Route Help: Dulwich to Orpington

Applespider

Need to head down to Orpington on Friday - and having only ever visited via public transport again, I have no idea of the best way to go.

Any good routes - would rather avoid dual carriageways if possible (if there are any en route) but equally don't want to turn it into a 20 mile meander through the backstreets.

Ta muchly.

dhope

Don't think there are any dual carriages around. All pretty straightforward from what I remember. Dulwich through Crystal Palace, Beckenham, West Wickham, Locksbottom, Orpington. Or Beckenham-Bromley-Locksbottom.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Yes, easy whichever way you go.

The ugliest way is to take the South Circular to Catford, then follow the signage to Bromley.

Better is to head up to CP, then down the other side through Penge, Beckenham, Bromley, Bromley Common, Locksbottom, Orpington. Plan B is to head for Bromley North station, then aim for Bickley/Chislehurst stations. Take a right between the two for Petts Wood, and aim for Orpington from there.

Whichever way you go it will be suburban roads and traffic lights for a lot of the way. Countryside is a fair way the far side of Orps.

Applespider

Thanks guys. Will plug the better routes into my iPhone and keep it handy.

Clever Pun

if you get on the A232 and it's easy from there which is what's been said before

Specialized Needs

How hilly do you want?

I don't really do hills well, so my suggestion would be to:
* head up over to Forest Hill (south circular), past Hornimans
* turn right at Forest Hill station (Dartmouth Road)
* left into Kirkdale, down to Sydenham
* across the RaB and right into Venner Road (if you still can on a bike - Newlands if not), traffic can be a little awkward here.
* Down to Penge East station, then round to Lennard Road
* Follow that down to New Beckenham - either dismount for the pedestrian underpass or Kings Hall Road/Bridge Rd to Copers Cope Road
* Turn right out of Copers Cope, over 2 sets of lights and left at 3rd set (round St George's Church) into Bromley Road.
* At next big junction go straight on to Wickham Road to the 'Chinese Roundabout' at Eden Park

Then I would choose to go:
* First exit into Hayes Lane then Pickhurst Lane (bit of a rise here, but that is unavoidable somewhere in this area), all the way to the end, turn right into Baston Road up to the A232, then left onto that and follow through Locksbottom to Orpington.

An alternative prettier and quieter route, but with a sharp, twisty, narrow uphill with impatient traffic is to go:
* Second exit into Wickham Way, follow the road into Red Lodge Road, down to Wesk Wickham Station.
* Turn left at the lights (Leisure Centre) in to Beckenham Way up to the lights at the Swan pub
* Left at the lights into Glebe Way, down to the A232, follow through to Locksbottom then Orpington.

frankieh

if you like hanging round woods I think you can go though here

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=bromley ... 6&t=h&z=18

deptfordmarmoset

FrankieH wrote:

if you like hanging round woods I think you can go though here

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=bromley ... 6&t=h&z=18

Yes, you can, I did it a few times last month. It's a pleasant short-cut between Bickley and Petts Wood. Take Thornett Wood Road and go straight on until the bottom, then right towards Tent Peg Lane, where you do a left.

EDIT: the 3 cyclestreets options send you that way ( http://www.cyclestreets.net/journey/1023987/ )

Applespider

oooh... through the woods looks like a nice little detour... assuming it's OK surface-wise with 23s?

Um... preferably not too hilly but living down this way I'm resigned to going up to Crystal Palace on a semi-regular basis. Work are considering running a trip to the Pyrenees with a jaunt up the Tourmalet in 2013 so I will have to get better at them at some point.

I will ponder all these options - thanks guys - and try to emblazon one route in my mind. I always seem to get slightly off track at some point :oops: My iPhone GPS is a godsend.

dhope

Applespider wrote:

oooh... through the woods looks like a nice little detour... assuming it's OK surface-wise with 23s?

Um... preferably not too hilly but living down this way I'm resigned to going up to Crystal Palace on a semi-regular basis. Work are considering running a trip to the Pyrenees with a jaunt up the Tourmalet in 2013 so I will have to get better at them at some point.

I will ponder all these options - thanks guys - and try to emblazon one route in my mind. I always seem to get slightly off track at some point :oops: My iPhone GPS is a godsend.

If you go via West Wickham the route couldn't be easier. From CP down through Anerley, Elmers End, Eden Park, West Wickham is basically a straight line, then left at WW high street and can probably start following the signs to Locksbottom from there

deptfordmarmoset

Applespider wrote:

oooh... through the woods looks like a nice little detour... assuming it's OK surface-wise with 23s?

If you go that way, there's absolutely no problem on 23s.