Brighton to London Commute

epo.wks

Appreciate that a 120 mile round commute isn't an everyday thing but has anybody attempted this before? I'd like to do it a couple of times a week during the better weather.

If you have, any recommendations of routes to take etc?

Cheers.

pastryboy

You're looking at minimum of about three hours each way assuming no wind and rain. Assuming fairly regular office hours, you'd have to get up so early you'd have no chance to eat before your sixty miles plus you'd get home in the dark/dusk and it would be a case of going straight to bed as soon as you're showered and fed.

I'm sure the mileage is doable a couple of times per week but six hours of commuting either side of a working day, no thanks.

cookeeemonster

Respect to you for even considering this!! You'd definately getting bragging rights in this part of the forum that's for sure

Not the best time of year to start, but I'm sure it's doable once a week or so to start with...or maybe bike one way, train the other and vice versa the next day ie 60 miles per day?

Let us know how you find it either way!

cruff

It's definitely do-able - but as above, you're not going to want to do it too often with a full day at the office ahead of/behind you - and winter time it will be absolutely bloody miserable getting up at 6AM in the pitch dark, and getting in at 9PM in the pitch dark - with 80% of the cycling over the entire commute being done... in the pitch dark. Factor in the climb up to the South Downs from Brighton, then the North Downs in Surrey, the fact that in order to do it quickly you'll need to avoid the lanes and use dual carriageways and the odd mech fail/crash - and I suspect that you won't be doing it too often.

That said - there's a reasonably quick route that mostly avoids the A23 (via Pyecombe, Henfield, Cowfold, Handcross, Faygate, Rusper, Dorking, Reigate and Banstead) - I've ridden it both ways numerous times. Much better going south, so will be more 'enjoyable' on the way home. Pretty much any way you do it there's going to be a reasonable amount of climbing though - which is absolutely horrible in the p1ssing rain and dark with artics thundering past you.

Good luck

The Rookie

Given the southbound trip is much nicer than the north, why not consider train in with the bike and ride home.....if you don't enjoy it at all, you won't do it again.

That said it is doable with planning, pick your day based on weather, make sure you have lights capable of the duration, early night and up early enough to load up with some energy, carry the bare minimum apart from what you need on route in fluids and energy, dress carefully, on the way in it will get warmer as you ride and vice versa on the way home, but you don't want to start sweating to much, I prefer to ride cold than hot.

epo.wks

I hear your comments about not doing this both to & from work - and fully agree! It will probably be a train in & ride home job in the summer months only when I don't need to be lit up like a Christmas tree.

zebulebu, would be interested to hear more of the loop you mentioned which bypasses the A23. The only route I can ride with confidence would be the London to Brighton loop but that would involve getting from London Bridge to Clapham before I've even begun so might not be ideal.

cruff

Hey there. No problem.

What I would do would be to avoid the A23 for most of the route. This will mean a diversion of a few miles at a couple of points, but given the choice between that and the, frankly, horrendous nightmare of rush hour traffic on the A23, I know which one I'd choose.

Start out using Devil's Dyke Road/Saddlescombe instead of Ditchling. The road surface is better, and the traffic not as bad. When you hit the Poynings roundabout, instead of going right on the A281 and heading towards Pyecombe and the A23, go straight over and through Woodmancote on the A281. Good surface and light traffic all the way through Henfield and Cowfold. At the junction for Lower Beeding, go straight on to the B2110 (signed Handcross) - when you get to and go through Handcross, you'll be riding alongside the A23, but not on it (win!).

Follow it to the junction for the M23 (Pease Pottage) - where you take the first major detour - down the A264 to Faygate (super-fast descent here - enjoy!). Take the right at Faygate roundabout, then follow signs for Rusper, through Rusper to Newdigate then through the Holmwoods and join the A24 at Deepdene (Dorking).

You can go two ways here. Continue through Dorking and enter London via Leatherhead, or turn right onto the A25, all the way to Reigate, then turn left at Reigate and go up Reigate Hill to enter London via Banstead. Be warned - That. Will. Be. A. B*stard - especially with around 50 miles in your legs by then. I would always choose the Reigate Hill route because it's not as horrible as the Leatherhead way.

When you've beaten Reigate Hill (did I mention it's a b*stard?) continue on the A217 all the way through Burgh Heath and Banstead, bypassing Sutton & Cheam before you hit Morden. Go through Morden then at South Wimbledon tube, turn right and hit CS7 all the way to Kennington.

Bob's your uncle!

I would think the worst parts for you on the way in are going to be:

1 - Negotiating Devil's Dyke/Saddlescombe (brutal in the cold and wet darkness of the morning, I would imagine - but even worse coming back as they're sharper going South)

2 - Strange as it sounds to anyone who hasn't ridden it, the drag from Cowfold up to Handcross through Lower Beeding. It isn't steep, but it seems to sap the strength out of your legs because it feels like it goes on forever (in reality only about 6 miles). Of course, you'll only have about 15 miles in your legs by then - whereas by the time I hit it I've usually done about 70, so you may not even notice it!

3 - Reigate Hill. This gets no respect from local peeps, but I find it one of the most soul-destroying climbs in Surrey/Kent. It's steep the whole way, lasts ages and is always choc-a-bloc with traffic. With a lot of miles in you, don't be surprised if you feel like stopping - but whatever you do, DON'T do this. You don't want to have to start again on a 10% grade in the wet with trucks growling past you

4 - the A217. Dual carriageway all the way from the top of Reigate Hill to Morden. Boy racer country. Good road surface and almost all downhill so you'll enjoy it when you get used to it, but tbh, it's a bit nasty if you're nervous

If you decide to do this, let me know and I'll give you a .tcx. Also know lots of different ways (Box Hill instead of Reigate Hill, Colgate instead of Handcross, A24 through the Holmwoods instead of the lanes etc) all of which may or may not save you time depending on your penchant for hills

epo.wks mkII

Ah, perfect, very kind. Thank you.

I actually know a lot of the roads you mention from my normal riding so tacking on a few more shouldn't be too much of an issue. Handcross is actually part of my regular loop!