You can cycle from Elephant and Castle in south London to Euston in central London entirely on quiet streets and protected cycle lanes.
The route is 6km long (3.7 miles) and makes use of Cycleway 6, protected lanes on Gray’s Inn Road, as well as the new protected lanes on Clerkenwell Road.
If you find this video useful or you just enjoy watching it please remember to subscribe to the channel and hit the bell icon so you’re alerted to new videos, as I try to post new ones like it every week.
And if you like what the channel is doing and want to support it, you can also contribute to the London Cycle Routes Patreon below. It really helps keep the channel going:
http://patreon.com/londoncycleroutes
You can see a digital map of the route and download a GPS/GPX file to use on whatever device or app you want here:
https://www.komoot.com/tour/3158634540?share_token=aIkImQQWXfUpUZrv2gPBqJo2LNqzm7C105ExBU308zVD8x5vx4&ref=wtd&t_s=referral&t_cid=route_share&t_ref_username=1603228668167
And you can find a viewer-created and maintained map of all the London Cycle Routes videos here:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1h9Hxm57fPvZmcuSXajM_Wu0G0s6f_bs&ll=51.505213496092054%2C-0.1285238120117249&z=12
I also highly recommend the Safe Cycle LDN map for route planning, which is compiled by @SafeCycleLDN on twitter:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1XlpvN9R-Wg7qZHyezO8y-eVlftr4e0WX&hl=en&ll=51.516975804561284%2C-0.21828576419061996&z=12
24 Comments
This is great! I didn’t realise this lane had been built. I have fo cycle south from Euston in a few weeks, towards C6, so I’ll be sure to use this route
Looked like Jo Johnson looked directly at you, so I reckon he might have clocked you too 😅
I used to see Alexander Boris De Pfeffel Johnson cycling when he was mayor. He was the sort of person who would approach a red traffic light, pass by the cyclists who were already stopped, and then wait in front of the white line. When the traffic light changed to green, he’d then move off really slowly and block all the younger and/or fitter cyclists behind him. I called him a four letter word a number of times. The advancements in cycling infrastructure during his tenure don’t make up for his many bad points.
I share the excitement – Old Street-Clerkenwell Road-Theobalds Road-Bloomsbury Way is critical because it is the only main east-west route that connects the west end with Hackney and around, north of the City. If I had my way I'd also put lanes in Rosebery Avenue as that's the direct road from south of the Angel to junction with Clerkenwell/Theobalds and I admit I use this going south-west as it is relatively quiet. That will change if I can get on lanes at Old Street at Bath Street.
The stretch of cycleway between blackfriars bridge and ludgate hill is a joke. Far too many traffic lights. Makes it near impossible if you honour them all and more than one set are often red for absolutley no reason whatsoever especailyl the set guarding the road down to embankment
Gordon street was a lovely surprise last time I rode to Euston. A huge contrast to the craziness at Euston.
I have a hardmode challenge for you: Islington to Brent (Alperton)
This is exciting, more for Gordon St than from what I could see of Clerkenwell Road in this video. I have been cycling up the other side of Gordon Square and didn't realise it was so lovely further on! I also didn't realise Grays Inn Road was so good nowadays either. Time for a ride round to have a look!
Im sure you could have gone straight over clerkenwell road and cycled the backroads which brings you back on to Sidmouth Street. That's the way i go anyway.
So nice to see proper cycle lanes. I use a fairly good condition cycle lane coming from Walthamstow to Hackney Marshes, and boy oh boy, how many scares I had cycling there daily. They made it in a way that it kinda blends visually with the sidewalk, so you have tons of people that randomly pop in without looking, then park cars on it. Looks like they actually invested money buildinh it, but it became one of those "the road is actually safer". I still use it, but I'm always on the edge.
Was very pleasantly surprised by the planters and tables on Gordon Street. I responded to the consultation and the plans looked far more rudimentary than that with pretty bare bones interim pedestrianisation (aka 'fun' paint patterns on the tarmac). UCL definitely was involved, at least with regard to the furniture. Those chairs and tables are very much UCL language — which is good as their street furniture tends to be quality stuff (see also the north side of Gordon Square which is a year+ by now and has embedded very well into the local area, it features the lovely double yellow line bench). It's really added to the QOL of the place for students and staff. Also still yet to be done but you can see in your video are those canopies going up against the awful brutalist chemistry building (and I usually like brutalism) which should provide some well needed shade and I believe might also be for bike parking as there used to be bike parking there before!
Blackfriars Road and St. George's are most excellent tree-lined routes. The little dog leg between the two is a missable bit. I had to put it to a chatbot why I ended up on London Road (Which is horrible for cycling).
Another great video.
Thanks.
London cycling newbie here. I live in Kent, but a recent monthly commitment has found me commuting between St Pancras and Vauxhall. So, introduction has been Blackfriars Road, and wow! I am a stickler for traffic laws and I stay put at the reds, but you're spot on – that road adds 15' to your journey, just because of traffic lights!
Agree RE the Blackfriars to Fleet street lights, if you really go for it it you can often hit them all on green when going north after waiting for the first one, always horrible going south. Worst is that the most dangerous thing in that stretch – motor vehicles pulling out of the side streets into the cycle lane – are not even dealt with properly with their own signals. If you're going to put in an obnoxious light then at least give the cars one too!
I have a dream.
That one day, we will have 50% of roads for cars, and 50% of roads exactly like Gordon St.
That will make me happy ( in spirit I guess, not in my lifetime unfortunately )
Could you please do a route from the Olympic Park to Farringdon
Could you please do a route from the Olympic Park to Farringdon Thanks
Going over Waterloo Bridge and up Kingsway much faster and more direct.
Great video.
I do like the phrase 'oversignalisation' …very true re Blackfriars .
Definitely going to try out Gordon st
Oh I live here and I work there. Maybe I should consider this over the Bakerloo.
wow London looks really nice
Recently took part in a group ride #eastlondonsocialride riding in around Hackney from Euston and out to Leytonstone and back and really appreciated how the cycle routes have massively improved (from the point of view as a visitor to the capital) – makes me want to visit London for bike rides more often . Olympic park was beautiful I really enjoyed that section too. 💚🚲
Shame the thumbnail is someone on an illegal motorbike.
Pretty brave for Jo, one of politics greatest cowards. I used to work around the corner there I saw Alexei Sayle quite often I assume he lives around there, a far more agreeable class of chap.