Night Cycling

I love cycling at night. I mean real night, middle of the night edging into early morning night. I don't do it often (I must be getting old) but every time I do I remember how magical it is. I grew up in a village, and then went to university in a small city, and so wandered home from many late night social events through silent, empty streets. Sometimes I'd go clubbing and send everyone else off in a taxi, perfectly content to savour the quiet and peace of the long walk home alone. It gave my ears time to stop ringing and wound me down for sleep. Now, living in London, wandering around the dark streets of Islington in the early hours on my tod seems a little foolhardy even for me. However, riding Trusty I feel perfectly safe, secure in the knowledge we could outrun any potential attacker**. And so I savour the traffic free back streets, the sound of the wind in the trees and the rare glimpse of the city's early morning army about their work. Foxes cross my path, and cats, and the whirr of the steed's wheels against the (relative) silence creates a very meditative state.

Beats the night bus every time.
** I do realise this is not completely true and there have been several cases of people being attacked on bikes. I'm not advocating any one else trusts their personal security to a bicycle....

Image by markhilary