Richmond Park Alternative (South London)

owenjones

My standard training ride is a cheeky 2-3 laps of Richmond park. Heading out from Clapham this takes 1:30 - 2 hrs.

Does anybody have any other 'Nice' rides around the same distance heading out from Clapham? I'm aware of some decent Surrey Hills rides but they tend to be a bit longer.
Preferably looking for a fast, traffic free route (hard to come by I know!) Just getting a little bored of Richmond!

owenlars

Head out towards Epsom Downs and follow a loop including Langley Vale, Walton on the Hill, Tadworth and back to Clapham via Tattenham Corner, Driftbridge, Tadworth, Banstead, Wallington, Hackbridge, Mitcham and Tooting. Probably about 35 miles and probably not as traffic free as you would like but with a hill or two in there. If you want less traffic you probably need to head out beyond Headley and Box Hill.

Alternatively go through Richmond Park, leaving at Richmond Gate, and down the hill to Richmond town centre, over the bridge and do a loop via Twickenham, Teddington, Kingston, Bushey Park, Hampton Court, Thames Ditton, Kingston, Richmond Park and back to Clapham. Again not exactly quiet but pleasant enough and takes in chunks of the Olympic course.

ajh18

I face exactly the same problem. Your other option is Tooting, then head for Crystal Palace, Anerley, out of the suburbs and south at West Wickham. There's some fun hills down that way. Though you're a bit stuck for a different route coming back unless you can face doing it through Croydon, but easy-ish to construct a route that takes around 2 hours.

Out through Kingston, then Esher, Cobham and uphill at either Staple Lane or Effingham is my normal one. Back via Box Hill and then down to Epsom, Cheam and Morden. You're looking at 3 hours or so from Clapham.

owenjones

Some good options...
Basically I'm just trying to avoid Tooting / Morden / Sutton, those kind of areas.
A friend of mine does laps of Battersea park, but I think that would be quite boring.

TheStone

Options are limited really. Richmond Park or head out into Surrey.
If you want hills, you could probably create a fairly quiet, hilly route around Crystal Palace (I'm mostly thinking College Road).

Cumulonimbus

I have the same problem. I have tried using the trip out to Mitcham as a warm-up and then blasting the two miles out past Hackbridge to Carshalton, then coming back etc. This can be a bit busy though and isnt very interesting. One way i do go sometimes is to head south from Mitcham and then turn right just before Hackbridge station, heading through Carshalton and then further south to Woodmansterne, then going up a few roads. You did say you wanted a flat ride though. Personally i'm lazy and just go round Richmond Park unless its during the day at a weekend. How does your friend get on at Battersea? As well as being small its also quite busy with people wandering around on the road etc.