[LEL17] Getting to Loughton for Registration

[Ray 6701]

From Euston it's a fairly straight route to Loughton.  My suggestion would be something like:

Euston Rd - Pentonville Rd - Upper St - Essex Rd - Balls Pond Rd - Dalston Lane - Lea Bridge Rd - Woodford New Rd - A104 (Epping Rd) - A121 (High Rd). 

You may have to fill in a couple of the small connecting roads whose names I can't remember.

It's not too bad a route at all - I do it many times a year and it's the start of most of my training rides.

Thanks for that toontra 

[red marley]

I'd second Toontra's advice. Easy navigation and while not pretty, is fine, even in relatively busy traffic (there are bus lanes for the most congested bits, so progress tends to be good whatever time of day). The two roundabouts mentioned upthread (Lee Bridge rbt and the one by the cattle grids) are both traffic light controlled and easy to manage.

[TimO]

... Also is Liverpool St a proper train station that you can wheel your bike into or does it involve lots of stairs/escalators? 

Liverpool Street is a proper station.....its massive being the third busiest in London  Yes, there are escalators, one flight, but I am sure there are lifts over by MacDonalds and in Bishopsgate so getting to platform level should not be a problem.

You can actually push your bike on the level in or out of Liverpool Street, if you start at the right end!  You can also use lifts if you come in the wrong way, carry you bike up or down stairs which aren't too steep, or take you bike on the escalator, which strictly speaking is a no-no, but possible if your confident, and have taken a bike on an escalator before.  I've used all four of those options, more than once each!

I wouldn't advise using the stairs or escalator if you've got luggage on the bike however, the way out on this map, marked as Broadgate (on the Lower Ground Floor), is just a slight uphill slope leaving the station.

[paul851]

From Euston it's a fairly straight route to Loughton.  My suggestion would be something like:

Euston Rd - Pentonville Rd - Upper St - Essex Rd - Balls Pond Rd - Dalston Lane - Lea Bridge Rd - Woodford New Rd - A104 (Epping Rd) - A121 (High Rd). 

You may have to fill in a couple of the small connecting roads whose names I can't remember.

It's not too bad a route at all - I do it many times a year and it's the start of most of my training rides.

Thanks for that toontra 

+1  I was undecided about riding up from Kings Cross but that has made my mind up for me 

Paul

[Revellinho]

Good to get a variety of responses - if it is lashing down I am thinking train, otherwise I will bite the bullet and attempt the ride.

[mcshroom]

I'm intending to ride up (thanks for the route toontra ).

Still haven't booked tickets so it's looking like £111 return at the moment

[Tynan]

an option, if you're not keen on finding your way through London, to is to get a train from Liverpool Street to Chingford, that'll take a bike and from there it;s about 7km or suburban rather than London roads, trees and everything

[martint235]

There is a group planning to meet in front of Buckingham Palace at 10:30 on Saturday, to pre-ride the prologue route out to registration, if anyone cares to join.

Ooh this sounds like a good idea. And a good chance for me to meet other people doing the ride. Count me in.

[RobW]

There is a group planning to meet in front of Buckingham Palace at 10:30 on Saturday, to pre-ride the prologue route out to registration, if anyone cares to join.

Ooh this sounds like a good idea. And a good chance for me to meet other people doing the ride. Count me in.

Will probably also pre-ride a part of the prologue route (from nr. Tower Hill), but most likely start off a little later - around midday to 1pm. So if anyone is aiming to ride around that time ....

[martint235]

Where shall we meet on the Saturday? Buck House or the official start?

[ir_bandito]

What are the opinions on getting to Loughton by car?
Just posted this: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=74220.0
Then saw this thread....

[Greenbank]

I'll be doing Liverpool St to Chingford (with a bike) hopefully in time to get there just before 9am. Should mean I can help out at registration all day.

[martint235]

OK if it's chucking it down I'll be under the trees next to Green Park

[simonp]

I hope registration is indoors this time!

[Somnolent]

I thought we had a thread (but cannot now find) for discussion of routes between the middle of that London place and the Loughton.

Looks like I'll be getting a lift to a point not too far distant from the registration/start before the event, but will likely be train-bound to get home on the Friday (hopefully after a bit of kip.)   Most of the train services from stations close to Loughton seem to have bike restrictions so I'm looking for suggestions of cyclable routes to Waterloo.

Doubtless there will be other riders wanting to get from London mainline stations out to the registration/start.

[inappropriate_bike]

I'd be interested in joing the ride from Central London to registration. Should be a good warm up.

I route checked this route the other day and would suggest it's a pretty good one depending on Ride London road closures:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18791867

Starting at Buckingham Palace and taking the EW cyclesuperhighway will take any out-of-towners past a pretty good spread of tourist attractions.

It then cuts up Brick Lane (past a good coffee shop and the 24 hour bagel shops for a second breakfast) before heading out along roughly the DunRun route.

There may be better options for London Fields onwards as I don't know that bit as well.

[inappropriate_bike]

It is still in the main forum:

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=73640.25

[Redlight]

I'd be interested in joing the ride from Central London to registration. Should be a good warm up.

I route checked this route the other day and would suggest it's a pretty good one depending on Ride London road closures:

There may be better options for London Fields onwards as I don't know that bit as well.

I don't think  any of the RL road closures will be in place on the Saturday - they tend to start in the early hours of Sunday. 

There isn't really a more pleasant route out from London Fields to Woodford unless you want to spend a lot of time meandering down densely-parked residential streets. Lea Bridge Road is the only viable one but it's not a lot of fun most of the time. After you've crossed the North Circular (horrible roundabout, though), the road widens a bit and is generally OK until Loughton. 

One possible alternative might be to go out through Mile End, Stratford and Leytonstone on the 'superhighway'.  At the Green Man roundabout you can then either take the road out through Snaresbrook and South Woodford, joining your route at Woodford itself or fork right, through Chigwell.  That's pretty much the way we took the Prologue last time.

[inappropriate_bike]

The RideLondon website mentions central London closures on Saturday this year, presumably for the FreeCycle. Closures don't always affect bikes though.

https://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/info-hub/road-closures/

The superhighway along Whitechapel Road to Stratford is about the same distance as going via Lee Bridge road. It might depend how many people are riding - Lee Bridge road is better in a group than solo, where as the superhighway is better solo than in a group.

If anyone is riding out on Sunday morning Whitechapel road to Stratford should be fun - there'll be 20,000 cyclists heading to RideLondon and a bit of a party atmosphere.

[Greenbank]

The RideLondon website mentions central London closures on Saturday this year, presumably for the FreeCycle. Closures don't always affect bikes though.

The main FreeCycle route is one way though, so you may be forced to go a certain way on those specific roads, but off the route (where the roads are still closed) there's usually no problem cycling as many people are using these roads to join/leave the FreeCycle route.

[Somnolent]

One possible alternative might be to go out through Mile End, Stratford and Leytonstone on the 'superhighway'.  At the Green Man roundabout you can then either take the road out through Snaresbrook and South Woodford, joining your route at Woodford itself or fork right, through Chigwell.  That's pretty much the way we took the Prologue last time.

Would that be something like http://www.gpxeditor.co.uk/routes2/users/PpPete/Loughton-Waterloo  (i've drawn it southbound to Waterloo as that's where i expect to be heading on the Friday after) ?

[inappropriate_bike]

Would that be something like http://www.gpxeditor.co.uk/routes2/users/PpPete/Loughton-Waterloo  (i've drawn it southbound to Waterloo as that's where i expect to be heading on the Friday after) ?

Assuming you want the most car/stress free ride after finishing LEL, I would turn left at KM22.2 down Jewry Street (left turn for bikes only) and continue on Coopers Row, Trinity Square to join the EW Cycle Superhighway.

Then cross the river at Blackfrairs Bridge and turn right onto Upper Ground (the bridge is contraflow so you will be on the correct side of the road for turn turn), Concert Hall Approach, ped xing, Station Approach cycle lane to get to the station. To avoid hiking your bike up the station steps cycle up the hill and round to the back door.

Keep a sharp eye out for vehicles turning left accross the cycle lane on Mile End / Bow Road. The segregation design is a bit problematic.