Hello Londonistanis,

I live in Finsbury Park, and am currently working in North Finchley. I've
been getting there by public transport so far, but now that the weather is
going a bit less jungle-like, i would like to start cycling.

Any thoughts on a route?

The one time i've been up there by bike, i took a slightly indirect route
in order to skirt the hills: up to the top of the park, then up Wightman
Road, parallel to Green Lanes, to Turnpike Lane, then up round the back of
Wood Green High Road to Bounds Green Road, up there to New Southgate, then
along Friern Barnet Road to North Finchley. I'm actually working a bit up
the High Road, just past Woodside Park, so i could perhaps avoid Tally Ho
corner by going through the backstreets northeast of it.

The route i took home was to go down the High Road to East Finchley, then
on to Highgate and Archway, and then to head over to Finsbury Park from
there. This also skirts the hills, and was very quick coming back, but i'm
not sure how fast it would be getting there.

tom

--
OK, mostly because of Tom, but not only because of his bloody irritating
character and songs.

Tom Anderson wrote:
Hello Londonistanis,

I live in Finsbury Park, and am currently working in North Finchley.
I've been getting there by public transport so far, but now that the
weather is going a bit less jungle-like, i would like to start cycling.

Any thoughts on a route?

For travel in London I find that the TFL Journey Planner with mode set
to bike gives a route worth trying.
http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/use...T2?language=en
The journey times are less silly than you might expect given all the
variables.


--
CTC Right to Ride Rep. for Richmond upon Thames

Paul Luton wrote:
Tom Anderson wrote:
Hello Londonistanis,

I live in Finsbury Park, and am currently working in North Finchley.
I've been getting there by public transport so far, but now that the
weather is going a bit less jungle-like, i would like to start cycling.

Any thoughts on a route?

For travel in London I find that the TFL Journey Planner with mode set
to bike gives a route worth trying.
http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/use...T2?language=en
The journey times are less silly than you might expect given all the
variables.

Or you could try:
http://london.cyclestreets.net/

This gives you the options of finding a 'quiet' route or the fastest and
lets you chosse a cruising speed.

Jim

On Mon, 29 Jun 2009, Paul Luton wrote:

Tom Anderson wrote:

I live in Finsbury Park, and am currently working in North Finchley. I've
been getting there by public transport so far, but now that the weather is
going a bit less jungle-like, i would like to start cycling.

Any thoughts on a route?

For travel in London I find that the TFL Journey Planner with mode set to
bike gives a route worth trying.
http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/use...T2?language=en
The journey times are less silly than you might expect given all the
variables.

I am usually a bit skeptical about the Journey Plannery - it often gives
stupid results for public transport journeys, and if it can't even get
that right, i don't hold out much hope for its cycle routes.

In this case, it tells me to take the Greenway to Highgate, and then the
East Finchley route i described from there. That's not a bad route in
distance and climb terms, but i don't find the Greenway very fast to
travel on, due to the surface. I might give it a go on the way home,
though.

tom

--
Why did one straw break the camel's back? Here's the secret: the million
other straws underneath it - it's all mathematics. -- Mos Def

In article , (J.
Chisholm) wrote:

Paul Luton wrote:
Tom Anderson wrote:
Hello Londonistanis,

I live in Finsbury Park, and am currently working in North Finchley.
I've been getting there by public transport so far, but now that the
weather is going a bit less jungle-like, i would like to start
cycling.

Any thoughts on a route?

For travel in London I find that the TFL Journey Planner with
mode set to bike gives a route worth trying.


http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/use...T2?language=en
The journey times are less silly than you might expect given all
the variables.

Or you could try:
http://london.cyclestreets.net/

This gives you the options of finding a 'quiet' route or the
fastest and lets you chosse a cruising speed.

I have to say that london.cyclestreets.net is very disappointing, Jim.
It's limited in terms of features compared to the TfL journey planner. To
send me through the Wandsworth one-way system when there is a perfect
cycle route avoiding it is pretty unpardonable. No ability to have via
points makes it pretty limited too.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
rth.li...
Hello Londonistanis,

I live in Finsbury Park, and am currently working in North
Finchley. I've been getting there by public transport so far, but
now that the weather is going a bit less jungle-like, i would like
to start cycling.

Any thoughts on a route?
Parkland Walk, from Finsbury Park to near Highgate tube station, is
nice: scenic, off road, with gradient designed so that trains can get
up it.

From there I would just go along the A1/A1000. It's direct, and
graded for horse drawn traffic. If you don't have roundabout skills
yet, it might be advisable to briefly turn into a pedestrian where
the A1 (Aylmer Road) takes off from the A1000. That's northbound.
Southbound is ok

For route finding get the free Transport for London bike map - phone
the bus map number 020-7222-1234, or use TfL's web site to order it
www.tfl.gov.uk or pick it up from such places as bike shops,
libraries etc. Map 3 is the map you want. That's generally
excellent, with my only complaint being that it only shows one way
streets if the street is one of their recommended streets [A sign, I
feel, that TfL is trying to divide streets up into a few "bike
routes" and a large number of "not bike routes"]

The A1000 has traffic on it of course (both motorised and non
motorised), but it doesn't take long to get used to people overtaking
you. A continuous stream is less stressful than the occasional
unexpected noise breaking a silence

Get yourself a copy of John Franklin's "Cyclecraft" It's the bible
on riding in among other traffic

Jeremy Parker

On Thu, 2 Jul 2009, Jeremy Parker wrote:

"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
rth.li...

I live in Finsbury Park, and am currently working in North
Finchley. I've been getting there by public transport so far, but
now that the weather is going a bit less jungle-like, i would like
to start cycling.

Any thoughts on a route?

Parkland Walk, from Finsbury Park to near Highgate tube station, is
nice: scenic, off road, with gradient designed so that trains can get
up it.

I've used this many times before for leisure purposes, and had a crack at
it last week with a view to commuting. The surface and wiggliness limit
speed so much that it just does not hold up as a sensible route for
getting places, at least not without more suspension than i've got. It is
very scenic, though!

From there I would just go along the A1/A1000. It's direct, and graded
for horse drawn traffic. If you don't have roundabout skills yet, it
might be advisable to briefly turn into a pedestrian where the A1
(Aylmer Road) takes off from the A1000. That's northbound. Southbound
is ok

Yes, i've only done it southbound so far, and it was fine. I might try the
Archway/Highgate route northbound tomorrow, which will bring me through it
the other way.

For route finding get the free Transport for London bike map - phone the
bus map number 020-7222-1234, or use TfL's web site to order it
www.tfl.gov.uk or pick it up from such places as bike shops, libraries
etc. Map 3 is the map you want. That's generally excellent, with my
only complaint being that it only shows one way streets if the street is
one of their recommended streets [A sign, I feel, that TfL is trying to
divide streets up into a few "bike routes" and a large number of "not
bike routes"]

The A1000 has traffic on it of course (both motorised and non
motorised), but it doesn't take long to get used to people overtaking
you. A continuous stream is less stressful than the occasional
unexpected noise breaking a silence

Get yourself a copy of John Franklin's "Cyclecraft" It's the bible on
riding in among other traffic

I'm guessing from the above that i gave the impression i was new to
cycling. I've only just started riding to Finchley, but i've been
commuting to other parts of London by bike for about five years!

tom

--
Oh, and sometimes in order to survive you have to drink the irradiated
water from an old toilet. -- Jon, on Fallout

Tom Anderson wrote:

Yes, i've only done it southbound so far, and it was fine. I might try
the Archway/Highgate route northbound tomorrow, which will bring me
through it the other way.


There is only one 'interesting' part of that journey - it's just before
where the A1000 and A1 split. A tasty little 'S' bend or chicane that is
one-way.

Best approached in the Primary position at about 20mph.
Lean to the left then lean to the right.
If you're not in the middle and in control of the road the drivers will
take the ****. Cyclists trying to keep to the left down Archway Road and
then work over to the right usually end up having to compete with the
traffic for the A1.

About half a mile further on you get Bishops Avenue on the left which
spews out the rat-runners - beware of the usual 'pull out in to the road
to block anything coming down the hill' - which is generally O.K. for
things that can stop quick from 30mph but bikes at that speed need a
little more time.






--

Come to Dave & Boris - your cycle security experts.

wrote:
In article , (J.
Chisholm) wrote:

Paul Luton wrote:
Tom Anderson wrote:
Hello Londonistanis,

I live in Finsbury Park, and am currently working in North Finchley.
I've been getting there by public transport so far, but now that the
weather is going a bit less jungle-like, i would like to start
cycling.

Any thoughts on a route?
For travel in London I find that the TFL Journey Planner with
mode set to bike gives a route worth trying.


http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/use...T2?language=en
The journey times are less silly than you might expect given all
the variables.

Or you could try:
http://london.cyclestreets.net/

This gives you the options of finding a 'quiet' route or the
fastest and lets you chosse a cruising speed.

I have to say that london.cyclestreets.net is very disappointing, Jim.
It's limited in terms of features compared to the TfL journey planner. To
send me through the Wandsworth one-way system when there is a perfect
cycle route avoiding it is pretty unpardonable. No ability to have via
points makes it pretty limited too.

I accept, that it is only as good as the 'Open Street' data, and that to
get it to show the good short cuts, it needs local cyclists to add the data.
If you really want to force the trip 'via' a location why not plan iyt
as two trips?

I'm not sure how 'Walkit.com' got lots of the cut-throughs in London,
but it beat me plotting a walking route using an A-Z

Jim

In article , (J.
Chisholm) wrote:

wrote:
In article ,
(J. Chisholm) wrote:

Paul Luton wrote:
Tom Anderson wrote:
Hello Londonistanis,

I live in Finsbury Park, and am currently working in North
Finchley. I've been getting there by public transport so far, but
now that the weather is going a bit less jungle-like, i would like
to start cycling.

Any thoughts on a route?
For travel in London I find that the TFL Journey Planner with
mode set to bike gives a route worth trying.


http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/use...T2?language=en
The journey times are less silly than you might expect given all
the variables.

Or you could try:
http://london.cyclestreets.net/

This gives you the options of finding a 'quiet' route or the
fastest and lets you chosse a cruising speed.

I have to say that london.cyclestreets.net is very disappointing,
Jim. It's limited in terms of features compared to the TfL
journey planner. To send me through the Wandsworth one-way system
when there is a perfect cycle route avoiding it is pretty
unpardonable. No ability to have via points makes it pretty
limited too.

I accept, that it is only as good as the 'Open Street' data, and
that to get it to show the good short cuts, it needs local cyclists
to add the data.
If you really want to force the trip 'via' a location why not plan
iyt as two trips?

I'm not sure how 'Walkit.com' got lots of the cut-throughs in
London, but it beat me plotting a walking route using an A-Z

I would expect anything in competition with TfL's own to be as good.

--
Colin Rosenstiel