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Decent rides starting from North London going further North?

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  • April 4, 2017 at 1:45 pm #26974
    skivandal

    Ok have lots of coffee shops to take my fixie, beard and full sleeve tattoos to in Islington. But what suggestions can people make if I actually want a decent after work or weekend ride. 

    Looking at the map and the exploratory rides so far just offer up an endless, ghastly, flat urban sprawl as I head north. 

     

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  • April 4, 2017 at 5:20 pm #890535
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    beezus fufoon
    Al__S wrote:
    Also: Lea Valley. Follow NCN1 (it’s mainly OK) out of London into the Herts/Essex borderlands. Probably best to avoid after rain, but a few dry days and the unsurfaced bits are about 96% hard dry dirt, smoother than many tarmac roads. OpenCycleMap and CycleStreets (there’s an app version) are handy

    if you’re looking for the best climbs in the area, 10% and up – turn east from the ncr1 a bit sooner to stewardstonebury – there’s avey lane, mott street, daws hill/bury road, and lippitt’s hill in that area

    the climbing starts about an hour’s ride from isntlington, so it’s a nice warm up, and there’s the added incentive/reward of a couple of nice pubs at the top when you’re done climbing – then it’s downhill all the way back

    April 4, 2017 at 4:53 pm #890533
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    Al__S

    Ashwell and Morden only has

    Ashwell and Morden only has (until late next year) 1 train per hour all week. Baldock has 2tph and is very close by, easy to get out of.

    Even Stevenage is a decent starting point. No really. Little bit of clever route planning, use the fantastic cycle network to get to the edge of town and bobs your uncle, Hertfodshire in all directions, head west towards Bucks, north into Bedfordshire, north east into Cambridgeshire and stirke to the east for Essex.

     

    Also: Lea Valley. Follow NCN1 (it’s mainly OK) out of London into the Herts/Essex borderlands. Probably best to avoid after rain, but a few dry days and the unsurfaced bits are about 96% hard dry dirt, smoother than many tarmac roads. OpenCycleMap and CycleStreets (there’s an app version) are handy

    April 4, 2017 at 4:39 pm #890531
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    Dnnnnnn
    HowardR wrote:
    How about jumping on a train & getting out to somewhere pleasant (on the right side of the M25).  If your not a huge distance from Islington you could get Ashwell (and Morden) [Hertforshire/Cambridgeshire] in 38 Mins from Kings Cross – From there head off towards Essex or somewhere south of Cambridge and get a train back from one of the lines over in that direction.

    It might cost a bit but would be prefrable to miles of urban ick – Just make sure that the trains are actually running on that day (and look at getting a 1/3rd off railcard if your likely to do it frequently) 

    p.s – The Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 maps are your route planning friend.

    +1 for the OS map – beautiful as well as packed with useful detail.

    Trains south from St Pancras and Farringdon too, towards the South and SE of London where there is loads and loads of  good stuff to ride.

    April 4, 2017 at 3:45 pm #890529
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    kraut

    +1 for getting the train out

    +1 for getting the train out if you don’t fancy riding through Finchley and Barnet. Although it’s not that bad, TBH. Once you’re outside the M25 there are lots of nice rides – my usual routes take me throut Ayot St Lawrence, Kimpton, St Pauls Walden, up towards Hitchin. Or go to the east side of the A1, Tewin, Bramfield, up to Bennington etc – lots of nice little country lanes to get lost in, and nicely undulating.

    April 4, 2017 at 3:40 pm #890527
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    Jem PT

    I met a guy who lived in

    I met a guy who lived in Kilburn and used to go out riding in the Chilterns. I think he said he used to head out there via Wembley/Stanmore/Watford direction. There are quiet roads heading that way if you look hard enough! Or let the train take the strain, as others have said.

    April 4, 2017 at 3:13 pm #890525
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    wycombewheeler

    PaulBox wrote:

    PaulBox wrote:

    Depends what your range is like. Best riding in my opinion is across the Chiltern hills, that would be a good 80m+ round trip to somewhere like Princes Risborough or Wendover and you’d have a large urban sprawl to cross to get there.


    +1 for chilterns, but getting out of London to the northwest is not easy.

    Best bet would be to ride to finchley road, catch the metropolitan line to amersham or chesham and find a nice selection if hills. Wendover, tring, ashridge estate even Whipsnade and dunstable downs come in range.

    April 4, 2017 at 3:02 pm #890523
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    HowardR

    How about jumping on a train

    How about jumping on a train & getting out to somewhere pleasant (on the right side of the M25).  If your not a huge distance from Islington you could get Ashwell (and Morden) [Hertforshire/Cambridgeshire] in 38 Mins from Kings Cross – From there head off towards Essex or somewhere south of Cambridge and get a train back from one of the lines over in that direction.

    It might cost a bit but would be prefrable to miles of urban ick – Just make sure that the trains are actually running on that day (and look at getting a 1/3rd off railcard if your likely to do it frequently) 

    p.s – The Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 maps are your route planning friend.

    April 4, 2017 at 2:22 pm #890521
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    PaulBox

    Depends what your range is

    Depends what your range is like. Best riding in my opinion is across the Chiltern hills, that would be a good 80m+ round trip to somewhere like Princes Risborough or Wendover and you’d have a large urban sprawl to cross to get there.

    April 4, 2017 at 2:17 pm #890519
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    beezus fufoon

    better to head north east

    better to head north east towards epping forest if you want to find a few short but steep-ish hills

    April 4, 2017 at 1:50 pm #890517
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    skivandal

    I would like to pointout i am

    I would like to pointout i am not trying to offend all of the North, just the North London of ring roads and endless yellow box storage industrial estates that my bike automatically heads for currently.

    Was previously living in Newcastle which was wonderful on almost every possible measure. 

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