Skip to main content

Canons Park Picnic 2026

This post provides the 2026 text required by the London Cycle Campaign (LCC) for it's London Cycle Festival. Harrow Cycle Hub (HCH) need to provide this for rides to the Canons Park picnic where the HCH riders will converge.

Ride Leader Instructions 
If you are a leading a ride please provide updates to the ride specific information to rides@harrowcyclehub.org 

Risk Management General Guidance 
Where the ride follows LCC protocols a single Risk Assessment may cover all rides.

1. Each ride leader needs to check the standard risks and mitigations cover their ride; anything not covered probably suggests a redesigned route is required.
2. LCC require competent ride leaders and assistants which can be ensured by using BC or LCC trained leaders and assistants.
3. The Risk Assessment should be agreed by at least two people. 
4. Only use reasonable efforts within your capabilities to fix bikes if required. 
5. Consider creating a WhatsApp group for leaders and event organisers (or use existing ride leader group) to share any exceptions to the stated risks; weather on the day, novice riders, unplanned roadworks. 
6. Have the evidence that risks were considered and managed. 

Risk Management Specific Guidance 
As HarrowCycle Hub ride leader are predominantly familiar with British Cycling protocols and single ride events it will help to draw out the differences. 

1. There is no ICE contact for riders
2. It is possible for one named individual to book for a group so you receive one set of contact details for that group
3. Contact details are comprised of name and email address so phoning any no-shows isn't possible 
4. As this is a different format you may possibly get participants on the day and you will need to consider whether to accept them or not
5. LCC don't impose limits on rider numbers so you must apply your own judgement, mainly considering risks and your own preferences 
6. To ensure no one gets unwittingly left behind at the picnic you will need to agree a return process such as "meet here for the return and we depart at 2pm"
7. LCC use 18 rather than 16 as the definition of a child 
8. To conclude, you would lead using your usual method and carry a First Aid kit

The Group Information

First Name: Anthony
Last Name: Rickaby 
Mobile: [on request]
Email: rides@harrowcyclehub.org 
LCC Member? Yes

Name of Group: 
Harrow Cycle Hub 

Group Description:
We are a registered charity founded in 2021 to get more people cycling in Harrow. We run courses and activities at the former Harrow Civic Centre, and plan to build a new Cycling Centre for the whole of Harrow. In the summer of 2026 we will move to Kenton Recreation Ground. 

Group website: 
https://www.harrowcyclehub.org/

Common Ride Description Text (including who the ride is suitable for, 170 words max):
[This text is used for all rides with each ride having a short piece of additional text]

20 September is the London Cycling Festival! Join Harrow Cycle Hub for a family bike ride and ‘pannier picnic’ in beautiful Canons Park. We’ll take quiet roads and parks wherever possible and we aim to arrive by 12 noon.
Friends and family are very welcome to join us. Bring a picnic or buy something at the café. Come and celebrate with other cyclists from across Harrow and beyond. Children over 8 are welcome on the ride provided a supervising adult rides with them. We'll spend a couple of hours at the picnic, before returning around 2pm.
This ride is suitable for anyone who is comfortable cycling on roads in a group.
Before you come, please pump up your tyres, check that the brakes work, and the wheels turn freely. Bring water, a bike lock and something to sit on.
Rides are planned from across Harrow, and each will have a limit on rider numbers.

Photo for LCC


1. Pinner to Canons Park (15 miles)
Description of ride
This 15 mile ride starts outside the Heath Robinson Museum, Pinner Memorial Park on the lake side, not the car park side. There are public toilets in West House on the ground floor, by the cafe. HA5 1AE. We make our way and will join the picnic at Canons Park at 12 noon.

Ride leader: Veronica Chamberlain 
Assistant: Philippa Lewis
Participant limit: 8

Start point (postcode required)
Pinner Memorial Park. HA5 1AE
Start time: 10:30
Starting borough: Harrow
Finish point (postcode required)
Pinner Memorial Park. HA5 1AE
Finish time: 15:00
Finishing borough: Harrow


2. Hatch End to Canons Park (14.5 miles)
Description of ride:
This 14.5 mile ride goes through Headstone Manor Park, Eastman Village (the site of the old Kodak factory with the big camera lens), Byron Park; named after Lord Byron. Our route then goes towards the pump track of Kenton Recreation, Woodcock Park in Kenton to join Centenary Park in Stanmore before arriving at Hive in Edgware followed by our picnic stop at Canons Park. Our return route is shorter going via Gordon Avenue to return back to Hatch End station.

Ride leader: Pragna Shah
Assistant: Jacq Kothare 
Participant limit: 8

Start point (postcode required)
In the car park of Hatch End Station, Station Approach, Hatch End, HA5 4HU.
Start time: 10:00
Starting borough: Harrow 
Finish point (postcode required)
In the car park of Hatch End Station, Station Approach, Hatch End, HA5 4HU.
Finish time: 14:30
Finishing borough: Harrow 

3. Eastcote to Canons Park (28 miles)
Description of ride:
We start outside Eastcote Library, 88 Field End Road, at the junction of Field End Road and Meadow Way for this circular route with a picnic after 20 miles followed by a further 8 miles back to the start. This ride does include some hils and short dark tunnel so lights are recommended. HA5 1RL.

Ride leader: Anthony Rickaby 
Assistant: Manoj Shrestha
Participant limit: 12

Start point (postcode required)
Eastcote Library, 88 Field End Road HA5 1RL
Start time: 09:30
Starting borough: Hillingdon
Finish point (postcode required)
Eastcote Library, 88 Field End Road HA5 1RL
Finish time: 15:30
Finishing borough: Hillingdon 


4. Kenton Rec to Canons Park (7 miles)
Description of ride:
We start from the Pump Track in Kenton Recreation Ground. HA3 8AY.

This short family ride, on mostly quiet roads, is suitable for adults and children over 8 years old who are accompanied by an adult. 

We'll leave Kenton Rec at 10:45 and aim to complete the four miles to Canons Park by noon. After enjoying our picnic, we'll travel back to Kenton by a different three-mile route.

The ride has some gentle climbs and we will travel at the pace of the slowest rider.

Ride leader: Kevin Lynch 
Assistant: Naran Gorsia
Participant limit: 12

Start point:
The Pump Track, Kenton Recreation Ground, HA3 8AY
Start time: 10:45
Starting borough: Harrow
Finish point:
The Pump Track, Kenton Recreation Ground, HA3 8AY
Finish time: 15:15
Finishing borough: Harrow


5. Headstone Manor Park to Canons Park (10 miles)
Description of ride:
We start outside the Moat Cafe in Headstone Manor Park for this circular route with a picnic in Canons Park after 5 miles followed by a further 5 miles back to the start. 

Ride leader: Dinah Loon
Assistant: Shama Meghjee-Caine
Participant limit: 6

Start point (postcode required)
Moat cafe HA2 6PX
Start time: 11:00
Starting borough: Harrow

Finish point (postcode required)
Moat cafe HA2 6PX
Finish time: 15:00
Finishing borough: Harrow


6. South Harrow to Canons Park (13 miles)
Description of ride:
We start outside Roxeth Library for this circular route with a picnic after 6.5 miles followed by a further 6.5 miles back to the start. This is a slow ride, mostly on quiet back streets suitable for those less confident on the roads. HA2 8EQ

Ride leader: Penny Hayward
Assistant: Raakhi Shah 
Participant limit: 8

Start point (postcode required)
Roxeth Library, Northolt Road HA2 8EQ
Start time: 10:30
Starting borough: Harrow

Finish point (postcode required)
Roxeth Library, Northolt Road HA2 8EQ
Finish time: 15:30
Finishing borough: Harrow


Popular posts from this blog

Tour: Chelmsford to Clacton-on-Sea

This post describes a 3-day cycle tour from Chelmsford to Clacton-on-Sea staying overnight in Colchester and Felixstowe. Just add a start date and book your hotels. Specific timings assume a Monday to Wednesday tour in 2026 so your own train times may be different. An average of 300m ascent over 61km each day on average means this is a relatively flat tour with options to reduce the mileage each day by using the train.    The route makes heavy use of NCN 1 and NCN 51, and if you keep moving on the last day you should have time for a dip in the sea!! Seriously, prepare to enjoy a swim at Holland-on-Sea. Start Point:  Chelmsford Station (Greater Anglia) Finish Point:  Clacton-on-Sea Station (Greater Anglia) Meetup Time:  09:15 Start Time:  09:30 Route: Chelmsford to Clacton-on-Sea   Route (alt): Harwich to Clacton-on-Sea   No. Days:  3 Overnight:  Individuals book their own accommodation in Colchester such as the "...

Summary Rides Collection

Summary Rides Collection  This list contains summary information though some of these summaries may be expanded in the Ready-made rides collection: -  Hatch End Rides The start point is at the sundial opposite the Elliott Hall main entrance at Harrow Arts Centre (HAC). Free parking is available on nearby Milne Feild (sic) and Sherington Avenue. The postcode is  HA5 4EA . Note that the nearby Hatch End Morrisons website says that parking is limited to 2 hours. There is also free parking in the Harrow Arts Centre car park. For rides that start at Hatch End or Kenton and head out via Pinner there is the option of requesting a pickup by one of the entrances to Pinner Village Gardens (PVG) at the roundabout where Rayners Lane meets Marsh Road, HA5 5NS .  The Pinner pickup time is 15 minutes after a Hatch End departure time, and 30 minutes after a Kenton departure time. Pinner Rides The start point is at one of the entrances to Pinner Village Gardens (PVG) nearest the rou...

Organised Rides

This post lists a number of 'Packaged' bike rides and contains some of the information required to advertise scheduled rides. It can be used to provide some of the text for British Cycling's Let's Ride platform or other sites. If using Let's Ride then have the necessary text, photo and GPX file ready to copy in to their form because at the time of writing the platform can clear some data fields when updating the photo or the GPX file. Separate pages exist for each ride with the information presented as Let's Ride expects. Image from  Freepik Index of Beginner Bike Rides  These rides are around 5 miles and are suitable for beginners. The same text can be used for each with distance the only variable.  Beginner Bike Rides from Kenton: Click here Index of useful Komoot Routes Ley Hill Classic Car Show from Eastcote  Canons Park Picnic From Eastcote  Destination Day Out East Croydon to Brighton: Click here ... Kenton Rides Flourish Bakery: Click here Har...