Before 2019 I’d been working at Liverpool Street for 10 years. Had no idea I could cycle from home so easily. If I ever start office work again I’m def using it as a way to get my zone 2 rides in!
I’m new to your videos. What’s actually really promising is that I did this route (with slight change - from Whitechapel instead of City), and Strava automatically routed me this way, even in the reverse. Their algorithm routes one down commonly used roads, so this seems to be well utilised, even in the opposite direction!
That’s good, I don’t use much app wayfinding myself and prefer to plan from scratch so it’s great to hear that the computers are figuring out how to do good routes automatically!
@@Londoncycleroutes no worries. The fun thing is I'm learning about routes in areas I thought I knew quite well, so thanks for the effort. That tiger crossing on morning lane is always a bit dodgy. Never know if cars will stop for you! They didn't seem to for you
@@chrisadams842 yeah, I’m a bit so-so about those, they’re usually parallel to zebras which drivers understand but unless there’s a pedestrian they don’t tend to stop for cycles, I certainly wouldn’t bet my life on it anyway!
Really enjoy your videos. London is such a lovely city and so friendly to cyclists. You pass by a lot of historical buildings and churches etc, could you please name them as not being a Londoner, I would love to know a little more about them.
I've just started cycling and aim to start cycling to work when I can go back and am more confident, this is a huge boost/ help thank you! Would be great to see a video Walthamstow to Victoria.
Lovely video. I take this route often, a suggestion I have to avoid Moorgate and the City roads that are now busier again: At 11:50 in your video, I turn right > Finsbury Square > Left onto Moor Lane > Right onto Fore St > Continue straight as it becomes Wood St and just keep following Wood St until it becomes Cheap Side :)
I really like this . I bike from Walthamstow village to Covent Garden and this is 95% the route I take . I then drop down from cheapside to the cycle lane under Blackfriars and take it to Charing Cross. Good to see this. .
thanks! and that's interesting - what roads do you take from Cheapside to the cycle lane down to blackfriars out of interest? tricky around there sometimes
Interesting. I have used much of this route when commuting to near Aldgate, but entered Zone 1 around Kings Cross when commuting to Covent Garden (using a route similar to another vid from here); the journey from there wasn't 'quiet', but it was mostly calm and orderly. I will certainly review if I find myself cycling into the centre again.
10:59 thankfully the roundabout at Old Street is two way now with safe cycling facilities but needs to be joined up to other schemes like Clerkenwell Boulevard
weren't there plans to replace it with a signalled crossing at some point? I did visit a couple of months ago and while it had definitely been improved I didn't feel like it was too intuitive in every direction
A very sane route - though it's worth noting the market days for Broadway Market (Sat/Sun) and Columbia Road (Sun). You will probably need to make a detour around these when all that's happening.
It was fascinating to watch because I grew up near Lea Bridge road/Millfields park, but haven't been back for decades. I would love to do the route but it would mean a long train journey.
Another great route. Lots that is familiar to me until you get to Shoreditch. And lots of great choices to stitch together things that optimise the quietness of the route. Some of these were rather less quiet/safe when I was cycling in regularly, while in other cases I sometimes elected to take a route with busier bits in it because I was confident enough. Or e.g. because Lyme Grove was in a terrible state (that was a long time ago).
@@Londoncycleroutes that will be incredible, do you know the date for when they may be doing this? I am so close to buying an ebike and start commuting from Walthamstow
@@ahmadm4637 I'm hoping sometime early next year, it's the Dalston one they need to do; tbh the route is already doable that way but I'm just waiting until they install it before doing a video to show it at its best
Generally a nice route I use often, although I tend to miss out the churchwell path section as it always appears pedestrians like to walk two abreast with the sole intention of not ever moving out the way.
I really like your videos, the one you did about Lewisham was really good I didn't know Lewisham had a old cycle line it is out of date, I want to add that bromley doesn't have good cycle route, im in orpington and the only good cycle route is from St Mary's Cary Station to bromley via pets wood, from bromley to London i dont think its great to go to Crystal Palace then to London I have done it and not great tbh if you just going to crystal Palace only? I wish there was a better route to bromley to Lewisham but the road is busy I don't feel safe on it. Cheers
yeah I'm looking for a route around there myself - I don't know the area too well but I think it's a really tricky one. If you get to roughly Beckenham I think there is a path leading into Lewisham but it's quite indirect if you're going to the centre of town, really you'd want to go somewhere angled between Crystal Palace and Lewisham if that makes sense
Outer London doesn’t get nice cycling infrastructure unfortunately. There are lots of wide roads with loads of space for segregated routes, but for now they’re just nice since you don’t need to worry about being overtaken so much.
Great video! I take a similar route into the city though find Broadway Market very difficult to cycle through with so many pedestrians. Instead I turn right in London Fields (7:55 in your video) to stay on Q2, getting to De Beauvoir via Middleton then take CS1 to get to the bit where Old Street and Great Eastern meet. I’m curious if you have any thoughts on the above vs the route you’ve done for the video?
I actually think they're more or less the same - if you look back I did a Hackney to City video and used that Middleton Road/Pitfield route you use for that. I think they probably take about the same amount of time and are roughly as quiet as each other, especially since the new filters on Middleton Road. The Broadway route is maybe slightly more interesting and possibly very very slightly lower traffic (Pitfield isn't perfect) but as you say a lot of people don't like cycling in shared pedestrian areas so I'd honestly be totally comfortable going either way!
Nice, thanks for doing these. You've never found a way from Harringay into Central that manages to avoid Green Lanes or the hills of Crouch End, have you? I feel I have to make peace with my maker every time I try to navigate the gauntlet that is Green Lanes.
working on a couple of things that might be helpful - one from Wood Green (maybe a bit west of where you're looking) and another starting from Haringay or Green Lanes station which may be a bit south. There are a couple of LTNs that should be going in later this year that will help I think
Love these videos - very interesting way to explore the city and the narration is both interesting and calming. Could you add a route to your to-do list if you know the area: something from around Seven sisters, Edmonton, Tottenham etc. to the City or Westminster
Absolutely, will get something on that for sure. I actually have recorded Edmonton Green to Walthamstow so you could potentially combine it with this but might be a better/more direct way as well
@@Londoncycleroutes Yeah that video was really useful for learning some paths near me I didn't know about. I was just being selfish and asking for my exact commute 😅 Do you know all these routes from experience, or do you have any apps you use or tips for what to look for? It might be interesting to add some videos on more general tricks for getting around as well
@@MichaelGribben1 it's a mix of my own knowledge and research for routes - I find this really useful for planning www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1XlpvN9R-Wg7qZHyezO8y-eVlftr4e0WX&hl=en&ll=51.516975804561284%2C-0.21828576419061996&z=11 plus street view if I don't know a place
I'd recommend to anyone watching, when they see the belisha crossing that also includes cycle crossing with it (where you have priority as a cyclist), just wait - almost all drivers I have encountered on this exact route never know that cyclists and pedestrians have the same priority on those crossings. Nearly got taken out by a white van man right before Chatham Place and the driver proceeded to follow me from a side road, threatening to physically assault me!
@@Londoncycleroutes Jon, your videos are great - I'm glad you're doing all this. Lots of familiar routes I have taken in the past - also the mishmash of stolen bollards, illegal parking, etc on this route made me chuckle because it's such a classic Hackney problem too. Have you thought of doing something on Markhouse Rd? I recently cycled up that way and the narrow cycle lanes are less than ideal - would be interesting to see where exactly it connects (I couldn't make much sense out of it).
@@additional09 thanks! I hadn't considered it actually, might be useful for a route connecting to Leyton via Capworth street with somewhere else to the north. Will have a look!
@@Londoncycleroutes Copy and paste from Google: When uploading a video, keep the box next to “Publish to Subscriptions feed and notify subscribers” on the “Advanced settings” tab checked.
@@Chris-pg9zg ahh interesting, sounds like it's something I have to do specifically when I upload videos. I thought that would have been ticked by default but I'll look more closely next time and make sure it is - obviously in my interests too as more people see it!
Hi - I've been experimenting with doing something similiar where I live trying to find an approach that works - think I'll just copy yours, these look wonderful. Thanks. Can I just ask what camera / recording set up you're using?
Thank you! the camera on the latest videos is a GoPro Hero 8 black - the older ones that don't look at good are shot with a CrossTour 1080p (which is much cheaper but has no image stabilisation)
Thank you for making these videos! They’re excellent quality and really helpful. May I ask, is there a way to customise this route to head toward Euston by any chance?
Hey! thanks so much, that's really kind - and yep, I've actually done one Walthamstow to King's Cross which is pretty close ruclips.net/video/0WIYY2hDOHM/видео.html you can get from King's Cross to Euston via Brill Place and the streets around there - is that what you were after?
@@Londoncycleroutes thanks so much for the reply! I’m new to cycling and very nervous about the roads. Looking to cycle to UCLH - yes thanks the video from Kx to Walthamstow is brilliant, will use as reference! Thanks once again
@@cnicole6277 Oh yeah that makes sense - for UCLH, to save you going on the big road and to join that route in the King's Cross video, go down Gower Street past UCL (initially just painted lanes but turns into protected tracks), then turn left into Torrington place which turns into Byng Place, Gordon Square, Tavistock Place (protected lanes). Then as you cross Judd Street you'll join the KX video at 1m17s. Might be worth having a check on Streetview of that first bit not in the video if it makes you more comfortable
Good route but I would stay off Lea Valley Road. Go the other way down to St James St. past Saisnsury's. Head straight ahead and turn onto the Mall at the crossing and go down Coppermill Road to the trainline. Then go left onto the NCN1 to Lea Valley road. No traffic lights or people.
@@Londoncycleroutes Great to see this. I commuted from Walthamstow in 2001, for a short time to Chessington (try that one sometime!). I got eggs thrown at me through Nightingale Estate above Hackney Downs, and Shacklewell Ln had its moments, but even then it was manageable. Incredible to see the change since then. Good work!
I had the same thought, but this approach probably keeps the interest level high, and you can put RUclips on 0.25 speed for parts of the journey. I have done a bit of this to check out improvements to the safety of the route. This will help me if I am recommending to less experienced cyclists.
I have noticed on a few of your videos that bollards seem to have been removed. e.g. when you turn from Chatham Place into Brenthouse Road. Not sure what the reason will be but there have been some reports of anti-LTN "vigilantes" going around removing bollards. I suspect this won't make a massive difference to traffic because GPS directions will still treat these junctions as closed to motor vehicles, but still not great to see. If anyone does notice an issue like this then it can be reported here (other councils may have similar reporting tools): hackney.gov.uk/street-defects/
That's really interesting, yeah I actually hadn't spotted that one but it's just lying by the side isn't it. I wonder how they got that one out of the ground, it's one of the heftier ones! I've seen vandalised no entry signs and smashed up planters before, but not the proper bollards!
Make these videos as long as you want mate, they are very relaxing to watch in bed before dozing off
Before 2019 I’d been working at Liverpool Street for 10 years. Had no idea I could cycle from home so easily. If I ever start office work again I’m def using it as a way to get my zone 2 rides in!
Definitely do, I’ve never regretted getting on a bike!!
Found this the night before my cycle into the city, thanks so much.
Hope it’s useful!
I’m new to your videos. What’s actually really promising is that I did this route (with slight change - from Whitechapel instead of City), and Strava automatically routed me this way, even in the reverse. Their algorithm routes one down commonly used roads, so this seems to be well utilised, even in the opposite direction!
That’s good, I don’t use much app wayfinding myself and prefer to plan from scratch so it’s great to hear that the computers are figuring out how to do good routes automatically!
Found these from r/londoncycling and r/London on Reddit. They are great and rather relaxing. Love the commentary!
thanks very much for watching Chris! glad the commentary is ok, I'm not that used to speaking on recording so trying to work on it!
@@Londoncycleroutes no worries. The fun thing is I'm learning about routes in areas I thought I knew quite well, so thanks for the effort. That tiger crossing on morning lane is always a bit dodgy. Never know if cars will stop for you! They didn't seem to for you
@@chrisadams842 yeah, I’m a bit so-so about those, they’re usually parallel to zebras which drivers understand but unless there’s a pedestrian they don’t tend to stop for cycles, I certainly wouldn’t bet my life on it anyway!
Thank you for bringing around London ...🙂🙂🙂🙂
Thank you for joining me!
Loving the new hypersmooth. Glad to see the channel is growing. Great content.
Thanks Darren! Yeah the camera makes such a difference I think
Really enjoy your videos. London is such a lovely city and so friendly to cyclists. You pass by a lot of historical buildings and churches etc, could you please name them as not being a Londoner, I would love to know a little more about them.
Thank you! Yes I will try to do that more often, I always forget!
I've just started cycling and aim to start cycling to work when I can go back and am more confident, this is a huge boost/ help thank you! Would be great to see a video Walthamstow to Victoria.
That’s wonderful to hear, glad it’s been useful - I will add Walthamstow-Victoria or Westminster to the list!
Love the video. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for watching!
Lovely video. I take this route often, a suggestion I have to avoid Moorgate and the City roads that are now busier again: At 11:50 in your video, I turn right > Finsbury Square > Left onto Moor Lane > Right onto Fore St > Continue straight as it becomes Wood St and just keep following Wood St until it becomes Cheap Side :)
great advice, and thanks for reminding me - I should probably re-shoot this video with a different ending!
Love these videos :)
cheers for watching!
Great route! I used to live near De Beauvoir Square; I'd take this route in reverse to head through Walthamstow on my way to the Epping Forest! :)
Thank you!! I’d like to do a few routes to Epping Forest myself!
I really like this . I bike from Walthamstow village to Covent Garden and this is 95% the route I take . I then drop down from cheapside to the cycle lane under Blackfriars and take it to Charing Cross. Good to see this. .
thanks! and that's interesting - what roads do you take from Cheapside to the cycle lane down to blackfriars out of interest? tricky around there sometimes
Hey. Sure . It’s queen street straight line down to upper Thames street and the cycle lane that goes to Charing Cross
@@martine8174 thank you!
Interesting. I have used much of this route when commuting to near Aldgate, but entered Zone 1 around Kings Cross when commuting to Covent Garden (using a route similar to another vid from here); the journey from there wasn't 'quiet', but it was mostly calm and orderly. I will certainly review if I find myself cycling into the centre again.
I like how you're so chilled when cycling. I'd be cursing every 5 minutes. lol
Could definitely take a few leaves out of your book of cycling.
haha it does depend on the situation.... near death experiences definitely bring out the swearing but I try to avoid them for these vids
10:59 thankfully the roundabout at Old Street is two way now with safe cycling facilities but needs to be joined up to other schemes like Clerkenwell Boulevard
weren't there plans to replace it with a signalled crossing at some point? I did visit a couple of months ago and while it had definitely been improved I didn't feel like it was too intuitive in every direction
A very sane route - though it's worth noting the market days for Broadway Market (Sat/Sun) and Columbia Road (Sun). You will probably need to make a detour around these when all that's happening.
Yep good point!
It was fascinating to watch because I grew up near Lea Bridge road/Millfields park, but haven't been back for decades. I would love to do the route but it would mean a long train journey.
Happy to bring back some memories!
Another great route. Lots that is familiar to me until you get to Shoreditch. And lots of great choices to stitch together things that optimise the quietness of the route. Some of these were rather less quiet/safe when I was cycling in regularly, while in other cases I sometimes elected to take a route with busier bits in it because I was confident enough. Or e.g. because Lyme Grove was in a terrible state (that was a long time ago).
Cheers Steve, thanks for watching
would love to see an updated video on this!
Iill be doing an update on this soon ish for sure - I’m just waiting for Hackney to do an LTN they’ve promised which will open up a direct route!
@@Londoncycleroutes that will be incredible, do you know the date for when they may be doing this? I am so close to buying an ebike and start commuting from Walthamstow
@@ahmadm4637 I'm hoping sometime early next year, it's the Dalston one they need to do; tbh the route is already doable that way but I'm just waiting until they install it before doing a video to show it at its best
@@Londoncycleroutes makes total sense, love the videos
Generally a nice route I use often, although I tend to miss out the churchwell path section as it always appears pedestrians like to walk two abreast with the sole intention of not ever moving out the way.
It is a bit tight yeah!
I really like your videos, the one you did about Lewisham was really good I didn't know Lewisham had a old cycle line it is out of date, I want to add that bromley doesn't have good cycle route, im in orpington and the only good cycle route is from St Mary's Cary Station to bromley via pets wood, from bromley to London i dont think its great to go to Crystal Palace then to London I have done it and not great tbh if you just going to crystal Palace only? I wish there was a better route to bromley to Lewisham but the road is busy I don't feel safe on it. Cheers
yeah I'm looking for a route around there myself - I don't know the area too well but I think it's a really tricky one. If you get to roughly Beckenham I think there is a path leading into Lewisham but it's quite indirect if you're going to the centre of town, really you'd want to go somewhere angled between Crystal Palace and Lewisham if that makes sense
Outer London doesn’t get nice cycling infrastructure unfortunately. There are lots of wide roads with loads of space for segregated routes, but for now they’re just nice since you don’t need to worry about being overtaken so much.
@@thegrowl2210 Walthamstow is pretty outer, to be fair, it's nearly Essex! but generally you're right, it's very much the exception
Great video! I take a similar route into the city though find Broadway Market very difficult to cycle through with so many pedestrians. Instead I turn right in London Fields (7:55 in your video) to stay on Q2, getting to De Beauvoir via Middleton then take CS1 to get to the bit where Old Street and Great Eastern meet. I’m curious if you have any thoughts on the above vs the route you’ve done for the video?
I actually think they're more or less the same - if you look back I did a Hackney to City video and used that Middleton Road/Pitfield route you use for that. I think they probably take about the same amount of time and are roughly as quiet as each other, especially since the new filters on Middleton Road. The Broadway route is maybe slightly more interesting and possibly very very slightly lower traffic (Pitfield isn't perfect) but as you say a lot of people don't like cycling in shared pedestrian areas so I'd honestly be totally comfortable going either way!
Nice, thanks for doing these. You've never found a way from Harringay into Central that manages to avoid Green Lanes or the hills of Crouch End, have you? I feel I have to make peace with my maker every time I try to navigate the gauntlet that is Green Lanes.
working on a couple of things that might be helpful - one from Wood Green (maybe a bit west of where you're looking) and another starting from Haringay or Green Lanes station which may be a bit south. There are a couple of LTNs that should be going in later this year that will help I think
@@Londoncycleroutes I'm actually in Wood Green, so excited to see what you have! Love the channel, thanks for the work you put into it
Love these videos - very interesting way to explore the city and the narration is both interesting and calming.
Could you add a route to your to-do list if you know the area: something from around Seven sisters, Edmonton, Tottenham etc. to the City or Westminster
Absolutely, will get something on that for sure. I actually have recorded Edmonton Green to Walthamstow so you could potentially combine it with this but might be a better/more direct way as well
@@Londoncycleroutes Yeah that video was really useful for learning some paths near me I didn't know about. I was just being selfish and asking for my exact commute 😅
Do you know all these routes from experience, or do you have any apps you use or tips for what to look for? It might be interesting to add some videos on more general tricks for getting around as well
@@MichaelGribben1 it's a mix of my own knowledge and research for routes - I find this really useful for planning www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1XlpvN9R-Wg7qZHyezO8y-eVlftr4e0WX&hl=en&ll=51.516975804561284%2C-0.21828576419061996&z=11 plus street view if I don't know a place
I'd recommend to anyone watching, when they see the belisha crossing that also includes cycle crossing with it (where you have priority as a cyclist), just wait - almost all drivers I have encountered on this exact route never know that cyclists and pedestrians have the same priority on those crossings. Nearly got taken out by a white van man right before Chatham Place and the driver proceeded to follow me from a side road, threatening to physically assault me!
yeah, I'd probably echo this. maybe not wait for a gap, but be extremely cautious and make sure they're stopping before pulling out
@@Londoncycleroutes Jon, your videos are great - I'm glad you're doing all this. Lots of familiar routes I have taken in the past - also the mishmash of stolen bollards, illegal parking, etc on this route made me chuckle because it's such a classic Hackney problem too. Have you thought of doing something on Markhouse Rd? I recently cycled up that way and the narrow cycle lanes are less than ideal - would be interesting to see where exactly it connects (I couldn't make much sense out of it).
@@additional09 thanks! I hadn't considered it actually, might be useful for a route connecting to Leyton via Capworth street with somewhere else to the north. Will have a look!
Fantastic routes and great commentary to match. Is it possible for you to allow post notifications as I think they are disabled?
Thanks Chris - I'm trying to work out how to get these turned on as someone else mentioned it, does anyone know how I might be able to do that?
I *think* that should be working now? Let me know if it does or not
@@Londoncycleroutes Copy and paste from Google: When uploading a video, keep the box next to “Publish to Subscriptions feed and notify subscribers” on the “Advanced settings” tab checked.
@@Chris-pg9zg ahh interesting, sounds like it's something I have to do specifically when I upload videos. I thought that would have been ticked by default but I'll look more closely next time and make sure it is - obviously in my interests too as more people see it!
Hi - I've been experimenting with doing something similiar where I live trying to find an approach that works - think I'll just copy yours, these look wonderful. Thanks. Can I just ask what camera / recording set up you're using?
Thank you! the camera on the latest videos is a GoPro Hero 8 black - the older ones that don't look at good are shot with a CrossTour 1080p (which is much cheaper but has no image stabilisation)
Could we request a Greenwich - Elephant & Castle route please?
of course! good idea
Thank you for making these videos! They’re excellent quality and really helpful. May I ask, is there a way to customise this route to head toward Euston by any chance?
Hey! thanks so much, that's really kind - and yep, I've actually done one Walthamstow to King's Cross which is pretty close ruclips.net/video/0WIYY2hDOHM/видео.html you can get from King's Cross to Euston via Brill Place and the streets around there - is that what you were after?
@@Londoncycleroutes thanks so much for the reply! I’m new to cycling and very nervous about the roads. Looking to cycle to UCLH - yes thanks the video from Kx to Walthamstow is brilliant, will use as reference! Thanks once again
@@cnicole6277 Oh yeah that makes sense - for UCLH, to save you going on the big road and to join that route in the King's Cross video, go down Gower Street past UCL (initially just painted lanes but turns into protected tracks), then turn left into Torrington place which turns into Byng Place, Gordon Square, Tavistock Place (protected lanes). Then as you cross Judd Street you'll join the KX video at 1m17s. Might be worth having a check on Streetview of that first bit not in the video if it makes you more comfortable
Good route but I would stay off Lea Valley Road. Go the other way down to St James St. past Saisnsury's. Head straight ahead and turn onto the Mall at the crossing and go down Coppermill Road to the trainline. Then go left onto the NCN1 to Lea Valley road. No traffic lights or people.
Oh yes I know that way, it’s a decent alternative!
hi, do you have a Stratford to Richmond park? thank you
That’s long but should be doable!
Are your route, generally reversable?
Yep! Almost always and if there’s one that is slightly different backwards I always try and note the alternative (which will never be too different)
You sure have some Matrix routes. 😎
Haha thank you!
What 🤔🤔 no highway code ?? Keep safe
This was an extremely long way to lea-bridge road. to go back on yourself.
I don’t think it goes back on itself, check out the map!
Is it safe to cycle in this area? How is crime?
Yes perfectly safe, there’s not really in anywhere in London a sensible person would avoid because of crime
@@Londoncycleroutes Great to see this. I commuted from Walthamstow in 2001, for a short time to Chessington (try that one sometime!). I got eggs thrown at me through Nightingale Estate above Hackney Downs, and Shacklewell Ln had its moments, but even then it was manageable. Incredible to see the change since then. Good work!
thanks for this video , please if you can make it a bit slower .
thanks for watching!
I had the same thought, but this approach probably keeps the interest level high, and you can put RUclips on 0.25 speed for parts of the journey. I have done a bit of this to check out improvements to the safety of the route. This will help me if I am recommending to less experienced cyclists.
I have noticed on a few of your videos that bollards seem to have been removed. e.g. when you turn from Chatham Place into Brenthouse Road. Not sure what the reason will be but there have been some reports of anti-LTN "vigilantes" going around removing bollards. I suspect this won't make a massive difference to traffic because GPS directions will still treat these junctions as closed to motor vehicles, but still not great to see.
If anyone does notice an issue like this then it can be reported here (other councils may have similar reporting tools):
hackney.gov.uk/street-defects/
That's really interesting, yeah I actually hadn't spotted that one but it's just lying by the side isn't it. I wonder how they got that one out of the ground, it's one of the heftier ones! I've seen vandalised no entry signs and smashed up planters before, but not the proper bollards!
@@Londoncycleroutes Have seen some instances of vandalism of cycling infrastructure in Kingston and Richmond. It seems to be a thing :-(
@@JohnOConnell incredibly sad (in more ways than one) isn’t it