Here’s what we submitted for our Hayling Herald August 2022 column, with online links and more pictures …
This month
- Cycle Safari
- Sam’s Sunflowers
- New map
- Ferry challenge
- Cycle to Work Day
Cycle Safari
Hayling may not be the Serengeti, but you can still go on Safari – the Hayling Cycle Safari! Collect stickers by riding to venues all over the island, and claim your unique Hayling themed Platinum Jubilee rewards – Hayling Jubilee Sun Lotion, and a personalised Hayling Jubilee plaque.
It runs to the end of September, but don’t hang about – when those unique rewards are gone, they’re gone! It’s all sponsored by Hampshire County Council, to help cut car traffic and pollution, and get us healthier and fitter. Instructions at participating local venues and at cyclehayling.org.uk/safari.
Sam’s Sunflowers
And don’t forget to combine it with a ‘bling your bike with sunflowers’ visit to Sam’s Sunflowers and Maize Maze, which will be opening sometime in August. Sam and Nette have agreed that you can avoid the traffic by cycling there on the public footpaths from the Farm Shop, via Castlemans Lane. But take care, the tracks are quite rough, and you may still need to cycle a little way on St Peter’s Rd to the entrance.
And don’t forget to post your pictures at facebook.com/samssunflowershayling !
New map
And you can navigate your way with Cycle Hayling’s 2022 Jubilee edition Cycling and Walking Map, which should now be available to pick it up at the Beachlands Tourist Information Centre, the Ferry, and many other venues around the island. And it’s free, thanks to our generous sponsors and advertisers, all mentioned on the map. Or you can download it from our website, at cyclehayling.org.uk/map.
We’ve made a big effort with this edition to help people and families to start cycling safely, by highlighting traffic-free routes, smoother surfaces, new cycle paths and more cycle-friendly quiet streets (and roads to avoid). The roads you would drive down are often best avoided on a bike.
And we’ve included QR code links to our website for hints and tips on bike checks and getting started cycling. Our national Cycling and Walking strategy is trying to get us fitter and healthier, so in that spirit, we’ve included more walking routes too. And for the first time, it’s pocket sized for easier portability.
Cycle Hayling’s ultimate goal is to put ourselves out of business – by making it so easy and safe to cycle that no-one needs a map. We’re not there yet, but we’ve added a few things from our Cycle Hayling wish list, starting with Haylink, a traffic-free, direct, smooth cycle path to link the south of the island at Mill Rythe to the bridge and onwards to Havant. With the explosion in e-bikes, Havant should be within reach of anybody, with a decent cycle path.
Ferry challenge
And on the back of our new map is your summer challenge – the wonderful 15 mile Circular Langstone Harbour Ride! Pace yourself, take plenty of water and check your bike out first, at cyclehayling.org.uk/checks. Highly recommended!
And as we’re only a Hayling ferry ride away from Portsmouth, it’s easy to pop over to one of their ‘Get Active’ events in August, including e-bike and e-cargo bike demonstrations. More details at travel.portsmouth.gov.uk/cycling.
And Portsmouth is planning a bike share scheme to supplement the existing e-scooter rental trials. Will we ever see one on Hayling?
Cycle to Work Day
You might not get a lot of choice of where you work, but might have more choice about how you get there. Thursday August 4th is Cycle to Work Day. Actually, I lied – every day is a Cycle to Work Day! But doing it on the 4th might win you some special prizes, including a new bike! See cyclescheme.co.uk/cycletoworkday. And while it might seem a little daunting, we have some tips to make it easier, from people who’ve done it, at cyclehayling.org/commute. And when we run our Turbo Challenge at local events, the winner is ALWAYS someone who cycles to work every day, hands down. Make work work for you – cycle there!
Enjoy the summer!
Much more on our Facebook page at facebook.com/CycleHaylingPage and our website at cyclehayling.org