London ride - Saturday, help me with a route please

[richardxjr]

I find myself with 5-6 hours to kill in London on Saturday, so If the weather looks dryish I'm thinking of chucking the bike in the boot, drop kids off at their exhibition at Excel, park at Tobacco Dock and set off from there.

I'm thinking ride to Richmond Park, a lap or two, bite to eat there, then ride back. I know my way about reasonably by car but have never ridden in London before.

I'd like to see some sights on my way, follow the river as much as poss (at least one way) and hopefully not get killed. Thinking through the (quiet) City, embankment, Chelsea, Putney Bridge, then it looks like the Thames Path from there is cyclable - surface ok for a road bike?

I'll not be flying along, perhaps 50 miles in all? Any help or other suggestions welcome! Oh, I haven't got mappable gps so would like to keep route simple if poss.

[okgo]

Would not ride down thames path if I were you, its crap

here is my commute route, looks like it should show you where you need to go http://www.strava.com/activities/90697545

[Not Ideal]

Richmond Park and then head to Windsor Castle and back ?? Some nice routes around there I ride on occasion.

[voicey]

What type of bike do you have? There's a nice ride up the canals from Limehouse to the Lee Valley reservoirs but it's on the tow path for much of the way.

[ccr32]

If you're on a road bike and you're out east, I'd stay out east if I were you - riding through central London will not be quiet even on a Saturday, and I find that the weekends tend to bring out (even more of) the idiot car drivers too.

Richmond Park is of course quite nice to ride around, though would be a bit of a mission for you to get there and not (what I would view as) particularly pleasurable riding to get there. Would also rule out the Thames Path too if you are on anything skinnier-wheeled than a hybrid (a lot of it west of Putney-ish is just gravel or rough tarmac) - an MTB is probably preferable at this time of year come to think of it!

If you want to see the sights of London, then fair enough, but be prepared for lots of stopping and starting at lights and dodging buses, taxis and fking Addison fking Lee dipsts everywhere.

If I were you, then I'd be heading out further east and trying to make the coast and back (that said, I don't know any roads out that way). Or south of ExCeL and out into the Kent countryside, which is much nicer than smelly London.

(Just my 2p's worth obviously - such views come as standard from a London cyclist commuter!)

[richardxjr]

voicey said:

What type of bike do you have?

A few But want to take the road bike. (It'll fit in the Lexus' boot for a start!) Thanks for the route okgo, I could do a loop including all the royal parks I suppose.

Shame the actual riverside path is a no-no. A bit like our seafront here where we're mostly still banned.

[anonymous-user]

Personally I'd head out east towards Gravesend or Southend as I'd guess there must be some nice quiet roads out that way?!

you can take bikes on the DLR and its normally fairly quiet on a Saturday so that might get you out of the centre quickly?

[richardxjr]

voicey said:

There's a nice ride up the canals from Limehouse to the Lee Valley reservoirs but it's on the tow path for much of the way.

This is sounding more pleasant. I could park and start at Hackney marshes from a quick look. Mtb this route then on to Epping forest?

Is it terribly muddy in the forest right now?

[bugeyewrx]

You can cut across to Epping from the Lee Valley at Gunpowder park then back down to Wanstead flats off road. Here's the route I use - Strava linky.

Is it muddy in Epping... fire roads are obviously fine, the rest .....

[voicey]

I think this is the leaflet I used when I first went out on a ride that way:

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/sites/default/files/doc...

[richardxjr]

bugeyewrx said:

Here's the route I use - Strava linky.

Thanks for that. Kings Oak pub looks a reasonable half way point. Then a hill and I guess mostly downhill muddy singletrack. Could be more fun than getting squashed by an Addison Lee

[bugeyewrx]

The bit from the Kings Oak down through the forest on the Strava link is fire roads... after Whitehall Rd it's mainly muddy single track until the flats.

There's another option if you wanted to drive up to Epping. A group called MBRO35 ride from Bury road on Saturdays at 11:00 am - facebook group . I've not ridden with them before, as I'm usually busy on Saturday mornings, but I've bumped into a couple of them and they seem a decent bunch I think they ride in two groups ... fast and slow I'm planning on joining the slow bunch this Saturday if they are riding.

[Gizmoish]

richardxjr said:

bugeyewrx said:

Here's the route I use - Strava linky.

Thanks for that. Kings Oak pub looks a reasonable half way point. Then a hill and I guess mostly downhill muddy singletrack. Could be more fun than getting squashed by an Addison Lee

If you go that way, don't give the Kings Oak your business. Head down the hill towards Loughton, go to the bacon hut. Then follow the Green Ride south towards Chingford.


Plenty if good on-road riding out Essex side though : from Excel you could head up and out towards Ongar and then loop back.

[z4chris99]

what time OP? I live in East London and was planning my usual few laps of richmond park on Saturday.

[richardxjr]

Planning on 10.30 back 3.30. Weather's looking good SW wind which I won't want to return into.

[richardxjr]

Stuck with road in the end. Richmond Park's quite busy isn't it! Had a good day and only nearly got squashed by one bus. It's 15 years since I lived and worked up that London, so enjoyed cycling around the old haunts. Cycle superhighways seem a good idea, it gets a bit wiggly and narrow up towards the Isle of Dogs, bet that's interesting at rush hour.

Looking at the Epping photos I think I made the right call, far too gloopy for me! Thanks for the help,

[Gizmoish]

richardxjr said:

Cycle superhighways seem a good idea

In theory.

http://road.cc/content/news/96380-cycle-superhighw...

Was a good day for a ride I think