national cycle route 20

[KierCycle1]

Hi, I am looking to cycle from London to Brighton next week. i have done this ride previously as part of an organised thing but am looking to do it next week for a bit of fun.

I am aware that you can pick up the national cycle route 20 at the Cutty Sark? (Please correct me if im wrong!)
My question is how easy is it to pick up the route and stay on it?

If anyone has any alternative routes then i would be grateful, i am keen to stay off the downs link as my bike is a tourer and not the comfiest off road.

Thank you in advance

 

[snorri]

My question is how easy is it to pick up the route and stay on it?

The easiest bit will be finding the Cutty Sark.
As a general rule for NCN routes I would recommend taking a map or other navigational aid, don't rely on the route being clearly signposted throughout.
Have fun!

 

[KierCycle1]

Thank you both for your replies!

 

[Tim Hall]

It's Route 21 that starts at the Cutty Sark. It merges with Route 20 just south of the M25, although it's still numbered Route 21. At Crawley 20 and 21 split, with 21 going off to Eastbourne and 20 going to Brighton. However a fair part of this section is alongside the A23 so not that enjoyable. You might want to look at an alternative as @Dogtrousers suggests.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Try cycle.travel for building a GPX or TCX file. It will favour NCNs or traffic free routes but it’s worth going along and doing a tidy up of your route. You can also then click on a button and like magic, you get your return route. Even better you can instruct it to do a ‘round trip’ so you don’t do the same road twice.

 

[Red17]

Not 100% sure about this but isnt part off Nc21 off road before it gets to Nc20?

 

[Tim Hall]

Not sure about this but isnt part off Nc21 off road before it gets to Nc20?

Or "traffic free" as Sustrans likes to call it. I dislike that phrase. But yes, where NCN21 uses bridleways as it shoots down the face of the North Downs and in other locations too.. I don't know what the North Downs off road stretch is like but there are tarmac alternatives. Just south of there, near the Hawthorns School, it's on a bridleway again. I was on it on Sunday on 25mm tyres and got a bit muddy, and again round the edge of the landfill site. There are more "traffic free" sections (shown green on their map) on the way to Crawley, but the surface on those is in the range quite good (hard packed with gravel) to very good (tarmac). Further south, as it leaves Crawley and back on NCN20 you go through Tilgate Forest. Again I've done this on 25mm tyres but many people wouldn't. All this is leaning more and more towards the @Dogtrousers variation.