Every Sunday morning at 9.30 you will find a group of cyclists at Hall's Corner, Wickford ready for our ever popular leisurely rides to an 11's refreshment stop. This could be at a café at a garden centre or a supermarket in maybe Brentwood, Chelmsford, Ingatestone, Maldon or Rochford or some other location. From eleven's some of the group will either return home while others will continue on to the lunchtime destination maybe a village pub in the heart of the Essex countryside. Our Sunday morning rides are enjoyed because we:

- Ride at a moderate speed making sure that everybody can keep up
- Search out the quiet country lanes
- Enjoy the company of other cyclists


We occasionally have car assisted rides to Dover and take advantage of the £1 special foot passenger offers to Calais (with bikes) for a ride around the country lanes of northern France.

Oooo la la!

Of course we have to make extra preparations:
- Don't forget your passport, phrase book and euros
- Remember to cycle on the right hand side of the road
- Look forward to a lovely meal in a quaint environment
- Early morning starts are all part of the enjoyment on these particular days as you get to the see the sun rise over the channel (hopefully)


From time to time we go outside our usual familiar territory by loading our bikes onto our cars and driving to a pre-determined point. This really increases our range into Essex, Kent, Suffolk and Hertfordshire and is a very popular part of our summer season. The usual routine applies whereby we keep the pace down to modest speed and find the best places to go for elevenses and lunch. During 2005 we went motor assisted to Hythe then rode to Dungeness, Long Melford to Mildenhall and a weekend at Ivinghoe.


Yes it's true, you can enjoy cycling in London. On a Sunday the roads are fairly quiet and you can use the bus lanes in comfort, while there's plenty to see around you in the history and sites of London. Better still is that we do our usual trick of searching out the best routes that are often cycle routes in their own right, along rivers, canals and cycle paths. Several of the South East Group consider our rides in London as their favourite of all the rides we do during the year in the SEG.



SEG tours come in all shapes and sizes ranging from a weekend away at a Youth Hostel to a full blown CTC holiday around Europe. This is where the potential of cycling comes into its very own. By steering clear of major built up areas we see the most picturesque of countryside and the freedom of the open road. Recent SEG tours have included:
- Easter 2005 at Swanage
- July 2005 tour to Scandinavia by two SEG members.
- Easter 2006 at Sherwood Forest


We never forget that the South East Group should cater for as many cycling preferences as possible. For those who prefer to keep their cycling to less than 15 miles then we make sure that every first Sunday of the month we organise a particularly short ride to either Great Baddow or Rochford. In addition it has become a South East Group tradition to organise a 10 mile and a 30 mile ride starting near Hanningfield Reservoir specifically for newcomers. Of course for anybody who feels particularly fragile, the SEG are willing to help a newcomer on a one to one basis for a ride around the pretty route of Hanningfield reservoir at a speed that is comfortable to them over a distance of 5 miles, or a route of their choice.


For the experienced cyclist who's looking for a challenge some of the fittest South East Group riders to take part in reliability ride/Audax events organised by the Essex District Association of the C.T.C. covering distances of 50,100 and 125 miles and roughstuff events (across fields and along bridleways). These rides are not competitive as such although there is a time limit by which the route should be completed.


Every 2nd and 4th Friday in the month the South East Group meets at the St Lawrence and All Saints Church Hall, Eastwoodbury Lane, Eastwood (Map) for a social gathering from 8.00 to 10.00pm for tea and biscuits. It's a chance to meet friends and talk about past and future clubrides. These evenings are also used at times for cycle maintenance classes other events such as slideshows, bike jumbles where we sell our unwanted bits and pieces. Plus we have occassional non-related cycling items such as a Bonsai Tree sale and instructions on how to grow them.