Cycle destination UK?

arancio

I am off to the UK the weekend of the 20th of September plus a couple of days. I am looking for ideas on places to ride that can be reached by train form London with out spending all day on the rails. I plan on taking my road bike with a beam type rack and staying @ B&B’s or small hotels. I know a good waterproof jacket is a must but what about waterproof trousers?

APIII

Depending on what side of London you are staying, you could go North to the Chiltern Hills - get the train from Euston to Princes Risborough for example. Plenty of hills and quiet roads, pretty villages, etc. Alternatively go south to the Surrey hills. I used to ride out from Shepherd's Bush in West London and be in the countryside within the hour, but you can get a train to somewhere like Kingston upon Thames, and go from there if you don't fancy London traffic.
Both options will have you in great cycling areas in less than an hour from London.

I wouldn't bother with the waterproof trousers btw.
Hope you enjoy your trip.

arancio

I will be around the Gatwick area to start with. a 2 to 3 hour train ride is with in order though.
Thanks

arancio

Some more clarification on my question would be that I would travel by train to a town and then stay there and return to LGW for the flight home later in the week. So a one time trip by train of 3 or so hours would work
Arancio

megilleland

From Gatwick you can catch a train to Reading and from there get a Cotswold line train to the Cotswolds or The Welsh Marches quite easily. This would save you travelling across/through London and using different termini ie Victoria and Paddington. Or catch a train to Clapham Junction and change for trains to Salisbury and the West Country.

Check out the rail maps here:

and the
Cycling by Train guide:

andymiller

There's lovely countryside within easy reach of Gatwick you don't even need to come into London. There's also a train service to Reading if you fancy riding in the Thames valley or West Country.

There's great cycling within two hours of London whichever station you leave from. Quick suggestions of the top of my head to add to what people have already suggested:

- London Bridge - Kent Coast and Weald, North Downs and Weald - Sussex - North and South Downs.

- Waterloo - South Coast, New Forest, Isle of Wight;

- Liverpool Street - Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk Coast. Inland Suffolk and Essex.

I never wear waterproof trousers myself - though I know a lot of people do - I know Britain has the reputation for raining a lot but reality is that it's fairly rare to get sustained heavy rain. Mudguards are a good idea to avoid a wet ars€.

ronstrutt

I hate to plug my website yet again, but you'll find a selection of rides, many of them round the south of England within easy reach of Gatwick Airport, under "Weekend and Other Tours".

For a four-day tour the Wessex Wanderinsg one would take some beating.

www.ruralrides.net