Nice local places to cycle to...

[Mation]

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.

Thanks, lovely - getting it now

thanks that's a great idea

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

Heh! When lockdown ends, I'm there. It would be wonderful to see you x

 

[Gramsci]

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.

Is that pub on Bermondsey Wall East?

I had to go from Tower Bridge to far end of Rotherhithe street few weeks back. Google maps took me along the river. Never been there before. Small lanes with no traffic and view of the river. Going past a lot of London history with old buildings.

 

[Gramsci]

If you are in Camberwell I agree with other posters cycle up to the City and its empty at this time.

Popular with skate boarders as its so empty.

 

[han]

Is that pub on Bermondsey Wall East?

I had to go from Tower Bridge to far end of Rotherhithe street few weeks back. Google maps took me along the river. Never been there before. Small lanes with no traffic and view of the river. Going past a lot of London history with old buildings.

Yes! It's one of my favourite parts of London. Next to it is a big green hump of grass which has lovely views of the river. A nice place for a picnic in the summer. I just love how traffic free that whole area is, and not many people either. Very chilled.

 

[Orang Utan]

Another vote for the Thames path here. One of my favourite parts of London is the industrial ruins of the Greenwich peninsula and it’s worth exploring further east too. There are some great sights such as the Thames Barrier, the foot tunnels, a power station that burns sewage and looks like a goose (it also has loads of geese in its grounds), the beauty of Victorian engineering evinced by Bazalgatte’s Crossness Pumping Station, and you might see rabbits in the evening in the further reaches. I even saw a sloworm on the path once in Erith. And yes it’s still London, so it still counts as local!

 

[ash]

Another vote for the Thames path here. One of my favourite parts of London is the industrial ruins of the Greenwich peninsula and it’s worth exploring further east too. There are some great sights such as the Thames Barrier, the foot tunnels, a power station that burns sewage and looks like a goose (it also has loads of geese in its grounds), the beauty of Victorian engineering evinced by Bazalgatte’s Crossness Pumping Station, and you might see rabbits in the evening in the further reaches. I even saw a sloworm on the path once in Erith. And yes it’s still London, so it still counts as local!

The industrial ruins are now mostly identikit luxury flats these days I’m afraid.

 

[hash tag]

Here you go, from today, the Wandle trail looking South towards Plough Road SW19.
Same stretch but heading are from Plough Road. Used by cyclists

 

[hash tag]

It was one of London's hardest working rivers

 

[Mation]

Went for a very modest ride today. Never been to Battersea Park before, so thought I'd go.

It was absolutely rammed, and not in the least bit relaxing

The only bit that wasn't heaving


However, my phone mounting thingy is on its way to me, so I'll be able to be a bit more adventurous next time, and will try some of the excellent suggestions on this thread!

 

[hash tag]

Went for a very modest ride today. Never been to Battersea Park before, so thought I'd go.

It was absolutely rammed, and not in the least bit relaxing

The only bit that wasn't heaving
View attachment 249649

However, my phone mounting thingy is on its way to me, so I'll be able to be a bit more adventurous next time, and will try some of the excellent suggestions on this thread!

The Park is very well looked after and has much going for it. I hope you didn't cycle by the river. I've seen people fined for that! If you think the park is busy, imagine what the Thames Path is like
Ps. I hope you doffed your cap and the mansion blocks in Prince of Wales Drive. Be wary of buying in them, I think only one block, perhaps 2 has a lift and some blocks are 5 stories high

 

[Mation]

The Park is very well looked after and has much going for it. I hope you didn't cycle by the river. I've seen people fined for that! If you think the park is busy, imagine what the Thames Path is like

I didn't, no - it looked even more crowded. Are you not allowed to cycle there? I've seen lots of people doing it when (I've been) walking.

 

[hash tag]

I didn't, no - it looked even more crowded. Are you not allowed to cycle there? I've seen lots of people doing it when (I've been) walking.

Definitely. Not.

 

[Winot]

Definitely. Not.

Cos the people who own the riverside apartments are wankers.

 

[Orang Utan]

The Park is very well looked after and has much going for it. I hope you didn't cycle by the river. I've seen people fined for that! If you think the park is busy, imagine what the Thames Path is like
Ps. I hope you doffed your cap and the mansion blocks in Prince of Wales Drive. Be wary of buying in them, I think only one block, perhaps 2 has a lift and some blocks are 5 stories high

The London stretch of the Thames Path is a shared use path isn’t it?

 

[hash tag]

It's in the park and governed by the park.There no flats on the riverside of Battersea park. The path by the river in the park is reserved for peds and dog walkers.

 

[Orang Utan]

It's in the park and governed by the park.There no flats on the riverside of Battersea park. The path by the river in the park is reserved for peds and dog walkers.

There are cycle routes through it though. It’s a great park to cycle in, used to do it every day when I lived in Brixton and worked in White City

 

[hash tag]

I agree. There are designated cycle paths of which the path by the river which is a footpath. People have been fined for riding along it. This is that path

 

[prunus]

From Camberwell it's about 5ish miles depending on quite where you start and what route you take (maybe 6...) but Beckenham Place Park is well worth a visit. Huge open space - about twice the size of Brockwell Park (more if you include the fields on the other side of the railway line). Coming at it from the NW side entrance (as one does from hereabouts) there are lovely sweeping views, down to woodland at the bottom of the valley. They even have a dedicated cycle loop route round the whole thing that goes through the woods and is a lovely ride. There's a swimming lake in summer, and a cafe in the house in the middle (doing takeaway at the moment). It's big enough that even when busy it doesn't really feel too crowded. Keep it under your hat.

 

[ska invita]

ive made you a little route here Mation
its pretty flat - avoids all major climbs
you need to get yourself to peckham rye to start
begins with a few backstreets, but once you get to ladywell its all off road and goes along siderivers and through parks.
at the end tun back, but to extend it you can cut over to Beckenham Place Park

Plotted here

River Ride on plotaroute.com

Route map for 'River Ride' - a 9.3km cycle route near SE22, UK. Plotted with the plotaroute.com route planner.

www.plotaroute.com

Its basically this, the waterlink way

Waterlink Way Cycle Route

This largely traffic free bike ride runs along <a href='/routes/home.nsf/RoutesLinksCycle/national-cycle-route-21-cycle-route'>National Cycle Route 21</a> from Beckenham to the Cutty Sark on the Thames

www.gps-routes.co.uk

 

[prunus]

ive made you a little route here Mation
its pretty flat - avoids all major climbs
you need to get yourself to peckham rye to start
begins with a few backstreets, but once you get to ladywell its all off road and goes along siderivers and through parks.
at the end tun back, but to extend it you can cut over to Beckenham Place Park

Plotted here

River Ride on plotaroute.com

Route map for 'River Ride' - a 9.3km cycle route near SE22, UK. Plotted with the plotaroute.com route planner.

www.plotaroute.com

View attachment 249852

Its basically this, the waterlink way

Waterlink Way Cycle Route

This largely traffic free bike ride runs along <a href='/routes/home.nsf/RoutesLinksCycle/national-cycle-route-21-cycle-route'>National Cycle Route 21</a> from Beckenham to the Cutty Sark on the Thames

www.gps-routes.co.uk

Nice, I may nick that if I may...?

 

[ska invita]

Nice, I may nick that if I may...?

of course! ive been up and down that river nonstop all year, its a nice ride. a fair few foot pedestrians about especially on weekends, so have to be prepared to let people by. but crucially its basically flat!! you can also combine a hill climb of hilly fields into the north end for a bit of sweating

 

[Winot]

From Camberwell it's about 5ish miles depending on quite where you start and what route you take (maybe 6...) but Beckenham Place Park is well worth a visit. Huge open space - about twice the size of Brockwell Park (more if you include the fields on the other side of the railway line). Coming at it from the NW side entrance (as one does from hereabouts) there are lovely sweeping views, down to woodland at the bottom of the valley. They even have a dedicated cycle loop route round the whole thing that goes through the woods and is a lovely ride. There's a swimming lake in summer, and a cafe in the house in the middle (doing takeaway at the moment). It's big enough that even when busy it doesn't really feel too crowded. Keep it under your hat.

Agreed it’s great. Went there for the first time recently (and I’ve been cycling around London for 25 years).

 

[Brixton Hatter]

...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

Dulwich Park - up Camberwell Grove, along champion hill, down Greendale path, calton avenue, then into Dulwich village.

can also extend that by heading up Upland road and up through the gardens to Dawsons Heights, one of the best views in London.

if you want to go further, head from Dulwich Park up college road to Crystal Palace park. Big hill but worth it.

Or you can go up to Crystal Palace via Dulwich wood avenue & farquar road. Again, big hill but you can check out the Dulwich Upper Woods near Bowley lane on the way.

Could do a loop taking in Ruskin Park, Elam street open space, and Myatts fields (and burgess park if you want to go further. At the end of burgess park is the old canal path to Peckham.)

 

[hash tag]

Hills included

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Hills included

Hills are the fun bit !

 

[pianistenvy]

The Waterlink Way is nice and not too far to pick up from Camberwell. Waterlink Way

I also like cycling up to the bagel shop on Brick Lane, it's pretty quiet at the moment in the city

 

[editor]

Bit late to post this but if you fancy a midnight ride, it's bloody lovely cycling through the city. There's almost no traffic at all.

In photos: a midnight bike ride through central London in lockdown, Jan 2021 -

Since I've walked around every single park within a three mile radius of my Brixton home, l thought it was time to venture further afield, and dust off my Dahon folding bike and do some night cycling as my daily lockdown exercise. My first trip saw me heading off for a quick ten mile midnight ride

www.urban75.org