Colchester to London (Vauxhall)

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Visiting Colchester (not for long!), then going onto a friends in Vauxhall, London. What is the most scenie route there? It has to be done in a single day mind.
 

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
is this a round trip?
 
OP
OP
Echolalia

Echolalia

Guru
No, one way only, Checked Google Maps its about 60miles all in all. Ill be on a tourer carrying about 8kg luggage.
 

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
I'd go Tolleshunt Major, Tolleshunt Darcy, Maldon (steep hill on the way in - turn right at the top of the hill by the church), Hazeleigh (turning left a mile out of town), Bicknacre, East Hanningfield, Stock, turning right on Honeypot Lane), Padhams Green, Mountnessing, Brentwood, Nags Hill, Harold Hill, past Gidea Park rail station, Romford, and on to Stratford - give the Bow flyover a go if you're feeling athletic, and check the view to your right, Aldgate, follow signs to Westminster, go down the Embankment with the river on your left, and turn left at Lambeth Bridge, turn right at the roundabout, and there you are.....
 

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
just watch the right turn in to Honeypot Lane - especially if you've got something behind you. If you need to overshoot, take the next right.

And bear in mind that if it's been raining you may have to paddle a bit between Stock and Padhams Green

The left turn on to Nags Head Lane is easy to miss - if you get to M25 you've gone too far - don't please, persist - the stretch of A12 beyond the M25 is deadly

The right turn from Squirrels Heath Lane in to Squirrels Heath Lane is easily missed - if memory serves there's an 'architectural ironmongers' opposite, and a chip shop just before on the rhs
 
OP
OP
Echolalia

Echolalia

Guru
Thanks for your help here Dellzegg, I cycled this route last Sunday and it was great. I got lost at Romford, but following the compass I ended up on the flyover south of the Bow one, took me no time at all find the way onto Mile End Road. Really scenic route, and it felt quite straightforward, Honeypot Lane I got lost at the bottom of the hill, but then found my way onto Padhams Green. A huge thank you sir.
 

gurutral

New Member
Hi all,

I just joined this forum. I have a follow-up to this topic:

I intend to cycle this month from Colchester to London (Tower bridge). I plotted the route proposed here on bikehike trying to get the most direct route that goes through small villages and avoids hills (using bikehike.co.uk). This is the first time that I do a route this long (or in London). So I settled on this idea:
http://tinyurl.com/routecol-lon (copy on the address bar -it's a route on google maps).

Could anyone please comment on this any part of this route?

The idea is to avoid steep climbs, though obviously I'm not going to add a 10-mile detour to avoid a 10-minutes hill. I also tried to avoid getting into Brentwood.

I normally do day rides around Colchester, with just a vague idea of the route and the OS map in the hand. The London bit may be trickier (I'll have only some printed cycling maps). I have never cycled in London before, so I tried to stick to a direct route using back roads from the M25 up to Romford and then I pick a cycling route (LCN 15) through Barking, to then continue along the cycle superhighway to Tower Hill. I hope that is simple enough.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
 
OP
OP
Echolalia

Echolalia

Guru
Dellzeqq I did this route again yesterday though this time I didn't miss the Nags Head Road turning after Brentwood, very pleasant cycle considering your entering East London. The route didn't feel like a chore though I am not as fit as when I did it three years ago, so perhaps should have stopped to rest more. Cheers for the route once again.
 
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