Route Suggestions - Twickenham to Barbican?

jonnyboy77

New job prospect looking like it might come to fruition, and will mean a commute into the City. Anyone have any wisdom/experience of routes from the Twickenham area through to Barbican?

I currently do a leisurely 8-10 miles, looking at maps I suspect this will be closer to 13-15 ....

Thanks

Jon

iPete

Richmond Bridge, right, up Richmond Hill and through the park.
Head along Upper Richmond road and over Putney Bridge
Take a right onto Kings road and take a right onto Edith Grove.

You are now entering The Game.


Follow Embankment/CS8/The River through Parliament Square and come off at Blackfriars.

Turn off and go through Smithfields market and find your way to work.

See you on there

mroli

I do Barnes - Barbican, in the morning I go over Hammersmith Bridge up through Kensington High St, pop into Hyde Park, The Mall, drop down to Embankment and up through the back of St Pauls.
In the PM - I go Smithfield Market down to Embankment, The Mall and A4 until Hammersmith.

MrSweary

I do through Richmond - Upper Richmond Road - Queens Drive / Bolan Death Bridge - Lower Richmond Road - Putney Bridge - New Kings Road - Embankment CS8 turning off at Blackfriars for the City - 13.3 miles. Will be switching to the park route soon to stretch the legs a bit.

If you don't fancy the Embankment thunderdome it is very easy (and surprisingly quick) to carry on along the Kings Road go round the back of Buck Pal and onto Birdcage Walk / Parliament Sq from there. I wouldn't recommend it on the way home due to the preponderance of Chelsea tractor driving yummy mummies pulling out and left hooking without looking whilst on the phone to the nanny but it is fine on the way in. Shaftesbury Ave is a complete no-no in my expereience btw.

Embankment is fine at the mo at least around 7.30am.. no doubt it will be hell on wheels come the summer. Practice your shoulder checks!

jonnyboy77

Thanks for the input folks. If anyone feels like sharing a route with me via Strava, GPX or similar I'd be eternally grateful. This is me on Strava: http://app.strava.com/athletes/125938 (try not to laugh ...)

I'm study the various routes on mapmyride.com at the moment, to try and make sense of them. I feel a few weekend rides into town may be on the horizon!

Thanks

Jon

iPete

If you can view this, this is the route described above (ignore random kings road detour, roadworks). If not I can mapmyride it at home.

http://app.strava.com/activities/9074052

MrSweary

jonnyboy77 wrote:

Thanks for the input folks. If anyone feels like sharing a route with me via Strava, GPX or similar I'd be eternally grateful.

I'll pm you a Strava link if I get a chance tomorrow. Also happy to show you the route (when I'm back on the bike Monday week) if you're setting off around 7am.

jonnyboy77

Thanks again! I'll be a week or two before I can get out and ride the route, but once feasible I'll be looking for support

mroli

in: http://app.strava.com/activities/47560847

out: http://app.strava.com/activities/47560843

jonnyboy77

Thread resurrection time. I have the job and I'm planning to ride into work next week. I have a route in mind thanks to the input on this thread but a couple of gaps that are troubling me and I'm trying to avoid too much 'on the fly routing' as my local knowledge is limited!

Any pointers?


- Twickenham -> Mortlake -> Barnes
- Hammersmith Bridge -> Hammersmith Rd (A315) -> Kensington High Street
- Hyde Park, S. Carriage Dr.


< trying to work out how best to get from Hyde Park to Consitution Hill >


- Constitution Hill -> The Mall -> Northumberland Ave -> Victoria Embankment


< trying to work out how best to get from Victoria Embankment to Aldersgate St>

This is the Endomondo route as it stands: http://www.endomondo.com/routes/228226282

Thanks Jon

PS. mroli - if you wouldn't mind emailing me the GPX files from Strava that would be really helpful, as the resolutionon Strava isn't quite detailed enough on these points where I'm struggling!

vermin

That is the exact same route I used to take, until I discovered the Barnes - LRR - Putney Bridge - NKR - Edith Road - Cheyne Walk - Embankment route, which is much, much better. The traffic on your route is far too snarly and progress can be slow and fraught.

Edit - sorry, that didn't help much did it. I would go straight up Farringdon and Charterhouse.

jonnyboy77

vermin wrote:

That is the exact same route I used to take, until I discovered the Barnes - LRR - Putney Bridge - NKR - Edith Road - Cheyne Walk - Embankment route, which is much, much better. The traffic on your route is far too snarly and progress can be slow and fraught.

Ah ok. I will look at that now ... where did you go from Embankment, anywhere near Barbican?

Thanks

- Jon

vermin

jonnyboy77 wrote:

vermin wrote:

That is the exact same route I used to take, until I discovered the Barnes - LRR - Putney Bridge - NKR - Edith Road - Cheyne Walk - Embankment route, which is much, much better. The traffic on your route is far too snarly and progress can be slow and fraught.

Ah ok. I will look at that now ... where did you go gtom Embankment, anywhere near Barbican?

Thanks

- Jon

Yep, on the way home I went south on Farringdon and joined Embankment at Blackfriars.

jonnyboy77

Thanks vermin! That makes sense and I'm re-mapping to look at that route. I may also indulge a little and go up and though RP on the way as it only adds a mile or so to the route

Cheers

- Jon

jonnyboy77

Finally, after a few false starts I managed to get my new commute done this morning. I'd put it off due to injury, illness and then proximity to the London Duathlon, but with all that now behind me this morning I grabbed my gear & bike and headed out!

My route planning was basic, and as a result I made a few mistakes ... but I got to work, in one piece and in just under the hour.

Twickenham to Putney Bridge via Richmond, Lower Richmond Rd, then New Kings Rd to Embankment, Embankement to Parliament Square ... then mistake #1 I turned off and went down Whitehall! So my alternative route became Trafalgar, Aldwych, Strand, Fleet St, Ludgate, Warwick Lane, King Edward St and finally Aldersgate.

As seen here: http://www.strava.com/activities/83404141

Need to spend a little time today looking at my return route home!

Thanks for all the useful advice on this thread!

Cheers

Jon

iPete

Apart from missing the shorter bit on Queens Ride looks good, I'd also consider staying on Embankment until blackfriars, the strand isn't exactly fun.

jonnyboy77

iPete wrote:

Apart from missing the shorter bit on Queens Ride looks good, I'd also consider staying on Embankment until blackfriars, the strand isn't exactly fun.

I don't know what I was doing at Barnes! I used to ride up to Hammersmith Bridge, so may have been in auto pilot ... The embankment bit was my main error, I had planned to stay on Embankment to Blackfriars, but turned off Parliament Square too soon

This is what I have laid out for the return journey: http://goo.gl/maps/0DPD1 My main focus being on getting from Barbican to Embankment, then Embankment to Putney Bridge.

- Jon

iPete

Looks good, I'm sure it's Google doing it but don't cut onto Fleet Street, head right down to the bridge > Blackfriars.. When you get to the junction at the Bridge with the big ASL, park yourself in the right lane, otherwise it'll be like playing frogger to get across.

jonnyboy77

iPete wrote:

Looks good, I'm sure it's Google doing it but don't cut onto Fleet Street, head right down to the bridge > Blackfriars.. When you get to the junction at the Bridge with the big ASL, park yourself in the right lane, otherwise it'll be like playing frogger to get across.

This one here: http://goo.gl/maps/bNVdk ?

I hadn't spotted that Google put me onto Fleet St! My plan is to take the direct route to Blackfriars and down onto Embankment.

Thanks for the tips!

- Jon

iPete

The junction before, this one.. http://goo.gl/maps/EBnSO

Most traffic goes straight over the bridge so its key to get on the right side of the road

jonnyboy77

iPete wrote:

The junction before, this one.. http://goo.gl/maps/EBnSO

Most traffic goes straight over the bridge so its key to get on the right side of the road

Ahh, yes makes sense, just did a fly through using street view.

Thanks!

Jon

tgotb

You can actually do quite a bit better at getting to the Blackfriars Bridge junction from Smithfield; the multiple lights on Faringdon St can take ages to get through. From Smithfield:
Giltspur St
Old Bailey
Straight over Ludgate Hill and down Black Friars Lane. On the map it looks like you can't get right through, but you can (legally) on a bike. Watch out for lemming iPeds.
Turn right onto the last bit of Queen Victoria St (again, the map makes this look harder than it actually is).
Get to the front of the lights at the end of Queen Victoria St and sit in the ASL (right-hand lane). If you're quick off the lights and go for it, you'll make it onto the Embankment in one go, just before the lights at the end of the bridge go red.

Same route works in reverse in the morning. Black Friars Lane is cobbled, so you can stick it in the big ring and pretend you're in Flanders :-)

jonnyboy77

TGOTB wrote:

You can actually do quite a bit better at getting to the Blackfriars Bridge junction from Smithfield; the multiple lights on Faringdon St can take ages to get through. From Smithfield:
Giltspur St
Old Bailey
Straight over Ludgate Hill and down Black Friars Lane. On the map it looks like you can't get right through, but you can (legally) on a bike. Watch out for lemming iPeds.
Turn right onto the last bit of Queen Victoria St (again, the map makes this look harder than it actually is).
Get to the front of the lights at the end of Queen Victoria St and sit in the ASL (right-hand lane). If you're quick off the lights and go for it, you'll make it onto the Embankment in one go, just before the lights at the end of the bridge go red.

Same route works in reverse in the morning. Black Friars Lane is cobbled, so you can stick it in the big ring and pretend you're in Flanders :-)

Looks like a good option, I've added it to my map, and I'll be trying to nail down a regular route through a little trial and error!

Cheers

Jon

Ian.B

iPete wrote:

The junction before, this one.. http://goo.gl/maps/EBnSO

Most traffic goes straight over the bridge so its key to get on the right side of the road

This is where I feel more exposed than anywhere else on the whole commute - coming from QVS and having to get over to the right for the Embankment slip, with the traffic behind accelerating away from the lights to cross the bridge.

tgotb

Ian.B wrote:

This is where I feel more exposed than anywhere else on the whole commute - coming from QVS and having to get over to the right for the Embankment slip, with the traffic behind accelerating away from the lights to cross the bridge.

I just cross over to the right hand side on the approach to the QVS lights. If you get to the ASL before the lights change, take primary position in the right-hand lane and let all the bridge-bound traffic pass you on the left. If you don't make it to the ASL, just take primary position in the right-hand lane where you are. It only has the potential to be scary if you manage to get yourself between the two lanes, or start off on the left.

Ian.B

TGOTB wrote:

Ian.B wrote:

This is where I feel more exposed than anywhere else on the whole commute - coming from QVS and having to get over to the right for the Embankment slip, with the traffic behind accelerating away from the lights to cross the bridge.

I just cross over to the right hand side on the approach to the QVS lights. If you get to the ASL before the lights change, take primary position in the right-hand lane and let all the bridge-bound traffic pass you on the left. If you don't make it to the ASL, just take primary position in the right-hand lane where you are. It only has the potential to be scary if you manage to get yourself between the two lanes, or start off on the left.

Yes, that is exactly what I do! But I have still, for example, had drivers speeding up on my left and cutting in front of me to turn onto the slip road

jonnyboy77

After a few rides I've started to master the route, and this morning took a very enjoyable detour through Richmond Park:

http://app.strava.com/activities/86587684

It added a little bit extra distance, but no additional time as far as I can tell. I had been using either the A316 and/or A205 to get to Queen's Ride/Lower Richmond Rd. but Richmond Hill, Sawyers and Roehampton Gate was a good alternative it seems.

The rat run from Blackfriars to Barbican is also a highlight of my morning, although I think it's shaking my poor Ridgeback to pieces :S

- Jon

clarkey cat

so are you now essentially following the first suggestion made to you?

jonnyboy77

clarkey cat wrote:

so are you now essentially following the first suggestion made to you?

iPete wrote:

Richmond Bridge, right, up Richmond Hill and through the park.
Head along Upper Richmond road and over Putney Bridge
Take a right onto Kings road and take a right onto Edith Grove.
Follow Embankment/CS8/The River through Parliament Square and come off at Blackfriars.
Turn off and go through Smithfields market and find your way to work.

Yep .... top advice from iPete!

- Jon