Orpington to city - route advice

Squawk

Hey all,

Moving to Orpington at the end of the week so I need a new commute route to the end of Southwark Bridge. Start point is near enough the opposite end of the high street to Tesco.

Primary goal is to minimise total commute time, so I don't care if that adds a hill or a crappy bit of road. Shortest route I've found is a shade under 15 miles, but I haven't ridden it yet so no clue of speed. Best guess is that I'll go down OKR.

Anyone doing that route?

nich

Hop onto the A21 and your'll join a pretty popular route in.

Most people would then either go up to Lewisham, then Brookmil Rd, Deptford Church St, Evelyn St, Lower Rd, Jamaica Rd. Alternative route would be OKR but I've always avoided that.

Squawk

I've been looking at the A208 as an alternative for the first bit.

The last bit is probably a good morning option (and is the way I used to ride in from Beckenham until I discovered it was quicker to ride over the hill and down through Peckham), but on an evening that can be a nightmare - getting to the roundabout at Rotherhithe always scared me, so I started heading straight down OKR rather than down past St Johns.

Strava and a couple of months of experimentation should help I suppose. How long does it take you guys? I'm hoping sub 1 hour 10.

Squawk

For anyone in the same boat I've settled on the following as a route

https://www.strava.com/activities/541986257

The only problem is the death trap that is Lewisham roundabout. Anyone got a way around that, or do I just need to invest in some brown lycra?

smudge002

Squawk wrote:

For anyone in the same boat I've settled on the following as a route

https://www.strava.com/activities/541986257

The only problem is the death trap that is Lewisham roundabout. Anyone got a way around that, or do I just need to invest in some brown lycra?

I commute from Chislehurst to Moorgate and generally go straight through Chislehurst to Mottingham, past Eltham College on Mottingham Lane, up Winn Road, then turn right through Lee Green / Lee and then up the hill to Blackheath, across the heath, through Greenwich Park and then turn left and follow the main road through Deptford, Surrey Quays, past the Rotherhithe Tunnel, Bermondsey and then to London Bridge. I am not a big fan of the OKR.

I do the same route coming home save that I mainly go through Lewisham to avoid going up through Greenwich Park / Crooms Hill (although if I'm feeling particularly sprightly I will have a crack at the hills). Lewisham roundabout is not a lot of fun to be honest and I will avoid it if I think traffic will be particularly bad.

It takes me 40-45 minutes dependent on traffic. Happy to ride in with you one day if that would help...

ianrauk

Squawk wrote:

For anyone in the same boat I've settled on the following as a route

https://www.strava.com/activities/541986257

The only problem is the death trap that is Lewisham roundabout. Anyone got a way around that, or do I just need to invest in some brown lycra?

At Molesworth Street before the RAB, there's a cyclepath on your left. Dive under the railway bridge and through Cornmill Gardens. Do a right (School in front of you) and join the A20, then right into Jerrard Street etc

I commute from Orpington daily (To Deptford), Your best and quickest bet is the A21 route.

Edit: The Molesworth gap is if you were doing the A21. No good for your route.

Squawk

Thanks guys.

Smudge, I'd take you up on that ride. What time do you head in? I pass Chislehurst something around 6:45-6:50am, or head back home setting off around 5:20.

Do you have that route on strava so I can be sure where you're going?