with coach bookings for the return are more likely to stop at the pubs and pit stops as well as the beach for breakfast at the end. The Dunwich Beach Cafe is open all night with cooked breakfasts from around 3.30am.

Naturally, lights are required and an extra layer of clothing in case of temperature drops. A few bars and gels may be a good idea too in case needed.

Riding from Ruislip, we intend to leave the Polish War Memorial at around 6pm (Please note that the route below starts at Ruislip Manor), riding to London Fields in Hackney and leaving there on the route from around 8pm. For those riding back, it is not intended to await the cafe’s cooked breakfasts, so we should aim to be returning before 3am.

The return home is the logistical headache. There are coaches organised by Southwark Cycles which can be booked in advance. Otherwise, public transport options are difficult as there are restrictions on cycles on most railways in the area. Riding all the way home can become a 400km DIY Audax, or riding back to Epping or Shenfield, a 360km DIY Audax (see below)

The one-way ride from Hackney is about 180km and ends at the Dunwich beach, by the remains of an old monastery where the ancient village of Dunwich has been swallowed up by the sea. There is a cafe that will be open all night and starts serving cooked breakfasts after around 3am as the cyclists arrive. The beach is awash with cyclists all wondering about the journey home. Many sleep on the beach.

As noted above, the journey home is the conundrum, the East Anglian trains from Ipswich will not allow the bikes on the trains in any volume, many ride back, possibly a 400km (plus) round trip depending on where they live whilst some find local accommodation. Fortunately, most years Southwark Cycles organise coaches.

FOR GPX FILES CLICK ON YOUR CHOSEN DISTANCE BELOW:

Hackney – Dunwich 180km

Ruislip – Dunwich 209km

Ruislip – Dunwich – Epping 367km

Ruislip -Dunwich – Ruislip 422km

Dunwich to Shenfield 156km

(For DIY Audax Controls Scroll Down)

The 2023 ride falls on the1st July. Here’s the full 422km return route, but there are other options.

We have given the return ride options some thought and some of you may wish to try out these returns:

1. (Tested in 2021 and 2022) Ride from Dunwich to Epping / Take the Central Line to Stratford / At Stratford use another line to get on the District and Metropolitan Lines and use them back towards Uxbridge etc OR At Stratford take the London Overground to Finchley Road & Frognal then walk/ride down to Finchley Road Station and get the Metropolitan Line. The latter avoids central London.
2. (Untested) Ride from Dunwich to Shenfield the Elizabeth Line allows bikes in the central zone). You could get the Metropolitan Line from Liverpool Street. The Greater Anglia website says they are banning bikes to and from Ipswich on Sunday 2nd July, but it may be possible to board a train at Shenfield arriving from Southend en route to Liverpool Street but we suggest you check first.
3. (Tested) Return ride to Ruislip … but our view is that the route options are not ideal as the roads get busy during Sunday daytime. This is compounded by the start time, which may mean that riders have had no sleep for up to 30 hours. We have ridden it, but the last sections can be a chore.

For returns from Epping and Shenfield: The rules on the Underground are that you cannot take a bike on deep sections (think of the escalators) so the Metropolitan Line is OK and the Central Line is OK until it goes underground. The Elizabeth Line, however, seems to buck that trend and allows bikes in the central zone.

If you start from Hackney, expect around 340km cycling if you ride back to Epping or Shenfield.

DIY AUDAX COUNTROLS (Distances from Ruislip)

1. Hackney 29km
2. Great Dunmow 85km
3. Needham Market 156km
4. Dunwich 209km
5. Sudbury 293km
6. Sible Hedingham 307km
7. Epping 367km

If doing a 300km DIY we suggest just including up to Sible Hedingham, or if choosing a 200km DIY choose Dunwich