Rollermaniac

Suddenly I'm hooked on rollerblading. I bought a pair last summer and poodled about a couple of times without much gusto. Now I'm living right on Hyde Park, doing a new job which lets me leave work at a reasonable hour and we're having a spurt of glorious summer evenings.

I did my first street skate on Friday night, and it was one of the most exilerating things I've ever experienced. About 500 people gathered on the roundabout at Hyde Park Corner and then went skating for 2 hours right around central London. There's a team of volunteer marshalls who plan the route and protect the front, back and sides of "the flock" (it was wonderful feeling long buried animalistic herding instincts coming to the fore). So it's very safe, pretty fast at times (though slows in narrow streets when everyone bunches up - it's amazing how few collisions there are) and so much fun - I immediately decided to become a regular on the two weekly skates (for details see Londonskate.com (8pm Wed, Serpentine) and Citiskate (7.30pm Fri, Hyde Park Corner). Citiskate also does a relaxed Sunday Stroll (2pm, east end of Serpentine road). Here's a good info and link site: Londonskaters, and a slick site focused on the social side of the skatescene: Serpentine Road.

If you've got some blades then lets go for a mosey sometime or come join me on the streek skates (typo there - but I'm sure there are nudist skates in France or somewhere!). If you haven't got blades then go get some quick! (Skate shops, I got my skates and pads for just £70. And, for fitness freaks out there: it's great non-impact exercise in the fresh air (well, london air) and cheaper and more sociable than chain gyms.