London to Brighton, quiet roads

[Fnaar]

Greetings good burghers of Cycle Chat ...
A Spanish amigo of mine is looking for a quiet cycling route from London (let's say Streatham) to Brighton, via quiet-ish roads, but including Ditchling Beacon. He'll be doing it next spring, when he's visiting his adult son, who will be living in London. Both are keen and very experienced cyclists.
I've done it myself a few times in the past, just following my nose, but it's a long time since I've lived down that way, and I'm not that familiar with the roads any more.
All suggestions welcome (esp if you can link to a map that I can send him).
(Mods ... please feel free to move this post to a more appropriate sub-forum)
Thanks in advance, y'all.
Lord Fnaar-ffnaar
Smutworthy Hall.

 

[ianrauk]

Here ya go chap
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41310212
Its just something I just knocked up.

Riding from Streatham will mean that its not going to be quiet until you get to Farthing Downs in Coulsdon. Which ever way you try get out of London it will be pretty busy. He can change the route if needed though as there's plenty of ways out of town one could do.

From Farthing Downs, drop down through Bletchingly which is a nice route, though a bit hilly. From then, through Smallfields, and Outwood (Look out for the Windmill), on to the climb of Turners Hill, a lovely descent down to Haywards Heath, (a good place for a coffee break if needed) then pretty much flat until Ditchling. Ditchling climb, a left the right over the A27, over the golf course, then a nice drop down into Brighton.

 

[biggs682]

It's a ride I keep thinking about doing

 

[Dag Hammar]

Take a look at thE website cycle.travel
I use it and find it is very good.
Just enter a start location and a destination and it will provide a route offering the quietest, less busy roads.
As a tester I just did one, entering Streatham as the start and Brighton Marina as the destination and as well as a picture/map and turn by turn instructions it showed the following info.
Busy roads 2.4 miles.
Paved roads 34.1 miles.
Paved path 16.1 miles.
Unpaved path 1.3 miles.
Pushing 210 metres. 🤣

 

[Fnaar]

Take a look at thE website cycle.travel
I use it and find it is very good.
Just enter a start location and a destination and it will provide a route offering the quietest, less busy roads.
As a tester I just did one, entering Streatham as the start and Brighton Marina as the destination and as well as a picture/map and turn by turn instructions it showed the following info.
Busy roads 2.4 miles.
Paved roads 34.1 miles.
Paved path 16.1 miles.
Unpaved path 1.3 miles.
Pushing 210 metres. 🤣

Love the 'pushing' detail Thanks so much for the suggestion

 

[vickster]

Love the 'pushing' detail Thanks so much for the suggestion

That'll be Ditchling

 

[Fnaar]

Here ya go chap
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41310212
Its just something I just knocked up.

Riding from Streatham will mean that its not going to be quiet until you get to Farthing Downs in Coulsdon. Which ever way you try get out of London it will be pretty busy. He can change the route if needed though as there's plenty of ways out of town one could do.

From Farthing Downs, drop down through Bletchingly which is a nice route, though a bit hilly. From then, through Smallfields, and Outwood (Look out for the Windmill), on to the climb of Turners Hill, a lovely descent down to Haywards Heath, (a good place for a coffee break if needed) then pretty much flat until Ditchling. Ditchling climb, a left the right over the A27, over the golf course, then a nice drop down into Brighton.

Excellent, thank you soooooo much!

 

[Dogtrousers]

My route would probably be something very like @ianrauk 's route, and where I'd go a different way it's generally just because that's how I always do it, rather than my way being any better.

Basically the route will be like this:

Slog through suburbia. Won't be much fun. Local knowledge required, and I don't really know Streatham.
Emerge from the built up area.
Climb over the North Downs - generally a long drag but not steep. @ianrauk 's suggestion of Farthing Downs is a good one.
Drop down off the N Downs and cross the M25. You are now free!
Now you have a bazillion different possibilities of pleasant small roads that will get you to Ditchling.
Slog up Ditchling Beacon. Have an ice cream (if there is a van there)
Roll down into Brighton.

This is also worth a read. https://cycle.travel/route/london_to_brighton

 

[Fnaar]

My route would probably be something very like @ianrauk 's route, and where I'd go a different way it's generally just because that's how I always do it, rather than my way being any better.

Basically the route will be like this:

Slog through suburbia. Won't be much fun. Local knowledge required, and I don't really know Streatham.
Emerge from the built up area.
Climb over the North Downs - generally a long drag but not steep. @ianrauk 's suggestion of Farthing Downs is a good one.
Drop down off the N Downs and cross the M25. You are now free!
Now you have a bazillion different possibilities of pleasant small roads that will get you to Ditchling.
Slog up Ditchling Beacon. Have an ice cream (if there is a van there)
Roll down into Brighton.

This is also worth a read. https://cycle.travel/route/london_to_brighton

Marvellous, thank you 👍🙂