What sets these videos apart is the expert and informative commentary given, very impressive. I'm from NZ and have only been to London once in my life and will probably never have cause to cycle along the routes but really enjoy watching the videos all the same.
Ditto, albeit I do have some history there. One could watch video of someone driving through the areas, but it would almost completely miss the exposure, the immersion one gets on a bike, and the video and narration that goes with it. Were I back in London, this is how I'd explore much of it. These vids are the next best thing to doing it myself.
Great video as always! One small thing, unless the road is specifically pronounced differently (I don't know the area), 'Kittiwake Road' is said 'Kitty-wake' after the seabird!
Haven't had a chance to watch this yet, it's on my 'absolute must' list tonight. I was born in Southall, emigrated to Canada from there in 1958. Needless to say, many things have changed in the interim. Visiting the street of my birth, Elmfield Rd, we (my uncle and I, both visiting 'the old haunts') were invited in to the house of my birth. Lovely folks, it was an incredibly gracious offer. I declined in all good manners, as it would have been too overpowering for the memories. More comment later when I have an opportunity to watch this episode.
There are some wonderful restaurants in Southall which I imagine would be an ideal post-cycle reward! I’d also very much recommend enjoying some of the in season mangoes sold on Southall high street to reward any folks cycling there in ~late June!
absolutely! after I filmed this I went to one of those little chaat stands on broadway and had an absolutely delicious meal for about £3. I don't think there's anything like them anywhere else in London
I done this route before and I Found it very interesting. you can also use these routes to get to the Grand Union Canal or Heathrow and perhaps even Surrey.
I used to use that cycle lane along western avenue to get to school in the late 2000’s. You’ll be surprised how much cycle traffic went down there, even then. These are very old cycle lanes, haven’t changed at all! The more I watch, the more I am amazed these cycle ways have had no updates. Those areas are pretty rough though, so I would be cautious.
Possible new video for you: from the newish Meridian Water station to Alexandra (Palace) Park following LCN56 from Northumberland Park west wards and then the Penstock path under the East Coast mainline. Some fascinating older bits of LCN from I guess the 1980s.
A similar cycle route (shared path) on North Western Avenue that connects Stanmore/Edgware with Watford. Again not the most pleasant route in terms of scenery or breathing in traffic fumes, but gets me to where I want to go and good exercise, away from traffic. Only time that I come into contact with them is at junctions, so just need to be mindful. One of roads I need to cross leads to the M1 and crossing it can be a little disconcerting at busy time especially if vehicles travel fast at 60 mph and don’t signal.
Oh yes, my partner used to work in Watford and I tried to make a route work with that one before- I might take another look, it seems quite handy. As you say, not exactly scenic but it works
@@Londoncycleroutes yep after going on NW Avenue you can take a shortcut through Costco now through the car park onto Hartspring Lane. Take the shared use path to Otterspool way (a quietish service road) that runs parallel to NW Avenue/A41which is a half a mile long and then take right turn onto a protected path that leads all the way to Watford through combo of shared paths and parks.
The parkway was part of the Ringway project ie intended to be urban motorways the oldest bit is Bulls Bridge to A4 which dates from 1969 the rest are late 90’s for most part. Not absolutely sure about white hart that might be 1969 ish as well. Note that they built on the planned route around Hayes so when fair amount of housing was demolished for that section.
Thank you so much for this video! I moved from Central London to Uxbridge in Hillingdon last year and I've been looking for more cycle-friendly itineraries around here. As for your question, Uxbridge is a big population center and commercial district in Hillingdon, so would love to see your suggestions for routes in/out of Uxbridge. I believe there's some quiet streets from Uxbridge town centre down towards Brunel University but I'm not too sure where to go from there.
Just watching this now. "White Hart Roundabout"...I had to Google that, albeit nothing shows re cycling, but many hits on driving side of things. Good thing you go under it! OK, at end of ride. Being very young when I'd left Southall, I had presumed King Street to be the 'centre of the Universe'...lol...of Southall. It had never crossed my mind that an alternate reality existed the other side of the tracks! "The Broadway". I have some digging to do on Google maps. Great video. I was braced to re-enter the world as I knew it on King Street (just off of it actually, right by an area that was still bombed out post WWII, between the tracks and Featherstone Rd. Perhaps you could find a route to feature from Southall via the Three Bridges to Brentford? It might be wishful thinking on my part.
@@Londoncycleroutes yes please (having made me endure the bandstand by the Thames!) that location would be right on my original home turf too, now also an expat... I used to do Norwood Green to Hammersmith by bike via Osterley Park but some of that was decidedly not cycle-friendly back in the day.
Reports are coming in that West Drayton is tracking a Poppins squadron broadcasting The Ride of the Valkyries coming in from Swansea, ballasted by bottles of sugar.
There's a signed route like this which then connects to the route along the A40. It's not to right in the town centre, but it's most of the way there. You can also go over the A40 and through Swakeleys Park for a decent route to Ickenham maps.app.goo.gl/nS8ZPXCEPXuxddfi9
Yes in a sense! London has a lot of areas with a big south Asian population, Southall is definitely one of the main ones. I’m a big fan - after I filmed this video I went to a chaat stall on the Broadway (there are at least a dozen there) and had a great lunch. It’s not the only one though - Tooting and parts of the east end are some of the other ones, there are many more. As I understand it Southall has people mostly from Punjab, around the east end people are mostly from Bengal but it’s quite mixed up these days. At Southall station and on Brick Lane in the east end the signs are translated into Gurmukhi and Bengali script respectively
Excellent video! Would you be able to do Southall to Heathrow Cycle Hub (Runway Cycling)? I work at Heathrow and I struggle to find a good route that's not too busy.
I’d love to do some routes to Heathrow, it’s somewhere I’ve always struggled to find a good route to - I didn’t know there was a cycle hub, will check out where that is and see if it helps. I heard there were plans to improve the cycle access to the airport in the works but I don’t know if they’ve gone ahead… definitely want to do some routes for it though as it’s a huge employer obvious and a place lots of people need to go
Do you have a little bit more info about the cycle hub - eg if an employee can cycle to there can they then get a bus into the airport proper or whatever? Just trying to make sure it’s the right place to end the video to be most useful for everyone. Ideally there’s be a route through the access tunnel into the central terminal area but I think that’s out of service for now
@@Londoncycleroutes Thank you for your response! The cycle hub is located next to Heathrow Academy. They provide bike services and a secure place to park your bike, then you can easily catch a bus to get to the airport. Heathrow staff also get a discount on their services.
vegetation management is definitely needed there
As in so many places in London!
Particularly in Bushey…
What sets these videos apart is the expert and informative commentary given, very impressive. I'm from NZ and have only been to London once in my life and will probably never have cause to cycle along the routes but really enjoy watching the videos all the same.
that's so kind mate, thanks a lot for watching and the nice comment
Ditto, albeit I do have some history there. One could watch video of someone driving through the areas, but it would almost completely miss the exposure, the immersion one gets on a bike, and the video and narration that goes with it. Were I back in London, this is how I'd explore much of it. These vids are the next best thing to doing it myself.
Great video as always! One small thing, unless the road is specifically pronounced differently (I don't know the area), 'Kittiwake Road' is said 'Kitty-wake' after the seabird!
I meant to look that up but forgot so thank you for correcting me!
Haven't had a chance to watch this yet, it's on my 'absolute must' list tonight. I was born in Southall, emigrated to Canada from there in 1958. Needless to say, many things have changed in the interim. Visiting the street of my birth, Elmfield Rd, we (my uncle and I, both visiting 'the old haunts') were invited in to the house of my birth. Lovely folks, it was an incredibly gracious offer. I declined in all good manners, as it would have been too overpowering for the memories.
More comment later when I have an opportunity to watch this episode.
that's lovely! must have brought back some memories even from the outside! I bet the area's changed a bit!
It's not just the changes, albeit they're huge, it's the *proportion* of actuality compared to the memories.
*Such a nice route, I actually enjoy bein next to traffic, yet segregated from it*
🤙🏼👌🏼👌🏼🤙🏼
there is something dramatic about it all speeding past and feeling safe!
There are some wonderful restaurants in Southall which I imagine would be an ideal post-cycle reward!
I’d also very much recommend enjoying some of the in season mangoes sold on Southall high street to reward any folks cycling there in ~late June!
absolutely! after I filmed this I went to one of those little chaat stands on broadway and had an absolutely delicious meal for about £3. I don't think there's anything like them anywhere else in London
@@Londoncycleroutes that sounds glorious!
I done this route before and I Found it very interesting. you can also use these routes to get to the Grand Union Canal or Heathrow and perhaps even Surrey.
yes I really want to do one linking up to Heathrow!
Interesting cycle route great video would love to see a route from Hillingdon to Uxbridge
I will see what I can do! I wish there was more infrastructure around Uxbridge
Love this route, cheers for sharing :-)
Thanks for watching!
Great video! 👍
"Spine" routes along major carriageways are much needed and an excellent way to speed up cycle journeys!
We definitely need more!
I used to use that cycle lane along western avenue to get to school in the late 2000’s. You’ll be surprised how much cycle traffic went down there, even then.
These are very old cycle lanes, haven’t changed at all!
The more I watch, the more I am amazed these cycle ways have had no updates.
Those areas are pretty rough though, so I would be cautious.
An upgrade would be nice!
Possible new video for you: from the newish Meridian Water station to Alexandra (Palace) Park following LCN56 from Northumberland Park west wards and then the Penstock path under the East Coast mainline. Some fascinating older bits of LCN from I guess the 1980s.
Interesting I’ll have to check this out, thank you for the tip!
A similar cycle route (shared path) on North Western Avenue that connects Stanmore/Edgware with Watford. Again not the most pleasant route in terms of scenery or breathing in traffic fumes, but gets me to where I want to go and good exercise, away from traffic. Only time that I come into contact with them is at junctions, so just need to be mindful. One of roads I need to cross leads to the M1 and crossing it can be a little disconcerting at busy time especially if vehicles travel fast at 60 mph and don’t signal.
Oh yes, my partner used to work in Watford and I tried to make a route work with that one before- I might take another look, it seems quite handy. As you say, not exactly scenic but it works
@@Londoncycleroutes yep after going on NW Avenue you can take a shortcut through Costco now through the car park onto Hartspring Lane. Take the shared use path to Otterspool way (a quietish service road) that runs parallel to NW Avenue/A41which is a half a mile long and then take right turn onto a protected path that leads all the way to Watford through combo of shared paths and parks.
this is super useful thank you!@@badabing8884
The parkway was part of the Ringway project ie intended to be urban motorways the oldest bit is Bulls Bridge to A4 which dates from 1969 the rest are late 90’s for most part. Not absolutely sure about white hart that might be 1969 ish as well. Note that they built on the planned route around Hayes so when fair amount of housing was demolished for that section.
Interesting history thanks! It has the vibe of an unfinished motorway box
great video. would love to see how you cycle through hammersmith roundabout
Check out the map of videos linked in the description, I’ve got a few routes that pass that way (if we’re talking about the same thing?)
Thank you so much for this video! I moved from Central London to Uxbridge in Hillingdon last year and I've been looking for more cycle-friendly itineraries around here.
As for your question, Uxbridge is a big population center and commercial district in Hillingdon, so would love to see your suggestions for routes in/out of Uxbridge. I believe there's some quiet streets from Uxbridge town centre down towards Brunel University but I'm not too sure where to go from there.
A few people have asked for Uxbridge now so I will have to give it some thoughts! There may not be a brilliant way but I can work out the best
Great route, thought at first you would of gone up Long Lane and then along the Uxbridge Road as there is a cycle lane along there?
Interesting, I didn’t know about that one I’ll have to check it out!
great video as always. would love to see how you cycle through hammersmith roundabout
and thank you!
Just watching this now. "White Hart Roundabout"...I had to Google that, albeit nothing shows re cycling, but many hits on driving side of things. Good thing you go under it!
OK, at end of ride. Being very young when I'd left Southall, I had presumed King Street to be the 'centre of the Universe'...lol...of Southall. It had never crossed my mind that an alternate reality existed the other side of the tracks! "The Broadway".
I have some digging to do on Google maps.
Great video. I was braced to re-enter the world as I knew it on King Street (just off of it actually, right by an area that was still bombed out post WWII, between the tracks and Featherstone Rd. Perhaps you could find a route to feature from Southall via the Three Bridges to Brentford? It might be wishful thinking on my part.
I reckon I could definitely do something on that side of the railway! Thanks for watching and sharing your memories of the area
@@Londoncycleroutes yes please (having made me endure the bandstand by the Thames!) that location would be right on my original home turf too, now also an expat... I used to do Norwood Green to Hammersmith by bike via Osterley Park but some of that was decidedly not cycle-friendly back in the day.
Reports are coming in that West Drayton is tracking a Poppins squadron broadcasting The Ride of the Valkyries coming in from Swansea, ballasted by bottles of sugar.
Haha
Have you considered Uxbridge?
I’d love to do something over that way - so far I’ve struggled to find a good route
There's a signed route like this which then connects to the route along the A40. It's not to right in the town centre, but it's most of the way there. You can also go over the A40 and through Swakeleys Park for a decent route to Ickenham maps.app.goo.gl/nS8ZPXCEPXuxddfi9
Is Southall like the little India of London? Saw many in traditional Indian dresses.
Yes in a sense! London has a lot of areas with a big south Asian population, Southall is definitely one of the main ones. I’m a big fan - after I filmed this video I went to a chaat stall on the Broadway (there are at least a dozen there) and had a great lunch. It’s not the only one though - Tooting and parts of the east end are some of the other ones, there are many more. As I understand it Southall has people mostly from Punjab, around the east end people are mostly from Bengal but it’s quite mixed up these days. At Southall station and on Brick Lane in the east end the signs are translated into Gurmukhi and Bengali script respectively
@@Londoncycleroutes You sure know you stuff.
Excellent video! Would you be able to do Southall to Heathrow Cycle Hub (Runway Cycling)?
I work at Heathrow and I struggle to find a good route that's not too busy.
I’d love to do some routes to Heathrow, it’s somewhere I’ve always struggled to find a good route to - I didn’t know there was a cycle hub, will check out where that is and see if it helps. I heard there were plans to improve the cycle access to the airport in the works but I don’t know if they’ve gone ahead… definitely want to do some routes for it though as it’s a huge employer obvious and a place lots of people need to go
Do you have a little bit more info about the cycle hub - eg if an employee can cycle to there can they then get a bus into the airport proper or whatever? Just trying to make sure it’s the right place to end the video to be most useful for everyone. Ideally there’s be a route through the access tunnel into the central terminal area but I think that’s out of service for now
@@Londoncycleroutes Thank you for your response! The cycle hub is located next to Heathrow Academy. They provide bike services and a secure place to park your bike, then you can easily catch a bus to get to the airport. Heathrow staff also get a discount on their services.
@@katherinetiangco3585 thanks that's really helpful! I definitely want to do some videos to there from Southall, Hayes and maybe some other places
►♪♫♥!!
Thanks for commenting!