The Rides

The following rides are in and around South London, often using the paths along rivers to avoid large roads and London traffic. A lot of them also incorporate a section of the North Downs or the Pilgrims Way.

I have split the surface type into 3 categories:

Road – anything that has tarmac on it, including small country lanes with broken tarmac

Urban – traffic-free paths that are often designated cycle-ways with surfaces which include tarmac, compacted grit, paving stones, concrete, and possibly small sections of compacted mud.

OR – ‘Off Road’ – which means significant sections that have never been surfaced in any way (anything from soft woodland leaves, to mud with varying amounts of loose gravel and roots). These sections do not contain significant ‘drops’ and can be ridden on a road bike, but require a certain amount of off-road experience or an adventurous spirit to enjoy.

Ride	Total distance	Vert. ascent	Surface/ style	Map Link	Comment
(click for blog)	km	m

Going ‘Up East’	42	165	Urban & Road	Map	An easy but extremely varied tour around East London, starting from Waterloo and including Greenwich, Woolwich Ferry, The Olympic Park and much more….
To Dartford (and not beyond)!	41	180	Urban & Road	Map	A trip East along the Thames from Waterloo to Dartford (including NCN Route 1). Flat!
Dartford my nemesis	85	547	Urban & Road	Map	A loop ride from Waterloo, through SE London suburbs, down the Darent Valley and back along the Thames.
The Milk Churn Loop	94	782	Road	Map	Loop ride from Esher station, over the North Downs to a bike friendly café called the Milk Churn.
Hoo Dunnit!	67	385	Mainly Urban & OR	Map	A ride from Dartford to Rochester along the Thames via the Hoo peninsular with a lot of ‘adventurous’ bits!
Up the Ravensbourne!	58	460	Mainly Urban & OR	Map	From Greenwich to Dartford going up the Ravensbourne river (regional route 21) and down the Darent river to Dartford.
A Pilgrims Tale	130	1340	Mainly road, some OR & Urban	Map	Crystal Palace to Whitstable via sections of the Pilgrims Way on small lanes and some short OR sections. Long, hilly ride.
Not quite the Pilgrims Way!	79	895	Mix Road & OR	Map	Rochester to Folkstone via as much of the Pilgrims Way as I could take on a road bike.
The Grand Park Tour	90	748	Mainly Urban & OR	Map	Loop starting in Clapham, south along the Wandle trail, west along North Downs Way and back through as many parks as possible. Takes a while!
Tandem Adventures	55	338	Urban & Road	Map	A loop starting in Whitstable, going east along regional route 15, NCN route 1 to Canterbury, returning via the car-free Crab and Winkle Way.
The Petit Park Tour	58	268	Urban & Road	Map	A shorter version of the Grand Park Tour, cutting out he North Downs and going through Non Such Park, returning along the Hogsmill River.
Winchester to Guildford	70	618	Road & easy OR	Map	Winchester to Guildford following the Pilgrims trail on regional cycle routes 23, 224 & 22.

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