London Sports & Outdoors Tips by sourbugger Top 5 Page for this destination

SB's Olympic guide : Tip 18, Olympic park 2012 Olympic Games Review

If you fancy a walk around the Lea valley to see a bit of history and the location / building works for the 2012 Olympics then have a look at the Olympics2012 website.

They have produced three walking guides for
* The Northern Lea Valley
* The Southern Lea Valley
* The River zone around Greenwich / Woolwich

They are all easily downloadable as a PDF doc.

Theme: Other

SB's Olympic guide : Tip 16, Mountain Biking 2012 Olympic Games Review

It would seem immediately obvious that London is distinctly lacking in Mountains. It's also lacking in beaches, and if that didn't stop the Beach Volleyball competition then lack of wild land won't prevent the Mountain Biking event either.

The event will be held at Hadleigh castle in Essex.

By common consensus, the location seems to be seen by the mountain Biking world as a fair choice. It isn't the best location by a long way, but it is certainly the best choice within a 30 minute raduis of the Olympic village, and will produce a good and fair race.

Theme: Other

Sourbugger's guide to London's football... Football (Soccer) Review

London does not have the reputation as a 'footballing town' in the way that Liverpool, Manchester or Newcastle do, but there is quite a range of professional football teams in the Capital for you to see the beautiful game in all it's glory.

This is Sourbuggers' indispensible guide. It deals in well-worn cliches, sterotypes and and generalisations.

ARSENAL : Top of the food chain. Commonly referred to as 'boring, boring Arsenal'. Despite their supposed style of play, it has not prevented them picking up Premiership titles and Cups over the past few years.
Their great rivals are Tottenham in London and Man U in the Premiership. Virtually impossible to get a ticket.

CHELSEA : Currently beating everybody in sight after the Russian oil tycoon spent millions and millions on assembling an all-star team. But what happens when Roman gets bored with his plaything ? Based in west London, tickets are the most expensive in the Premiership - and again like Golddust.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR : They may win the FA cup every 10 years or so, but this Premiership teams have been perennial under-achievers for along time now. They change their manager about once every three weeks.

FULHAM : A once mighty club (in the 1960's) who dropped right down the pecking order. Now a team with Harrod's millions behind them who can give the bigger boys a good run for their money.

WEST HAM : Again a team living off past glories, but the Upton Park faithful still support their team in their weekly uphill struggles.

CHARLTON : Based south of the river they are perhaps better known in recent years for their epic political battle to bring football back to 'The valley'

CRYSTAL PALACE : A south London outfit again. Their supporters sing "Oh South London, Oh South london, It's full of T*ts, F***y and Place, Oh south London is wonderful". Avoid.

MILLWALL : Their supporters have a 'boisterious' reputation. Maps of London where their ground is (the New Den) are marked 'There be dragons'.

Equipment: QUEEN'S PARK RANGERS : West London underachievers. Rivals of Fulham.

WATFORD : Almost Yorkshire to most Londoners. Used to have Elton John as the Chariman. Strugglers.

LEYTON ORIENT, BRENTFORD, BARNET Somewhere down the football food chain just below plankton.

WIMBLEDON : Thankfully. they no longer exist, as the crazy gang have moved to Milton Keynes to become the MK Dons.

Tickets are easier to get the further you move down the professional leagues.

Theme: Sports Watching

SB's Olympic guide : Tip 20, the footie 2012 Olympic Games Review

The football competition is expected to draw quite large crowds. It is organised as a tournment where most players have to be under 23, in order to make it different to the World Cup.

Unlike other events, it will be played at stadia around the country, including in Wales and Scotland. The final will however be in London, at Wembly.

It seems a pity that the competition could not have been held in East London, Beckham's 'Manor' as Upton Park, White Horse Lane, Brisbane Road, and The Valley could all have benifited from the Olympic touch.

Theme: Sports Watching

SB's Olympic Guide : Tip 19, White water stuff 2012 Olympic Games Review

The white water events in Kayaking/ Canoeing are planned for Broxbourne, which is on the upper reaches of the Lea River.

I presume by this that they will use the water rather than the actual river.

I would prerfer they planned it for the lower lea valley - this post industrial wasteland would look grat on the telly with its scap metal yards, polluted wasteground and concrete pillars encompassing various gangland lowlifes.

Theme: Kayaking/Canoeing

SB's Olympic guide : Tip 17, the boaties 2012 Olympic Games Review

New York was the only one of the candidate cities for 2012 that would have offered the sailing events close to the rest of the action.

I would have loved to see the Olympic regatta staged at Southend-on-sea, but I guess the wind must be a bit too light or something.

So, the boaties along with the Footballers will be spending their Olympics outside of London.

If you want to take in the sailing, then a trip to Weymouth is in order. It could be done as a day trip from London, but a few days spent around the area would be much better.

Theme: Sports Watching

SB's Olympic guide : Tip 15, time for song, Row ! 2012 Olympic Games Review

Henley was originally put forward as the location for the rowing and canoeing events, but in an effort to produce a more 'compact' games, the facilities of a local school have been pressed into service.

No ordinary school this, however. With fees of 22,000 pounds plus a year, it is generally recognised as the leading private (we say 'Public school' in the UK) school in the country.

It is completely untrue that any winners of any rowing event will be expected to wear silly flowrey hats, stand up in the boat and sing the Eton Boating song.....such a pity.

Row, Row, Row your boat gently down the steam,
Belt off, trousers down,
Life if such a scream !

Theme: Sports Watching

SB's Olympic guide : Tip 14, Don't shoot ! 2012 Olympic Games Review

It was originially planned to stage the shooting events at the historic home of shooting at Bisley.

As the IOC wanted a much more 'compact' games, the venue was switched to the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich.

This should provide an impressive historic backdrop to the events.

Theme: Other

SB's Olympic guide : Tip 13, Shuttlecock & ribbon 2012 Olympic Games Review

If Badminton or Rhythmic Gymnastics (is that to say the normal sort isn't ?), or ping-pong (sorry, Table Tennis) is you bag, then you will be accommodated at the Greenwich Arena.

Don't bother looking it up on the net, as it will only be put up by a team of boy scouts with tentpoles and mallets on their DofE gold award expedition the Monday before it all starts.

The temporary structure (if you didn't get the last paragraph) will be placed opposite the dome, thus sharing transport links.

Theme: Sports Watching

SB's Olympic guide : Tip 12, Equestrian 2012 Olympic Games Review

It always seems mightly unfair to me that they never seem to give the horse a medal. After all it's done all the hard work, the training and jumped the bloody fences.

The upper-class twit on it's back has just been born into money.

Anyway, if like watching the no-chin brigade trying to break their necks over 30 or so piles of logs and flowers, then the three-day eventing will take place in Greenwich park during the 2012 Olympics.

The location would seen to be perfect for the spectator, shaded, undulating, pretty and affording great views of London.

Theme: Other