My London

“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life” ~ Samuel Johnson

Spending nearly six months cycling in London during 2016 was an incredible experience, possibly the best time of my life. Home to almost nine million people, London has developed into one of the most vibrant and exciting cities in the world. With a rich cultural heritage and a willingness to embrace different cultures and communities, London has blossomed into a rich and wonderful melting pot. Samuel Johnson is right … it is impossible to be bored in London.

There is so much more to London than the familiar iconic landmarks a tourist might see from the comfort of a hop-on, hop-off, double-decker bus. From the seat of a bicycle you get to explore every corner of this buzzing multicultural city, always with something new to see and experience.

With support from the last three Lord Mayors (Ken Livingstone, Boris Johnson, Sadiq Khan) London has emerged as a wonderfully cycle friendly city, not just because of its cycling infrastructure but also the cycling culture and tolerance towards cyclists. The new Cycle Superhighways are a great initiative, with the new East-West Route the most impressive part of the system. Well separated from traffic, this smooth and wide cycleway runs along the Embankment beside the Thames River with beautiful plane trees lining the route. At the moment it extends for about 9 Km from Lancaster Gate to Tower Bridge. When complete, it will run alongside St James’s Park, through Hyde Park and along the Embankment, making it possible to ride 30 Km from Barking in east London to Acton in the west, separated from traffic almost all the way.

GPS navigation has enabled me to develop some marvellous routes around London this year. With the help of resources such as Garmin Basecamp, CycleStreets, BBBike.Org, Transport for London, Sustrains and VeloMaps I have amassed a collection of safe and scenic routes that take me through most of the interesting parts of London. These I would like to share with you; just click the orange button above and feel free to download any of my maps or photos.

Every time I come to London I discover new exciting areas. Here are some of the highlights this year:

Favourite Rides

Barnet – Commencing at Willesden Green, passing through Gladstone Park to Brent Cross then proceeding to High Barnnett via the Dollis Valley Greenwalk; returning to Willesden Green via Arnos Park bike path to Broadway Market, Regent Canal, Camden Lock and Green Park. Gladstone Park situated in the Dollis Hill area of north-west London is not only a beautiful park, but has a lot of interesting history. Dollis Hill House located in the “Pleasure Grounds” area of the park has now been reduced to its foundations, but in 1900 played host to Mark Twain who wrote Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. From 1882 the house was lived in by William Gladstone who was prime minister of England four times, more than anybody else. During World War II Sir Winston Churchill bunkered down in nearby Brook Road and conducted two meetings of the War Cabinet there.

Greenwich – I recommend this great bike ride which goes past many of London’s famous landmarks (including Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Victoria Embankment, Westminster, London Eye, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Cutty Sark, Shard, Gherkin, Walkie-Talkie, Royal Albert Hall). The route follows the EW Cycle Superhighway to Isle of Dogs, then a walk through the tunnel under the Thames to Greenwich, returning via the Thames Path (NCN 4).

Markets

Camden Lock Market is open seven days a week and has an amazing variety of stalls and shops selling everything from vintage clothing to hand-made jewellery and artwork to gifts, music and more. There is also lots of food stalls offering cuisines from different countries around the world.

Portobello Road Market at Notting Hill is the place to be on a sunny Saturday in London.

Brick Lane Sunday market is an experience not to be missed. When I was there I was entertained by a Cuban Salsa troupe dancing its way through the crowded street. Nearby Spitalfields Market is also worth a visit.

Food

Dalston Yard Street Feast … another interesting area in East London. With 12 bars and live music it apparently gets lively after dark.

Broadway Market is a street near Shoreditch with some great cafes and restaurants (including my favourite delicatessen & café called La Bouche).

Golborne Road near Portobello Road has several interesting Portuguese cafes.

It would not be easy to leave empty handed from the Whole Foods Market in Kensington High Street.

Brixton Yard is an interesting place, with colourful street art. Brixton Village itself is a foodie’s delight, with food from many different countries.

Duck Truck – a restaurant serving only duck in Shoreditch. There is also a turkey only restaurant in Shoreditch with the great name of Strut & Cluck.

Shepherd Market off Curzon Street in Mayfair has some great restaurants.

Daquise Polish Restaurant is an up-market restaurant in South Kensington. We enjoyed a meal with friends there recently. There are several other cafes and coffee shops nearby.

Coffee shops

“Look Mum No Hands ” cafe & wine bar cycle shop in Old Street London is a cyclists idea of heaven

Café Eve is worth the 10 Km round trip to get the best coffee in the area, served with a smile.

Charles Dickens Courtyard Cafe at 48 Doughty Street in Bloomsbury is not only a place of historic significance but the lovely courtyard cafe serves good coffee and cakes.

Dalston Eastern Curve Garden is a great little garden coffee shop that I stumbled onto this year.

Parks and gardens

Kew Gardens is a botanical garden in south-west London and the world’s largest and most diverse collection of living plants, with beautiful grounds, iconic buildings and rare plants.

I have ridden along the Grand Canal towpath many times, but only recently noticed the adjacent “Meanwhile Garden“, which was established recently with the help of a generous donation and a few community-minded volunteers.

Queen Mary’s Garden, is a world-famous garden in Regent’s Park.

My route to Hampstead Heath took me through the beautiful heritage listed villa, Kenwood House Gardens, where I enjoyed lunch in the delightful gardens.

Bhaktiyedanta Manor near Watford, is a real sanctuary for the soul. In 1973 George Harrison gifted this iconic mock Tudor mansion to his Hare Krishna guru Srila Prabhupada. A nice 40 Km ride to Watford in Hertfordshire, past some lovely Tudor style houses and beautiful English countryside. There is no public transport nearby, so access is by bicycle or car.

In Spring you can see beautiful tulips in bloom at Paddington Street Gardens near Baker Street.

Brockwell Park is a lovely park on my route to Brixton.

Peckham in South London is surrounded by parkland with great bike paths. Peckham Square has a very interesting Peace Wall inspired by the Peckham Riots that occurred in August 2011 and a determination to avoid a recurrence. It is worth reading some of the messages of peace scribbled on the 3,000 tiles of the wall.

Music and dancing

One of my favourite pastimes in London is listening to the lunchtime Covent Gardens Busking.

While riding back from Brick Lane in east London I chanced upon some wonderful Argentine Tango in the square at Spitalfields. On the same day I enjoyed watching a troupe of Cuban Salsa dancers in Brick Lane.

In 2017 I took a shortcut through Embankment Park and was delighted by a troup of 24 children performing a concert for Hungarian Folklore Day. The youngest child was 3 years old and probably the most passionate.

While riding through Camden on my way back from South Kensington I came across a public fun day put on by the Camden Council. I enjoyed listening to a Afro-Brazilian Band from North-East Brazil, while tasting some complimentary Brazilian food.

Places of interest

Speakers Corner in London’s Hyde Park can get a bit lively on a Sunday morning! Watch how this Islamic preacher had to keep reminding his audience who was on the soap box.

Brick Lane in East London was once a slum area and remembered for the Jack the Ripper murders, but is now a vibrant place featuring galleries, restaurants, bars, interesting street food & coffee shops, markets and vintage clothes shops. Brick Lane is famous for its Street Art and Street Food

Christie’s Auction House in Old Brompton Road, South Kensington is a great place to browse around, but keep your hands in your pockets if you will be attending the “Out of the Ordinary” auction on 14 September 2016. Charlie Chaplin’s violin will set you back about £70,000 to £100,000, and a pair of Queen Victoria’s split drawers will cost between £2,000 and £3,000. The mechanical corkscrew and wine-pouring machine is a bargain at between £15,000 to £25,000.

Leadenhall Market in the City of London is another interesting place I have discovered this year. It was used as Diagon Alley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Leadenhall, which dates from the 14th century, is a superb example of a Victorian covered market with an ornate painted roof.

The Churchill Arms in Kensington Church Street would have to lay claims to being the prettiest pub in London. Built in 1750, this Kensington pub was once frequented by Winston Churchill’s grandparents.

Sky Garden – A greenhouse in the sky! From the 35th floor of Sky Garden (“the Walkie Talkie”) in Fenchurch Street there are spectacular views of London, including landmarks such as the Shard, the Cheese-grater, the Gherkin, Tower Bridge, and London Eye. And access is free … you just need to book a time slot online and take your passport or other form of photo ID.

I have always been fascinated by ‘rag and bone’ yards, ever since watching Steptoe and Son in the 60’s. The Willesden Salvage Shop is a cut above the rest … I could have stayed there for hours just browsing around.

History

Watching out for English Heritage Plaques is an interesting thing to do while cycling around London. Some of the plaques I have spotted include Guglielmo Marconi, Sir Francis Chichester, Frederic Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn, and H.G. Wells.

There is so much history at Bunhill Fields Burial Ground in Old Street, London (near Shoreditch). Many prominent people are buried here, including: John Bunyan (1628-1688) author of Pilgrims Progress; Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) author of Robinson Crusoe; William Blake (1757-1827) artist and poet; and Thomas Bayes (1702-1761) mathematician remembered for his theories regarding statistics and probability.

The historic Highgate Cemetry is reputedly haunted, so I plucked up courage to ride there and check it out for myself. No sign of any ghosts, but what I found was a great place for tranquil reflection. The most famous burial in the East cemetery is undoubtedly that of Karl Marx, whose tomb was the site of attempted bombings on 2 September 1965 and in 1970. The ivy covering of the graves is what gives it a haunting eeriness.

Canals

The canal towpaths around London are good for cycling,but not at weekends because they are shared with pedestrians. Little Venice in Paddington, where Union Canal and Regent Canal intersect, is one of my favourite places. You can catch a canal boat from there to Camden Lock. Ornately decorated Canal Boats are an idyllic home for many Londoners.