Morning Glory

One of the new pleasures of taking a little more exercise is to discover the joy of cycling in London. It might be true that one of the first things I saw upon arriving in this fair city twelve years ago was a cyclist being thrown from his bike by the car in front of us. Really, from that moment on, I have kind of avoided getting a bike. However, two years ago, I found myself in possession of a cycle and spent a rather glorious summer free-wheeling down Brixton Hill in the early hours wondering why anyone would travel any other way. That said, travelling home one evening wearing my rather stylish cloak of invisibility I was ignored by some idiot driver. I was out of action for some time (although I still wear the cloak in bars upon occasion, it would seem) and it took me a while to regain the courage to get back on my trusty bike.

Then I came up with the rather novel idea of getting off the bike whenever I felt in danger. Oddly enough this is a policy followed by several of my cycling compadres, who also dismount at dangerous junctions and turnings.

Anyway, in a quest to find a safer way to travel in to work I now take the cycle path through Kennington Park. I don’t think it’s an official cycle path, but there are no sign to the contrary as you enter and I am always careful to avoid the joggers. Anyway, cycling into the park this week I had to stop to take a picture. Nothing here quite captures the magic of that view. It was quite simply, breathtaking. Heavy mists dispersing in the morning sun-light – it was like cycling into a magical far off land. And it was Kennington for crying out loud! This is something that the tube travellers miss of a morning.