Wow, wow and wow again. I can’t describe in words how amazing it was to skate on the Londonskate urban street skate last Wednesday night. I haven’t done anything that has felt so exhilarating in years and years. Nothing has left me so speechless (partly from lack of words to describe how I felt and partly from being so exhausted). But I have also not felt that happy, relieved, fulfilled and energized in perhaps all my life. I can see why people don’t stop doing this in the winter. I can’t wait now till next Wednesday for the next street skate.
It started off strangely as I found it hard to skate with so many skaters all around me, but somehow everyone fits in and we all keep moving. It’s mesmerizing watching that side to side movement of skaters’ skates in front of you. There were some rough roads and some beautifully smooth ones and I felt I didn’t lag behind too much. The long open stretches of fast skating were fantastic, as was seeing spectators surprised smiles as we all whooshed by. I remembered being one of them and looking at this group and now I was the one on wheels!
When I had the courage to lift my eyes from the tarmac (always looking for those ‘bad’ manholes covers) I was shocked to see one London landmark after another, as we skated past Trafalgar Square, Soho and Piccadilly Circus. Then I got really lost and had no idea where we were but that didn’t matter. The way the skate in marshaled means all you have to do is follow, and that’s what I tried to do.
The half way stop was a welcomed break and I enjoyed chatting to other skaters. Everyone was so encouraging when they heard it was my first time. Skater solidarity.

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