Pedal Me to the dentists

Just my luck that having had no dental work in years, my dentist spotted a couple of bits of decay under  a couple of my crowns that should be attended to. In a pandemic. Now normally my dentists are only a short walk from my office, indeed they are between Moorgate station and my office so very convenient for going on way to work or at lunchtime. But not so convenient if you aren't in the office and trying to avoid public transport and live 7 miles away.

Now given the walk is about 2 1/2 hours, and given my experience from walking 5 1/2 hours on Boxing Day, I felt that walking there and back was not a great option. Uber still means being inside a car with someone. So the answer it seemed to me was the cycle taxi which I had used on Christmas Eve. So I booked up with "Pedal Me".

I guess even the concept of a bike taxi may be alien to you. Most people I mentioned it to think of the tourist type arrangements you get in the West End. But these ebikes are essentially designed for carrying cargo across London, although with Covid they have an opportunity to move into the passenger market. As you can see below, you sort of sit in the "basket" in front of the "driver". Maximum ventilation!

Honestly, the experience is rather fun. The journey is quiet and smooth, and you see traffic from a different perspective. And you can go where cars can't - we cut across Clissold Park. The journey into Moorgate took a leisurely hour - I was in no hurry.

On a cold day, it is quite chilly being sat at the front of a bike. If you had x-ray vision you would see my thermal underwear. They have a poncho to protect you but I was ok for this journey. I also doubt it would be as much fun in the rain. But, for my purpose of a 7 mile journey into London, it was ideal. And offers a nice chat with your driver while you go. I mean, it is a nice enough experience that almost makes the journey worth doing if you hadn't got anywhere to go!

And by the way, the sign on the sides says pedal me, not as a friend thought, pedo me! (That would be a specialist delivery service....)

I walked back, nice enough in late afternoon sun....

As you can see, the City was quiet. Very!

And I got to see the sun going down, although not the very best of sunsets, nor the most glorious of views of it.