London to Newhaven

[db7db7]

Hi,

firstly sorry if this has been answered before but i've been trawling t'internet for weeks. Basically a friend an I are cycling from london to Paris in around 4 weeks time. We've sorted the Dieppe-Paris route through help from this guy:www.donaldhirsch.com/dieppeparis.pdf
However, all we can find on the london-newhaven leg is that it's route 21 of the national cycle network. Does anyone have a link for a detailed map of this which tells us where to go from central London and each change along the way. The only maps i've seen so far are overviews. I've even looked into buying a map like this but can't find one anywhere.

Thanks in advance for your help and apologies if i'm being a bit thick!!!
D

 

[stephenjubb]

http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/leisureandtourism/countryside/cycling/guidesandmaps/ncn/ncr21.htm

 

[stephenjubb]

best I could find

http://www.sustransshop.org.uk/products/5293-south-downs-way
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/what-we-do/national-cycle-network/route-numbering-system/route-21

 

[Ticktockmy]

The NCN 21 Route in places is not well signed and in Places is quite rough track, After Crawley you need Route NCN 20 which follows in the main the A23 into Brighton. Personally From London I would put the bikes on the train from London and go either to Redhill, East Grinstead or Haywards Heath and ride South from there, as some nice quite small roads heading down to Lewes and this will allow you to arrive in Newhaven in time for the evening Ferry.

 

[ceepeebee]

NCN21 is indeed a complete pig of a track for a lot of it's length - I tried to ride some of it in March or so and it takes in a few paths which would have been tricky on a mountain bike, never mind a kaffenback.

In particular the stretch between New Addington and Merstham (the ace little private road round by the posh school at Woldingham excepted) is horrible, and actually diverts you off some lovely lanes.

NCN20 has a few buggers too - some of that last year actually seemed paved in broken crockery....


You might want to look up the FNRttC from last year that went to Newhaven and see if someone posted a GPS track?

 

[Ticktockmy]

If you follow the River Ouse valley, or the A23 you will avoid some annoying Hills, but not all, because a lot of the roads heading south have to climb over the South Downs and the Wealden area does have some interesting short sharp hills.

 

[CopperBrompton]

I'm cycling this route a week on Monday. I gather there's a decent cycle path alongside the A23 for quite a lot of it - where does this begin?

 

[Ticktockmy]

In Crawley, the Junction of the NCN21 and 20 is in the part of Crawley called Furnace green, where it the NCN 20 heads across Tilgate park and Tilgate forest to Parish Lane, However that is an off road route, comprising graded gravel track across the Tilgate Park Golf course then sand and earth through Tilgate forest.

For a all tarmac route the NCN 20 is signed posted from the Southgate Ave/A23 Roundabout (the one with the big football in the middle of it) through Broadfields up to Pease pottage then then route heads into Handscross, then into Staplefield, then signposted down Staplefield lane to the A23 at the B2115/A23 Flyover it runs down into Bolney where it follows the old road.

It then stays alongside the A23 until it heads off along the B2118 into Sayers Common, it then runs alongside the A23 again into Brighton. I would say I have not ridden the section from Bolney for some years, as i found that in Parts the cycle track was covered in Litter and tree routes, much prefer to use the C road that runs to the east of the A23 from Broxmead lane(Wykehurst Park/ Broxmead Lane/ A23 Junction) to Hurstpierpoint.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Thanks for that. The route I'm defaulting to is this one, which joins the A23 at Clayton Hill:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/fullscreen/78233190/

Does that look sensible, do you think? I don't know the area at all.

 

[Ticktockmy]

To be honest the coast road A259 is not a good road for a cyclist, too much traffic, personally from Haywards heath or Burgess hill I would use the minor roads to head to Lewes, then use the Kingston/Rodmell road into Newhaven

 

[CopperBrompton]

Thanks - I'm guessing that's Kingston Road and Piddinghoe out of Lewes? Looks a bit shorter too.

How does it compare hill-wise? I, er, haven't done much cycling lately so will probably not be overly appreciative of the South Downs by that stage, so flatter is better. :-)

 

[martint235]

Here's the route we used for the Friday Night Ride to the Coast to Newhaven last July. It doesn't follow cycle routes as such but is a very pleasant ride (even in the middle of the night!)

 

[CopperBrompton]

Thanks, and that answers my elevation question on the Lewes bit - that looks fine.

 

[Rymo]

Did this for the first time last month (but to Brighton). Just google map the route using the 'walk' function, easy enough all on back lanes pretty much

 

[CopperBrompton]

Must say I'm not a fan of google's walking routes as cycle routes - too many junctions, and some of the paths aren't too practical on a trike.