Can anyone lead my through the streets of London?

mitb

A few years back I decided against working in London, but now I find myself doing just that. One of the big plus points was that i could ride again, I used to go Reading to Marlow but now it would be Paddington to Fenchurch Street.

The thing is..I tried it last week and had the most apallingly crappy experience on a bike I can remember! The problem wasn't the traffic or the distance or even being out of condition (three years of driving to work take their toll!), it was navigating. I had to keep stopping to check the map (god awful CycleStreets app, won't be using that again, and printed google directions) and even then I managed to get spectacularly lost, knackered and frustrated. The worst thing is you know you're not far from where you need to be, London really isn't that big, but there're always twelve roads you can take and I couldn't always fix my current location and it just took FOREVER, particularly on the way back where every road I went up seemed to be going the wrong way and I ended up walking most of it!

This might be a longshot but I wondered if anyone did that journey (or similar) and wouldn't mind of I tagged along and took advantage of their experience? I would get there in the end on my own but it was exhausting with dreadful FGW train journeys at each end too and I'd love to flatten the learning curve a bit. I'm not desperately slow or intimidated by traffic but i will be on a borrowed Tern folder and not breaking any records, so it probably be much fun for anyone that normally races the route! I'll do everything I can to make sure to make sure you don't wait for me and you'll earn my eternal gratitude and a large drink (you might need it)!

arran77

Ralph McTell can

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UDT1sx1yePM

Pufftmw

Paddington, Sussex Place onto Marylebone Road, Euston Road, Pentonville Road, City Road & either Old Street roundabout down Moorgate and past Bank to Fenchurch that way or left to Aldgate and right into Fencurch that end. Its trafficky but flows ok for a cyclist & better than the wiggly route through the centre.

If I was a courier with an urgent job, that's what I'd take.

Anonymous

I was gonna say hyde park, constitution hill, the mall, embankment, up over Blackfriars bridge. Probably the easiest (route wise)

FoldingJoe

^^^^^^ Coriordan's route is the one (or very similar) I'd take when taking the bike from work (leadenhall mkt) to Paddington. In fact, I may have a gpx file somewhere - I'll try and dig it out.

rjsterry

As a general rule, stick to the main roads. There's a reason why they are the main roads: they go directly from one significant place to another. I find that once you know one or two main routes, you can use that as a framework for all sorts of other variations if you need to avoid roadworks, nasty junctions, etc. In contrast the diseased minds that plan cycle "infrastructure" seem to think that we are never happier than when taking the most serpentine and circuitous routes that link nowhere with nowhere.

surrey_commuter

coriordan wrote:

I was gonna say hyde park, constitution hill, the mall, embankment, up over Blackfriars bridge. Probably the easiest (route wise)

would agree with this but consider staying on Embankment to Tower Hill as is a short hop to Fenchurch St from there

CiB

Mornington Crescent.

EKE_38BPM

CiB wrote:

Mornington Crescent.

Played that card surprisingly early and secures a shock win.

Well played, sir.

Mikey23

:-)