Nice local places to cycle to...

[Mation]

...within, say, a 3-5 mile radius of Camberwell (for me)? Or other starting points? (Short distance in the spirit of current restrictions.)

New to cycling. Still don't know lots of south London very well. Bad at going out without a more specific purpose than exercise or shopping. Having a destination would help. Obvs not looking for places to interact with people; just places to go to, to get me out of the house.

Where's good? By good, I mean a lovely view, or a challenge, or a sight to see, or... other stuff I haven't thought of

 

[Mation]

If it helps, I promise to post mundane pictures of the places you suggest I go to, should I go to them

 

[wtfftw]

Horniman gardens? I heard there's a view maybe.

 

[Fez909]

The OS maps website is good for this kind of thing.

Go to the website: OS Maps: online mapping and walking, running and cycling routes
Search for your starting point
Click the button in the top left to open the menu
Select "Routes" then "Discover routes"
Click the bike picture
Untick the "Show only premium routes" button
Now loads of cycle routes will appear

Set your miles to limit it to something manageable and have a look to see if you fancy it

 

[Rushy]

...within, say, a 3-5 mile radius of Camberwell (for me)? Or other starting points? (Short distance in the spirit of current restrictions.)

New to cycling. Still don't know lots of south London very well. Bad at going out without a more specific purpose than exercise or shopping. Having a destination would help. Obvs not looking for places to interact with people; just places to go to, to get me out of the house.

Where's good? By good, I mean a lovely view, or a challenge, or a sight to see, or... other stuff I haven't thought of

We cycled to Trafalgar Square on Xmas day. Through lots of interesting back roads that I'm not all that familiar with and then back down Whitehall. Use CityMapper to find you the quiet route.

Horniman gardens? I heard there's a view maybe.

And if you're feeling fit, turn R at the Horniman and climb up to Sydenham Woods. Or is it Dulwich woods? Never quite sure. Anyway, the main paths in the woods can be quite busy but there are loads of quiet paths where you don't see a soul. Lots of fence to chain your bike to whilst you go for a walk.

 

[Brainaddict]

Yes, I was going to say Dulwich woods. I trespassed on the golf course at Dulwich as well in first lockdown, that was fun. Also One Tree Hill. Can also be nice to get to the river and cycle along there for a bit.

 

[Mation]

Thanks for the responses

Yes, I was going to say Dulwich woods. I trespassed on the golf course at Dulwich as well in first lockdown, that was fun. Also One Tree Hill. Can also be nice to get to the river and cycle along there for a bit.

Yes, I really want to do some along the river cycling, but am a bit nervous about which bits are gentle paths that suddenly become blocked, leading to unfamiliar motorised hell.

 

[zora]

I walked from Kennington to Greenwich Park a little while back. That was quite a satisfying mission. There as the crow flies (actually, I had lovely Burgess Park and the Old Surrey Canal on my way there, which was lovely, but they wouldn't be on your route from Camberwell), back via Lewisham, Brockley, Peckham Rye Common. Google Maps has Camberwell to Greenwich as 4.9 miles

 

[Mation]

The OS maps website is good for this kind of thing.

Go to the website: OS Maps: online mapping and walking, running and cycling routes
Search for your starting point
Click the button in the top left to open the menu
Select "Routes" then "Discover routes"
Click the bike picture
Untick the "Show only premium routes" button
Now loads of cycle routes will appear

Set your miles to limit it to something manageable and have a look to see if you fancy it

Love your instructions

It'll take me a while to get used to how the map looks and what the results mean, but this is very helpful.

 

[Mation]

I walked from Kennington to Greenwich Park a little while back. That was quite a satisfying mission. There as the crow flies (actually, I had lovely Burgess Park and the Old Surrey Canal on my way there, which was lovely, but they wouldn't be on your route from Camberwell), back via Lewisham, Brockley, Peckham Rye Common. Google Maps has Camberwell to Greenwich as 4.9 miles

This canal?

 

[Rushy]

Yes, I was going to say Dulwich woods. I trespassed on the golf course at Dulwich as well in first lockdown, that was fun. Also One Tree Hill. Can also be nice to get to the river and cycle along there for a bit.

And I was going to mention the river!

Get the tides right and you can cycle to Blackfriars and go down to the little beach in front of The Founders Arms for a picnic. One of my favourite London spots in the summer. Not recommended during high tide

 

[zora]

This canal?

Yes! I didn't realise that other bits further East were possibly walkable...

 

[Mation]

Yes! I didn't realise that other bits further East were possibly walkable...

No, that's a very good thing to mention, as I wouldn't have spotted that some bits might only be walkable until I was there, and flummoxed!

 

[hash tag]

Me, I would head to the city. From Brixton it's flat it always used to be pretty empty at weekends and with Covid and
the extension of hours for congestion charging it could be even emptier.
There are so so many really interesting places in the City, which give plenty of excuse to stop and look (have a breather)
Hyde Park is in shooting distance and has cycle paths around it.
Sustrans do lots of good cycling stuff inc. showing the odd cycle path in London The National Cycle Network

try not to make a chore of it and enjoy.

 

[zora]

No, that's a very good thing to mention, as I wouldn't have spotted that some bits might only be walkable until I was there, and flummoxed!

Yeah I think it's not totally straightforward, basically on my walk I only walked the bit of the canal route that connects Burgess Park to Peckham, and then just walked along the main roads all the way to Greenwich.

 

[Brainaddict]

Thanks for the responses


Yes, I really want to do some along the river cycling, but am a bit nervous about which bits are gentle paths that suddenly become blocked, leading to unfamiliar motorised hell.

The stretch between Tower Bridge and Deptford is partly blocked but as far as I can remember all the roads you use are quiet back roads. Think of getting lost as part of the journey...

 

[editor]

Getting to Vauxhall and then heading west along the Thames has some lovely views. The new Battersea Power development is worth a look and there's also that wonderful bridge. You can follow the riverside path for much of the way and it's lovely around Barn Elms.

 

[hash tag]

Getting to Vauxhall and then heading west along the Thames has some lovely views. The new Battersea Power development is worth a look and there's also that wonderful bridge. You can follow the riverside path for much of the way and it's lovely around Barn Elms.

Prone to getting very busy & too many bloody cyclists treating it as a race track. Can be disconcerting as you cannot follow the river all the way.
I/we are tending to keep away from it as it gets so busy Keep orf my path, i say.

 

[Mation]

Getting to Vauxhall and then heading west along the Thames has some lovely views. The new Battersea Power development is worth a look and there's also that wonderful bridge. You can follow the riverside path for much of the way and it's lovely around Barn Elms.

On the south side?

 

[Winot]

Yeah I think it's not totally straightforward, basically on my walk I only walked the bit of the canal route that connects Burgess Park to Peckham, and then just walked along the main roads all the way to Greenwich.

There’s a decent segregated bike route that goes to Greenwich (Quietway 1):

Quietway 1 Cycle Route

 

[Orang Utan]

Waterlink Way

The Waterlink Way is a walking and cycling route from Sydenham to the Thames.

lewisham.gov.uk

I have seen a kingfisher on this route, in Catford!

 

[hash tag]

On the south side?

sadly, yes.

 

[Miss-Shelf]

thornton heath?

hopeful face

 

[Kev424242]

thornton heath?

hopeful face

For a mainly off road route you could try cutting across Mitcham Common to Beddington Lane. Then follow the footpath that's a continuation of the Wimbledon bound platform. This runs alongside the golf course. Turn sharp left just before the railway footbridge. Follow the track all the way to Beddington Park - the wetlands will be on your left. From there follow the River Wandle trail back to Waddon and you're nearly home.

 

[hash tag]

For a mainly off road route you could try cutting across Mitcham Common to Beddington Lane. Then follow the footpath that's a continuation of the Wimbledon bound platform. This runs alongside the golf course. Turn sharp left just before the railway footbridge. Follow the track all the way to Beddington Park - the wetlands will be on your left. From there follow the River Wandle trail back to Waddon and you're nearly home.

Could cycle a bit of the Wandle trail even?

 

[coldwaterswim]

I’m loving cycling to blythe hill fields and telegraph hill upper park at the moment, AMAZING views of the city

 

[Orang Utan]

I’m loving cycling to blythe hill fields and telegraph hill upper park at the moment, AMAZING views of the city

There are some amazing little parks with amazing views in Lewisham and Southwark. Wish I could remember the names of the others. One of them is in Dulwichish with a big cemetery, with some great views of the city but also, looking back, of one my favourite constructions in London, Dawson Heights.

 

[Orang Utan]

Could cycle a bit of the Wandle trail even?

Seconded - it’s great. And if you’re interested in industrial history, it’s fascinating as there are old workshops there, including one William Morris established

 

[han]

I really like cycling to the green hump by the Angel pub at Rotherhithe - so quiet, with beautiful views of the river, and completely traffic free. Then back along the river.

I highly recommend getting the CycleStreets app and mounting your phone on your bike. Doing this opened up a whole new world of cycling in London for me. Though you can use it worldwide! If you pick a point or points to navigate to, it directs you along quiet roads if you pick the quiet route setting.

 

[Miss-Shelf]

For a mainly off road route you could try cutting across Mitcham Common to Beddington Lane. Then follow the footpath that's a continuation of the Wimbledon bound platform. This runs alongside the golf course. Turn sharp left just before the railway footbridge. Follow the track all the way to Beddington Park - the wetlands will be on your left. From there follow the River Wandle trail back to Waddon and you're nearly home.

thanks that's a great idea

I was hoping to entice Mation out this way for a garden gate convo