England : London London / Wimbledon cycling recommendations
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jefmcg
Guru
Oh, yeah. No, wouldn't do that after dark.
Actually, it's crap at any time. I'd avoid the A24, if I could ... which you can
But if you find yourself there, and you don't like the close passes, at least there is an option.
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NickNick
Well-Known Member
Oh, yeah. No, wouldn't do that after dark.
Actually, it's crap at any time. I'd avoid the A24, if I could ... which you can
Will get train back to Brum in evening instead of the morning on my last day so I can do it in the daytime, might as well tag on a bit a fun to a gruelling week of working outside in the freezing cold!
About to have bite to eat and will then head out to Richmond park for this evening I think.
Racing roadkill
Guru
Lots of bits of Wimbledon centre and Merton are block paved, it’s lethal at this time of year. Be careful and keep your eyes peeled. I’d head down to Putney, then out to Roehampton, do a couple of laps of Richmond Park, then head back to Wimbledon, if it was me. I’d stop for a pint at the Albert, and / or ( probably and TBF) the Roebuck.
http://www.thealbertkingston.co.uk/
https://www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk/p...e=g_places&utm_medium=locations&utm_campaign=
http://www.thealbertkingston.co.uk/
https://www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk/p...e=g_places&utm_medium=locations&utm_campaign=
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NickNick
Well-Known Member
I've been regularly going from Marylebone station to Wimbledon park on the bike during spring to autumn of this year and experienced the fun of cycling along Old York road (just past the big roundabout at the end of Wandsworth bridge) which is a bone jarring experience. It felt even more brutal on Friday than it did last time I was down here (about a month or so ago).
I'm normally doing 15h+ days when down here so not much time for anything bar the ride to/from station, so didn't realise it was a common occurence. But with the time to kill in the evening on the short winter days on this trip I've already experienced much more of the stupid block paved roads than I would have liked! They're even worse than the newly resurfaced Birmingham roads that have already become pot hole ridden 3-4yrs after they were done.
Google maps took me a pretty reasonable way, stuck to the cycle path along the side of the A3, then used the underpasses, and got into Richmond park through Roehampton gate.
Although saying that, I almost came a cropper on the first underpass as what I thought was a continuation of the cycle path along the side of the steps is actually just to wheel the bike down while you walk down the steps (not enough clearence to turn the pedals which catch on the steps), luckily realised just before I wedged my pedal and managed to stop and keep my balance.
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NickNick
Well-Known Member
Thanks @Racing roadkill , @vickster , @jefmcg, @Mark Grant & @slowmotion , went out around 10pm and Richmond Park was amazing, the dozens of shining pairs of eyes greeting me when I first came through the gate was a bit on the odd side, was amazing to get to cycle on the roads through the park without seeing a soul for the whole time I was there, don't expect to be able to do such tranquil cycling in London!
Even had a nice fellow cyclist that I weant past on my way there give me a heads up that there was ice patches further along the road I was on. It was a good thing he gave me the heads up the temp had suddenly plumeted and up until that point everything had been wet and fairly mild so wasn't expecting ice at the bottom of the hill. The clouds suddenly clearing seemed to cause a sudden drop in temp and by time I headed back most of the surfaces were covered in shiny ice crystals!
Even had a nice fellow cyclist that I weant past on my way there give me a heads up that there was ice patches further along the road I was on. It was a good thing he gave me the heads up the temp had suddenly plumeted and up until that point everything had been wet and fairly mild so wasn't expecting ice at the bottom of the hill. The clouds suddenly clearing seemed to cause a sudden drop in temp and by time I headed back most of the surfaces were covered in shiny ice crystals!
Racing roadkill
Guru
Richmond Park is referred to as the ice rink, at this time of year.
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NickNick
Well-Known Member
I could see why, the poor deer could hardly stay upright when trying to scuttle accross the road! Hoping it will be ice free tonight so I can have a bit more fun on the decents!
I've read that they sometimes have cops with speed cameras and will fine cyclists doing >20mph, do they just do that during the peak times, or is it more random?
jefmcg
Guru
Never seen them. It very rare.
They would never do it when the park is closed, there is no reason. But be very careful: there has been at least one fatality of a cyclist - in summer during daylight - hitting gravel at the bottom of a descent and losing control.
Cops are rare but they do speed checks now and again at bottom of the hills. Had a camera pointed at me once. They try and be sneaky too, hiding behind trees.
Racing roadkill
Guru
Flick ‘em the Vs, and don’t stop, they aren’t stupid enough to stand in front of you.
jefmcg
Guru
They are not going to be doing it on a cold damp night in mid December when there are likely to be less than a dozen riders in the whole park. They have better things to do like <google google> watching The Apprentice.
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
Broomfield Hill is fun at speed but the road surface is a bit rough. Stay out in the middle of the road. It's not a good idea to go too fast in the dark though. The deer can be a bit unpredictable. Also, watch out for the odd kamikaze badger. I nearly got offed by one.
