37km The World's Greatest City
Overview
As close to city heaven as any ride can be.
Let’s ignore the nay-sayers for the moment - those who constantly moan about the troubles a vibrant modern city has - its high prices, its traffic, its poor road surfaces and the like. And let’s focus for a while on the majesty of the city which was voted for the sixth successive year as ‘The Greatest City on Earth’.Imagine a warm summer’s day, preferably in the relatively early part of a morning when the city’s pale splendour is bathed in a soft grey-blue light. This ride celebrates some of its many faces, such as its grand palaces and parks, its cathedrals and great modernist buildings. It passes too, alongside the mystical majesty of the Thames and weaves a way through the edgy districts of the East End with its wall art and street beats as well as the rarified grandeur of the multi-million pound homes in Kensington. Along the route are any number bof places to stop for food and drink and you’ll discover why London was second again in the ‘World’s Best Food City’ category in 2021. Whether you are a life-long Londoner who thought they were done with all the great vistas of the city, or a first timer to the capital, this is a ride which should both delight and surprise along its entire length.
The route is not all traffic-free but it does make extensive use of quiet back streets. The only exception to this are the crossings of Trafalgar Square and the road opposite the Tower of London where in both cases, it is easier and safer to walk. However, early on a summer Sunday morning there is very little traffic along the entire route.
(Route Revised January 2023)
Ride notes
Standing at the base of Boudicca’s statue, you see the Mother of Parliaments with its newly restored Elizabeth Tower. Time it right and the bell of Big Ben may strike the hour in its belfry. At the far end of the Palace (of Westminster as the Houses of Parliament are known) stands the Victoria Tower, which at the time of its building was the tallest stone tower in the world (1861).
The ride across Westminster Bridge in a segregated bike lane, is one of the highlights of the route. The views both up and down the river are some of the most famous river and beautiful city views in the world. Once on the South Bank, you ride past the The London Eye and the old GLC (London Government building) before passing the Royal Festival Hall, the last remaining building of the 1951 Festival of Britain.
The Palace of Westminster
Into the atmospheric streets of Bankside, you soon pass the incongruous Tudor theatre, the Globe - Shakespeares great ‘O’ - sitting beside the modernist Tate Modern and towering above it, The Shard. Continuing, you ride past London’s principle food market in Borough, and the Clink where the Bishop of Winchester incarcerated those he did not care for. You ride past the re-created Golden Hinde, in its time the first British vessel to circumnavigate the world, and Southwark Cathedral from where Chaucer’s pilgrims set off for Canterbury.
Over London Bridge, to the Monument which commemorates the Great Fire of 1666 and onto the great set pieces of the City - the Bank of England, the Royal Exchange, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Tower of London. Then it’s into the confined and edgy streets of the East End with its wall art, and eclectic shops and cafes. You may need fortifying with the best Bagel in London and drink some of the best coffee in the capital. The backstreets are the best places to see Georgian London with their cobbles, and under-stated housing. Riding through Shoreditch and parts of Tower Hamlets is more like cycling through a film set rather than on the streets of a vibrant capital city.
The route heads west now, into the grandiose area around Regent’s Park designed by John Nash for William IV. Houses facing the park cost tens of millions of pounds and the width of the streets and the quantity of trees, interspersed with many wonderful gardens is breathtaking and a wonderful antidote to the close quarters of the East. The opulence however has only just begun, for you ride into Kensington and Holland Park, one of the most desirable - and expensive - areas of any city in the world. It is a strangely quiet area where the rarified air of great wealth reigns supreme.
Shoreditch
The final leg is through the great Royal Parks of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park where their verdancy mixes with the most wonderful and understated grey light of London. Green needs grey to highlight it’s hues and nowhere is this more evident, nor more splendid than in the expansive parks. You ride past Buckingham Palace and up the Mall to Traflagar Square, the traditional centre of London. From there, the route passes through the very heart of UK’s government, Whitehall and Downing Street to Parliament Square. Across the square with its statues of Sir Winston Churchill and other great leaders, is Westminster Abbey, the third World Heritage site along this route, where the ride ends breathless with the wonder of it all.
Ride practicalities
The ride, which is at its best on an early summer’s morning, can of course be ridden at any time of year even in winter when the lower light levels illuminate the buildings and streets in a very special and spectacular way.
START/FINISH: Westminster Bridge. DISTANCE: 37km. TOTAL ASCENT: 301m TERRAIN AND SURFACES: Quiet back roads and cycle paths mixed with main roads which can be busy especially around the hubs of Trafalgar Square, the Tower of London and Parliament Square. Walking across these squares is recommended. However, early morning in any season means that the streets of this route are usually very quiet MAINLINE TRAIN SERVICES: Waterloo and Charing Cross are near to the start/finsh. Westminster is served by the Underground’s District Line as well as the Uber Thames Clippers, where bikes are carried free RECOMMENDED FOOD AND DRINK STOPS: Allpress Coffee Bar Redchurch St, Beigel Bake Brick Lane, Cafe Deco, Store Street (for an informal treat of a lunch and to experience why London is voted as one of the best foodie destinations in the world) LINKS TO OTHER RIDES: London’s Cobbled streets, Greenwich to Hampton Court, Chiswick to Greenwich
Every route on this website has been carefully researched as well as ridden. However situations on the ground can change quickly. If you know of changes to this route, or cafes, pubs and the like which you think other cyclists need to know about, feel free to share your thoughts below.
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