LEL - Travelling from airports to Lee valley

[LEL]

I have had a few requests on the best routes from Heathrow and gatwick to Lee Valley

Anyone down that neck of the wood have any  good suggestions?

[mikewigley]

I have had a few requests on the best routes from Heathrow and gatwick to Lee Valley

Anyone down that neck of the wood have any  good suggestions?

Try free maps from Free local cycle guides | Transport for London

You would probably want sheets 6, 7, 4 (and possibly 3) from Heathrow (about 50km) and 12, 14, 7 and 4 from Gatwick (70km)

[Greenbank]

Neither are particularly nice rides. Getting out of the airport complexes isn't that easy and with Gatwick you've got to traverse central London which may not be to everyone's tastes.

Someone who's done the Friday Night Right To The Coast should be along to suggest a clever route out of Gatwick...

[Martin]

Someone who's done the Friday Night Right To The Coast should be along to suggest a clever route out of Gatwick...

there's only one nice way out of Gatwick unless you like NCN 21  

past Schlumberger House then out onto the B2036; thence I would suggest my way into work as far as Tower Bridge (London roads rationalised to stick to easy to follow A roads)

flat it isn't; but stays off busy roads as much as possible

otherwise just out onto the B2036 N and A23 all the way is flattest

Bicycle Path - Gatwick- Tower Bridge at Bikely.com

[αdαmsκι]

with Gatwick you've got to traverse central London which may not be to everyone's tastes.

Someone who's done the Friday Night Right To The Coast should be along to suggest a clever route out of Gatwick...

I realise for people planning on doing LEL, this may be seen as heresy. However, First Capital Connect to London Bridge would be my choice.

[hellymedic]

with Gatwick you've got to traverse central London which may not be to everyone's tastes.

Someone who's done the Friday Night Right To The Coast should be along to suggest a clever route out of Gatwick...

I realise for people planning on doing LEL, this may be seen as heresy. However, First Capital Connect to London Bridge would be my choice.

To London Bridge is OK.
I would have suggested taking a FCC train right through London to St Albans, then pootling through Hertfordshire.
Unfortunately there are no weekend Thameslink through trains at the moment.

[simonp]

Can you get to KX Thameslink?  Not far to walk to Kings Cross (unless your bike is bagged in which case: good luck!  I tried the reverse trip once, it was Not Fun).  It's about 1/4 mile so easy to walk pushing the bike.

London Bridge to Kings Cross I used to cycle regularly.  It's not too bad a route.  If anyone wants I can provide a gpx showing the route I used to use.

[αdαmsκι]

Can you get to KX Thameslink?  Not far to walk to Kings Cross (unless your bike is bagged in which case: good luck!  I tried the reverse trip once, it was Not Fun).  It's about 1/4 mile so easy to walk pushing the bike.

The Thameslink station no longer exists and First Capital Connect trains now stop St. Pancras, which is even closer to Kings Cross. However, I've no idea what the situation is with weekend FCC trains, apart from what Hellymedic mentioned two posts back.

[simonp]

Just looked at the FCC website; there's no service between London Bridge and St Pancras.  So anyone crossing London with a bike will need to cycle that section (you can't take the bike on the Underground on the Northern Line).  If the bike is bagged, maybe a taxi.

It's about 15 minutes to cycle between London Bridge and Kings Cross / St Pancras.

[mkpaa]

What do you think of cycling from Heatrow to Cheshunt via cycling route 61? It is a lot longer (about 100km), but is probably easy to follow(?). Has someone ridden that route? Route is available at OpenStreetMap cycling map.

I'll rather not ride through London center if I have options. Mainly cause I don't have any experience of riding on left side of road.

[simonp]

Use opencyclemap.org

OpenCycleMap.org - the OpenStreetMap Cycle Map

It highlights the NCN routes so they're easier to find.

The problem with these cycle routes is they can be quite convoluted routes.  There are signposts but it can be easy to get lost.  I would probably only consider following such a long route if I had a GPS.

[mkpaa]

openstreemap.org also has the same cycle map layer. Along with a few others.

Is there some other good route to avoid downtown London and get near Cheshunt? How safe are roads on average? I do have a road map of the area. Can I simply follow that?

[Really Ancien]

What do you think of cycling from Heatrow to Cheshunt via cycling route 61? It is a lot longer (about 100km), but is probably easy to follow(?). Has someone ridden that route? Route is available at OpenStreetMap cycling map.

I'll rather not ride through London center if I have options. Mainly cause I don't have any experience of riding on left side of road.

That's the route I would take, you are a long distance cyclist, 100km should be no problem, the traffic lights on the route through London are bad.

Damon.

[mkpaa]

Ended up riding from Heatrow to Windsor and then more or less straigth to Cheshunt and another 10km to hotel in Roydon. Riding on left is still creepy. I hope it gets easier before LEL. I had to stop atleast 10 times when coming to crossing/roundabout and think "what the heck is happening now". 

[simonp]

Hope you enjoyed the trip.

It will get easier with time.  You still have tomorrow to practice and get used to it.  Us Brits have the same problem with touring in most foreign countries, and PBP.  The time it's most likely to go wrong is when you think you've got it.  I had that problem in France when I was touring a few years ago - switched off and turned left at a junction onto the wrong side of the road, and then had to pull over straight away as there was a car coming. 

Here in Cambridge we get a lot of foreign students and they are notorious for riding on the wrong side of the road.  One colleague years ago was going around a roundabout on his bike and was confronted by about 30 bikes coming the wrong way. 

On LEL, follow people with Audax UK tops, and do what they do. 

[frankly frankie]

On LEL, follow people with Audax UK tops, and do what they do. 

This advice comes with the usual disclaimers, I hope! 

[simonp]

On LEL, follow people with Audax UK tops, and do what they do. 

This advice comes with the usual disclaimers, I hope! 

In particular, DO NOT FOLLOW PETER TURNBULL.

 

[Mr Larrington]

On LEL, follow people with Audax UK tops, and do what they do. 

And FFS make sure it's Audax UK and not Willesden CC 

Oh.

Too late.