Pack your buckets and spades and glowsticks, the Dunwich Dynamo - London cyclists' annual moonlit jaunt to the seaside - is back for 2014.

This year's Dynamo takes place on the night of Saturday 12 July. Entry is free and there's no registration process; the only thing you need to sort out in advance is a way of getting home the next day. Coach is the preferred option for many, and tickets for the zombie express back to London go on sale today from Southwark Cyclists.

An early-bird price of £22 is on offer to the first 800 to sign up, with tickets after that costing £40. That buys you a one-way ride from Dunwich beach back to civilisation (well, close enough) and includes a place for your bike in the back of a lorry.

For those concerned about the wellbeing of their bikes in transit, Southwark Cyclists have some words of reassurance:

'The bikes are packed by the same experienced removal men, and this is the twelfth time that this has been done.

'However, just like a packet of cereal, some movement may occur in transit, and while we don't expect any damage to happen as a result, if you have a new paint job or an exotic frame we cannot be held responsible for any damage should any occur.

'It is your responsibility to ensure your bicycle is suitable packed for travel, should you wish to do so.'

I travelled back to London after the 2013 Dynamo using the special bus service, and bike and I both arrived intact. The alternatives are to cycle back, as some diehards do each year, or to pedal on from Dunwich to the nearest train stations and take your chances there.

My advice is to book a coach ticket today and stop worrying about logistics. Half the joy of the Dunwich Dynamo is the air of spontaneity - deceptive though it may be, given the hard work a handful of individuals put in each year.

A quarter of the joy is eating breakfast at dawn in a pop-up cafe en route. But to sample that, you'll need to be fast. Last year, after leaving London at 10:00pm, I reached each food stop only to find that the locust hordes just ahead of me had eaten every scrap. Be warned...

As for the final quarter of the joy, that's a secret. You'll have to come along on the 12 July to find out. Read more about the Dunwich Dynamo 2014.

Nothing like a nice lie down on a stony beach after 200km in the saddle...
Nothing like a nice lie down on a stony beach after 200km in the saddle...

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