London Calling

Derek White said:

Is there a book on cycle tours in and around London,
suggesting ways of seeing the Capital, but without putting
yourself in too much mortal danger on the major traffic
highways?

You can get free maps from here.

sustrans.org.ukcontent.aspOpen ↗

Derek White said:

Is there a book on cycle tours in and around London,
suggesting ways of seeing the Capital, but without putting
yourself in too much mortal danger on the major traffic
highways?

Have you tried the London Cycle Guide? It's published by,
uh, something like Hayes or Haynes, I'm not sure. I'll check
the details when I get back home tonight.

It's got 25 rides in or around London, many of them partly
or completely off-road, or through low-traffic streets

Eugenio

P.S. Not sure where you can get it. I bought mine at Evans,
and I've seen it in a number of LBSs...
P.P. You could also try joining the LCC - they organize a
lot of weekend rides in London, usually led by someone
knowledgeable about traffic-free areas - but avoid
those led by Sprocket John, the speed-crazed pensioner
of Barnet LCC, or you'll end up scaring motorists off
the road just to keep up with him 🙂

Derek White" wrote...

Quoted message said:

Is there a book on cycle tours in and around London,
suggesting ways of seeing the Capital, but without putting
yourself in too much mortal danger on the major traffic
highways?

Lonely Planet publish a guidebook titled Cycling Britain,
which includes a short cycling tour around London, as well
as directions for cycling from Heathrow Airport to downtown
London (I'll let you know how that works next month...). You
might be better off trying to borrow a copy, since the focus
is a bit broad for your stated intentions.
--
mark

Eugenio Mastroviti <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

P.S. Not sure where you can get it. I bought mine at
Evans, and I've seen it in a number of LBSs...
P.P.S. You could also try joining the LCC - they organize
a lot of weekend rides in London, usually led by
someone knowledgeable about traffic-free areas -
but avoid those led by Sprocket John, the speed-
crazed pensioner of Barnet LCC, or you'll end up
scaring motorists off the road just to keep up with
him 🙂

Sprocket John got some friendly advice from the Police
recently...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden] Edgware.

"Derek White" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Is there a book on cycle tours in and around London,
suggesting

ways of

Quoted message said:

seeing the Capital, but without putting yourself in too
much mortal

danger

Quoted message said:

on the major traffic highways?

Bike maps of London are free. It takes 19 maps to cover the
whole of London. Map 10 in central London. Get them by
phoning the same phone number as for bus and tube maps 020-7222-
1234. You can sometimes find racks of the local map in tube
stations. They will probably reappear in April. There's
also a free bike map showing the whole of London on one
sheet, but official bike routes only. That's more difficult
to get hold of - try a library in London. The latest
edition is 2002.

For guide books, there are Nicky Crowther, "The London Cycle
Guide", Haynes, and Simon Forty, Cycling without Traffic:
London", Dial House.

Sustrans has a map showing routes alongside the Thames in
London, and other maps showing the route W. to Reading and
Oxford, and S or E to Brighton, Dover etc.

My favourite guide book is the long out of print "Bart's CTC
Guide to Cycling in and around London" by John Franklin, the
same John Franklin who wrote "Cyclecraft"

Jeremy Parker

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

Sprocket John got some friendly advice from the Police
recently...

??

--
Opinions are like [censored] -- everyone's got one, but nobody
wants to look at the other guy's.

Eugenio Mastroviti <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

On Fri, 12 Mar 2004 21:21:54 +0000, Helen Deborah
Vecht wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Sprocket John got some friendly advice from the Police
recently...

Quoted message said:

??

I think he was clocked at 50mph going down the A41 in
Hendon... ... they wondered if he was on drugs.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden] Edgware.

I did that heathrow to london ride using the lonely planet
book. The route is fine but the map in the book is really
insufficient. perhaps transcribe it on to the LCC maps.

It is not a particuarly pleasent route but it gets you
there.

"Robertfrench1" wrote ...

Quoted message said:

I did that heathrow to london ride using the lonely planet
book. The route

is

Quoted message said:

fine but the map in the book is really insufficient.
perhaps transcribe it

on

Quoted message said:

to the LCC maps.

It is not a particuarly pleasent route but it gets
you there.

Do you know of a more pleasant route? I have to get myself
and my bike from Heathrow to Euston Station in late April,
and Holland Park to Heathrow in late May. TIA
--
mark

On 15/3/04 8:54 am, in article
[email hidden], "mark"

Quoted message said:

"Robertfrench1" wrote ...

Quoted message said:

I did that heathrow to london ride using the lonely
planet book. The route

is

Quoted message said:

fine but the map in the book is really insufficient.
perhaps transcribe it

on

Quoted message said:

to the LCC maps.

It is not a particuarly pleasent route but it gets
you there.

Do you know of a more pleasant route? I have to get myself
and my bike from Heathrow to Euston Station in late April,
and Holland Park to Heathrow in late May.

Heathrow express and cycle from/to paddington?

Alternatively I'd personally go along the A4020 uxbridge
road and dive down through Hayes (but I'm like that).

..d

"David Martin" wrote

Quoted message said:

Heathrow express and cycle from/to paddington?

Alternatively I'd personally go along the A4020 uxbridge
road and dive

down

Quoted message said:

through Hayes (but I'm like that).

..d

I thought about Heathrow Express but
1. I had heard that there were restrictions on bicycles

2. I've got an overnight flight arriving at 11 AM at
Heathrow followed by an overnight train ride leaving
Euston at 11 PM, and I'd like to get some exercise.

3. Getting a fully loaded touring bike in and out of train
stations and on and off trains is a nuisance, for myself
and the other passengers (been there, f**k that). Getting
in and out of the airports and on and off the train to
Edinburgh will be nuisance enough, thank you.

How bad is the traffic on the A4020? Or was that a facetious
suggestion?
--
mark

"mark" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"David Martin" wrote

Quoted message said:

Heathrow express and cycle from/to paddington?

Alternatively I'd personally go along the A4020 uxbridge
road and dive

down

Quoted message said:

through Hayes (but I'm like that).

..d

I thought about Heathrow Express but
1. I had heard that there were restrictions on bicycles

2. I've got an overnight flight arriving at 11 AM at
Heathrow followed by

an

Quoted message said:

overnight train ride leaving Euston at 11 PM, and I'd like
to get some exercise.

3. Getting a fully loaded touring bike in and out of train
stations and on and off trains is a nuisance, for
myself and the other passengers (been there, f**k
that). Getting in and out of the airports and on and
off the train to Edinburgh will be nuisance enough,
thank you.

How bad is the traffic on the A4020? Or was that a
facetious suggestion?
--
mark

Not too bad between rush hours, but a more attractive
route if you've got all day is go along the Bath Road
(A4) to Cranford, turn left into High Street towards
Hayes Bulls Bridge and pick up the Grand Union Canal all
the way into central London. (Be careful to follow the
main canal (northwards) from Bulls Bridge, and not the
Brentford branch).

"mark" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

How bad is the traffic on the A4020? Or was that a
facetious suggestion?

A4020 is not bad but has a huge number of traffic lights and
pelican crossings along its length. There are 'cycle
facilities' along quite long stretches, the quality of which
is variable. The 'Uxbridge' Road is the old road from London
to Oxford and is continuous with Oxford Street.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden] Edgware.

"Orienteer" wrote ...

Quoted message said:

"mark" wrote

Quoted message said:

"David Martin" wrote

Quoted message said:

Heathrow express and cycle from/to paddington?

Alternatively I'd personally go along the A4020
uxbridge road and dive

down

Quoted message said:

through Hayes (but I'm like that).

..d

I thought about Heathrow Express but
1. I had heard that there were restrictions on bicycles

2. I've got an overnight flight arriving at 11 AM at
Heathrow followed

by

Quoted message said:

an

Quoted message said:

overnight train ride leaving Euston at 11 PM, and I'd
like to get some exercise.

3. Getting a fully loaded touring bike in and out of
train stations and

on

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and off trains is a nuisance, for myself and the other
passengers (been there, f**k that). Getting in and out
of the airports and on and off the train to Edinburgh
will be nuisance enough, thank you.

How bad is the traffic on the A4020? Or was that a
facetious suggestion?
--
mark

Not too bad between rush hours, but a more attractive
route if you've got all day is go along the Bath Road (A4)
to Cranford, turn left into High Street towards Hayes
Bulls Bridge and pick up the Grand Union Canal all

the

Quoted message said:

way into central London. (Be careful to follow the main
canal (northwards) from Bulls Bridge, and not the
Brentford branch).

My flight lands at 12:45 PM (just checked the timetable),
and I should probably be at Euston station before dark. I
think I'll keep these routes in mind, and pick what looks
like the best option after I land, clear customs, and get
the bike and gear sorted out. Dave Martin's suggestion of
the A4020 sounds good for the return trip, since I'll
probably want to get to the airport as quickly as possible.

Thanks very much for the advice, everyone. It's good to
know that I've got a few options for the trip to and from
the airport.
--
mark

On 17/3/04 3:03 am, in article
[email hidden], "mark"

Quoted message said:

My flight lands at 12:45 PM (just checked the timetable),
and I should probably be at Euston station before dark. I
think I'll keep these routes in mind, and pick what looks
like the best option after I land, clear customs, and get
the bike and gear sorted out. Dave Martin's suggestion of
the A4020 sounds good for the return trip, since I'll
probably want to get to the airport as quickly as
possible.

I'd go with the GUC route for the way in, and A4020 or
similar for the way out.

Quoted message said:

Thanks very much for the advice, everyone. It's good to
know that I've got a few options for the trip to and from
the airport.

As with all cycling in London, it helps to have a few
alternative routes, and preferably a few alternative
destinations.

..d

Quoted message said:

--
mark

"David Martin" wrote ...

Quoted message said:

mark said:

My flight lands at 12:45 PM (just checked the
timetable), and I should probably be at Euston station
before dark. I think I'll keep these

routes in

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

mind, and pick what looks like the best option after I
land, clear

customs,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and get the bike and gear sorted out. Dave Martin's
suggestion of the

A4020

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

sounds good for the return trip, since I'll probably
want to get to the airport as quickly as possible.

I'd go with the GUC route for the way in, and A4020 or
similar for the way out. ..d

That's what I had in mind. I'll be inbound the afternoon
of April 27, and outbound the morning of May 26. If you
spot a fully loaded green and white tourer, give a wave,
it'll be me.
--
mark