Fun tours/ Day rides short train journey from London

Mr_Tom1
Mr_Tom1 Posts: 4
edited April 2008 in Tour & expedition
I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for some easy rides a short distance from London. Last summer I was full of epic plans for long distance tours but for various reasons it didn't work out! At the moment I'm pretty out of practice and was wondering about doing some short rides, maybe staying one night somewhere, just to build up my fitness and get a feel for what touring is like. I was thinking maybe somewhere near Brighton/ the South Downs. Any ideas would be much appreciated!! :idea:

Comments

  • hosiescott
    hosiescott Posts: 77
    how about waterloo station on train to petersfield, then....
    south harting
    treyford
    bepton
    cocking
    graffham
    (lovely quiet B roads)
    bignor roman villa (nice pub, camp somewhere near here, wild camp on the downs maybe)
    then
    arundel see the castle
    then back on train, or join the south downs bridleway offroad (tyres, bike permitting) to brighton and back on the train?

    gorgeous scenery all along that route
  • Mr_Tom1
    Mr_Tom1 Posts: 4
    Thanks, that looks like just the kind of thing I was after :D Any suggestions for which kind of maps to use? Just normal Ordnance Survey ones maybe?
  • hosiescott
    hosiescott Posts: 77
    if you don't have the os map, save some money and use the os map feature in multimap, and do a screen dump of your route. then print it out. should fit on 3-4 pages of a4!

    btw: waterloo to petersfield is direct, only takes 1 1/4 hours. not sure about arundel>london , brighton>london
  • andymiller
    andymiller Posts: 2,856
    The Nick Cotton books are worth buying (though you might well be able to find similar routes on the internet). I think there's one that is actually a best of the series.

    There's great riding an hour or so out of all of the London stations. What about the Suffolk coastal route (there's also a nice circuit within Suffolk via Lavenham). Norfolk from King's Lynn or Norwich. Kent around Headcorn or go out to the coast. Canterbury to Deal and along the coast is nice. There's a great ride in Sussex going to various castles (eg Bodiam).

    The Sustrans website is a useful resource.
    Italy Cycling Guide
  • Mr_Tom1
    Mr_Tom1 Posts: 4
    That's great! Thanks... lots of stuff to be getting on with :D I will try and put some photos up once I have done one of the rides.

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