SUSTRAN1/Lea Valley cycle path

[cupoftea]

Tyran, I cycle along the high road up through Woodford, then past Wansted and over the green man roundabout and down Leytonstone high road, down to Stratford, through the one way system, and head up the A11 to Aldgate and then down past the tower and onto the embankment to parliament square, it about 15 miles with over 100 sets of lights each way. I’m still using my 13-year-old MTB and it takes between 45 and 55 minutes depending on wind direction, how much I’m carrying, how much I had to drink the night before.

It's all roads and I suppose it's why I miss the old canal path.

 

[Tynan]

I know the route, to drive anyway, lots of high road action there fella, and my sympathy on the lights, that's the one thing I'd deal with on my route if I had the chance with the road surface a close second

15 miles is tasty, shows how 'out' Buckhurst Hill is, I used to get from Tottenham to Wimbledon in 15 miles and a bit in the good old day

45 minutes sounds a bit bloody quick for 15 miles with lights

I'm surprised they let you ride a 13 year old MTB in Buckhurst Hill, surely time to splash on something new and zippy?

 

[ejls2]

Saw a bike duck off Ferry Lane last night onto what I later realised was the Lea Valley Cycle Path

gave it a go today as an alternative to the not entirely pleasant Ferry Lane through Walthamstow

nice, despite a long stretch covered in hardboard and another long stretch with rough stones and mud

bizarre feeling to be cracking along with nothing but ducks and geese for company, passed one cyclist and two peds in 20 minutes, missed the right fork that would have taken me directly home so went past Picketts Lock and came through Chingford via the rather dastardly Kings something hill and then home the long way

a squint at the cycle map shows me the right way sans hills, and it looks like the same distance, perhaps a little slower but 15 minutes bowling along the canalside inside of smashing through the self-gratification artists in Walthamstow, sounds like a good deal

it apparently starts in Docklands and goes to Ware, the lady wife went a fair bit North in the Summer and reported nice pubs and farm animals, got the gator arm ready to install for the youngest so it's all looking rather promising

I use the towpath route down from Ware into Islington as part of my commute on a semi-regular basis in the summer and absolutely love it! My normal route is down big main roads and always leaves me feeling a bit stressed. The towpath takes quiet a bit longer but is so much more fun and means I only end up riding for a couple of kilometers in central London. I also end up covered in mud but that's beside the point!

I'd echo other people's comments about using it at night though. You do get some "interesting" people down there and lots of dog walkers with dogs off the lead to crash into!

I actually saw the aftermath of a dog/cyclist collision on the towpath near Enfield yesterday. Thankfully we were close to an access road or else we'd never have got the ambulance in (also rather handy that my riding partner was a doctor!)

The surface is very variable throughout. At worst there are large, 3-4 inch deep potholes every few metres (<10% of total distance), at best there are the paved sections in central London, or the hard packed dirt (about 40%) and the rest is somewhere in between. It's fine in the dry but can be much slower and slippier in the wet.

 

[Tynan]

'from Ware into Islington as part of my commute'

lucky sod

I was wondering about the surface further North, my stretch has some rough tarmac and a fair amount of lovely new sort of gravel surface which is very pleasant, fine in the daylight and the dry

not sure about after dark, it must get a bit bloody gloomy? spec a bit close to deep water

 

[ejls2]

My commute is a long'un so I only do it a few days a week and only one way. That way even though I have to ride in the dark in the morning there aren't many "interesting" folk around. Plus you get to see dawn over the water etc, etc. It's really quite nice

That new gravel stuff is good but still quite draggy and slow. Once it's bedded in a bit it'll be much faster.

North of you is where the majoity of the potholes and muddy bits are, but it's very scenic. Well worth a pootle. It's about 45k from Ware to Islington.

 

[Milo]

I happen to sort of know that bad manners guy.

 

[Tynan]

45k of towpath? yikes, no need to excuse yourself there

I had some naive idea that the entire length would be in good nick given the brouhaha, money spent and that seemingly being one of the flag ship routes

I've been checking the local quiet routes this week as I need them to connect with the Lea Valley route, weak at best and absurd a great deal of the time, I love the way they just stop at the edge of major obstacles like main roads and the like, it's so fragmented

 

[Milo]

It is rather patchy Theres a bit near the city were you have to cross a gyratry to get back on the towpath.

 

[ejls2]

Tynan - there's another 50k of road before that! THe towpath is the warmdown!

Miloat - Where do you mean? Are you talking about the bit where (if heading into the city) you go sharply up and then come out on a small road which you need to go along and then cross a small but busy main road? If so there is a work around but it's not obvious (I didn't see it till I ended up overtaking the same very slow old lady twice!)

There's another bit where you do a 180 up onto a bridge, across the bridge and then down again which can be a bit interesting, but it all adds to the fun!

Other than that I can't think of any difficult bits. I go from Ware right into Islington without crossing any major roads (unless I'm just blanking them out!!!) I don't know about the other branches of the canal though.

 

[Tynan]

95k commute?

dear god, how long does that take and what time do you have to set off?

respect fella, jeez

 

[Milo]

Yep i think thats the one i mean ls2.

 

[ejls2]

A long time and early respectively! Hence only twice a week and only when I'm feeling stupid

Miloat - I don't think there's anything you can do about the 180 junction. I just ride up and then dismount, carry the bike 'cross style and then remount. All good fun and games. The other one is fiddly and although I can do it, I can't remember it well enough to describe! I'm going down later this week so I'll try and do it step by step. All I remember is that when you get to the little road at the top you turn the wrong way (left I think) and this lets you rejoin the path just below the road that you otherwise have to cross. They really should put a sign up or something. Will let you know once I've ridden it again

 

[Milo]

Never noticed it my self.
Used to use that path often when Lived on the river with my MTB.
Wouldent fancy it with my alu road bike though.

 

[Tynan]

I've seen some roadies on the route, being very cagey round the potholey bit but who wouldn't

did my very first 'on your right' this morning to a jogger who was clearly au faite and gave me an approving hand in the air of acknowledgment

getting the hang of it now and have finessed the route through the myriad of shitty cycle route options through Highams Park and Chingford

 

[meatballs]

Hi all,
New here - haven't seen this website before weirdly. Got here via google looking for info on the Lea Valley cycle route. Would like to get out to Ware from Islington so the info in this thread has been very useful - cheers...

Am not in London at the moment, so can I ask if it is straightforward following the route on the towpath out of London? I ask because it does seem on the map like there are multiple paths/possible routes. Is it signposted, or should I stay on one side of the canal or other??

Thanks all much appreciated - now to have a look around the rest of the forum.