Northwood/Denham to Central London

[srw]

Next week is national bike week, so I'm thinking about using it as an excuse to ride in to work one day. Does anyone have any suggestions for a route from somewhere in the Northwood/Denham area to Central London? Ideally something where the traffic isn't going to be too hairy and the navigation isn't goint to be too difficult. I come from a bit further out, so I'm not fussy about specific starting points. Once I'm in zone 1 I can navigate in my sleep!

 

[doug]

I cycle from Harrow into central London down the Grand Union canal - navigation is very easy and the traffic is light - just other cyclists, pedestrians, ducks and geese to contend with...

I get on the Canal at Greenford and leave at Maida Vale.

Denham is right by the canal but the canal from there is a bit of an indirect route.

All depends on how direct you want to make it.

 

[orienteer]

There's a separate cycle path alongside the A40 from Hillingdon to Greenford. Go from Denham to Hillingdon via Oxford Road, Uxbridge and Hercies Road.

You have to cross the slip roads (above the main carriageways) from the south side of the A40 to the north side at the Polish War memorial junction.

 

[Ian H]

Perhaps better to go to Uxbridge and follow the Uxbridge road (A4020) in. Plenty of traffic, but 40 or 30 limited, with cycle lanes (if you're so minded) and bus lanes a lot of the way. At Shepherds Bush there is a cycle route that involves taking a diagonal route across the green, south on a minor road, then east over Holland Road and rejoin what is now the A40 (all signed). Further along you can divert through Hyde Park if you wish.

 

[Bromptonaut]

Whereabouts in Central London are you headed?

Advice for Marble Arch may differ from if you're bound for Liverpool St.

 

[srw]

Whereabouts in Central London are you headed?

Advice for Marble Arch may differ from if you're bound for Liverpool St.

Ultimately EC3 (Gracechurch Street, just north of London Bridge). My usual route is to get the train in to Marylebone and then cut through Bloomsbury to Holborn. Cycling all the way in is something I've been toying with for a few years but have never got around to doing.

My home postcode is HP6 (Amersham). Google, Michelin and Garmin all suggest that straight along the A404 is the shortest route, at about 28 miles - that pitches up in London at Marylebone. It also goes over the top of hills in Northwood and Harrow (the fact that the train goes via Northwood Hills and Harrow-on-the-Hill is a bit of a giveaway), so I'm wondering if heading downhill to Denham and then taking a more southerly route in might be a better idea.

The canal would be lovely, but would take much longer than I've got! I need a route where I can average 15mph+, at least on the way in. Coming home will necessarily be slower - the climb up the Chilterns will take care of that.

 

[srw]

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/37862104

I've found a route on MapMyRide which goes close to my front door, and will try it tomorrow (I have a day off), with a slight adaptation to go through, rather than round, Pinner. Following which I will either decide never to try and commute all the way in, or start it regularly. To be honest the bit I'm looking forward to least (other than the ride home...) is the section from Chalfont to Chorleywood, on a 60mph single carriageway.

 

[srw]

The last bit of that route turned out to be a London Cycle Network special - charming residential streets with double-parking and just about room for one car up the middle. Oh, and sleeping policeman at monotonously regular intervals. It also took me under the North Circular along what looked just like the start of a motorway - OK mid-morning, but I'm not sure I'd fancy it closer to the rush hour.

To come home I concocted a route which eventually debouched me onto the A404 somewhere in Kensal Green, and I just followed it all the way home. The North Circular junction is sensible, and most of the busiest parts of the road either have bus lanes or bike lanes with oodles of room around them. Coming away from London the gradient is absolutely relentless - my GPS track does show some downhills, but they're heavily outweighed by the ups. I do wish I'd taken lights - almost all of the cars already had their lights on come 7pm. It is only a week after midsummer...

I reckon the A404 down into London is a real goer. I clocked 2 hours dead to Euston. Simplifying the route, not losing my way and taking a lighter bike could probably eat 15 minutes out of that time. Home again is a bit of a different story - my time was 2.5 hours, and it was one of the most tiring rides I've done. It would be easier on my best bike than my second-best, but I'm wondering whether there's more mileage in riding to Harrow (perhaps along the canal, as suggested upthread) and then getting the train the rest of the way.