A cycling tour of London

I recently got back on my bike for the first time in 4 years after being knocked into oncoming traffic by a car door opening. I entrusted my jittery self with Capital Sport – “Gentle cycling tours through Southern England”.

I booked my day trip to Greenwich and the Thames Barriers through Capital Sport, and headed to On Your Bike, one minute from London Bridge, where the staff had been alerted to my arrival. I was greeted with a plastic envelope with directions, which I flipped through while I waited for the staff to bring the bicycles out.

The bicycles were in fantastic condition complete with a side bag filled with all the necessary tyre flat fix-it goodies, pumps, etc, and a helmet hung over the handlebars. While the bikes were great, the directions were less so. My day tour was without a guide, and it is only through sheer luck that I happened to be with someone with a photographic memory when it comes to maps and street planners.

So, before the ride began we dropped a few more quid at Café Nero, traced the directions on the map that we luckily had with and the set off on our ride.

London never fails to please, and from the start of this 15 mile ride through to the end, the day was nothing short of spectacular. For those of us non-cyclists in London, seeing this great city from a bicycle was a stellar way to sightsee and ride through areas that I otherwise never would have come to. The Thames Path from London Bridge along the river to Greenwich is clearly marked and easy to follow, and there were only a few times where I cursed our lack of a map.

The ride is about 90% off the street, allowing you to avoid traffic and really just enjoy the ride with the City, the Gherkin, and Canary Wharf off on the other side of the river, through Deptford and quickly through Greenwich centre through to the Park and then on to the Thames Barriers, a further 7 miles out from the Park itself. The Barriers are interesting, very large, and the emptiness of the Visitors Centre made the whole experience slightly scary all the way out there away from civilisation!

After a close up look at the Barriers, it was back on the bike for the return leg of the trip – 15 miles back the way we came. Without a map, this was actually more difficult that one might imagine, as avoiding cars means zig-zagging through various side streets with a heightened sense of direction required. There is the option to take the boat or a train back with the bikes for those less ambitious, but the ride back through Bermondsey, past the Brunell Museum and the Canada Water Hilton and along the Southbank past the Tate Modern was too enjoyable to pass up.

All in all an excellent day was had, and my fears of riding in London have certainly subsided.

Have you been on any memorable bike rides in England? If so let us know by commenting on this blog?

Comments

[Spoke n' Motion]

There are certainly plenty of hidden gems in London, many of which are off the beaten path and are missed by tourists and locals alike.

Bike is definitely the way to go also, all my London friends have been buying bikes lately, and making good use of them at weekends to discover the length and breadth of the city.