In London without a car, where to ride??!

nikobe

Hey guys,

I moved down to London 2 months ago and haven't been out on my bike since the move! I'm getting serious withdrawl symptoms at the moment. Trouble is that I've sold my car as it wouldn't have been worth it to keep it in general down here in London and most of the places that I can see to ride around here require a car to get to.

My question, then, does anyone know of any good riding that is reachable by train from central london. i know of Leith Hill area (sounds good) and Epping forest (not really what I'm looking for) but thats about it. Any suggestions would be great!

N

ashleymp777

Yeh, Leith Hill/Dorking would be an excellent start! 40min by train from Waterloo, you can't beat it.

toby_g

Yes Dorking is 30 minutes from Clapham Junction for me, and the ticket is £8 return.

You could also try going to High Wycombe (30 minutes out from London Marylebone), and heading up into the Chilterns.

cool.hwhip

i live near surbiton at the moment (which is literally a 10 minute train ride from Waterloo) and near to me there is Oxshott woods which is pretty much what you make it. If you go with someone who knows the area it is almost impossible to get lost which is pretty good considering how big it is. Box Hill is also nearby which is fun (if not a little uphill). Easiest way to get to Oxshott if you are interested would be to get a train from Waterloo down to Chessington South and then find your way round Whinny hill.

nikobe

Thanks guys,

CoolHwhip, where do you have to go from Chessington south to get to the woods? I couldn't quite figure it out from your instructions and google maps? I think I'll give that a go? Is there a good circular route you can do?

cool.hwhip

from chessington south station, turn right. you'll go past a school and come to a crossing at the end of the road. If you look ahead of you, there will be a cafe on the other side of the road and then a road on the left. Follow that to the top of a small hill then you will see a trail on the left.

It is difficult to describe the exact path and i tried making you a map on google maps but due to the tree cover it is understandably difficult.

Plus knowing the right directions to go in at junctions is helpful

cool.hwhip

PS. What sort of riding do you like? general MTB'ing or xc/dh?

nikobe

Cheers for that! I guess, the best description of my riding preference is all mountain. I do cross country routes mostly but much prefer the ones that have good downhill sections and technical stuff and dropoffs and jumps. I love stuff like the 7 stanes etc. and dalby forest.

mcbazza

I get the impression that Aston Hill isn't too far from Tring train station*.
I'm based in N.Watford - not so far from Tring.

So, if you fancy a train+ride to Aston Hill one weekend, give me a shout.
N.Watford is about 15-20mins from Euston, and I'm going to guess that Watford Junc to Tring would be another 15mins.

I really should get my lazy a$$ back up there now it's open again.

* of course, it could be 4-5miles, and all uphill!! I've no idea.

pemsey

Swinley Forest/The Lookout isn't far by train as I recall - Ascot & Bagshot Stations not far away and there's plenty of routes in from that way.

ESHER SHORE

if you are looking for a fun day out very close to London (only 25 mins by Train - South West trains run from London Waterloo to Esher) try Esher Shore

www.eshershore.com