Cycling UK Forum

OK, it looks like I'm going to have to go to the smoke on Thursday. I have to get to Blackfriars area. I'll be driving because (i) short notice (won't be confirmed until tomorrow whether I need to go or net) and (ii) I need to go on from there up to the midlands on Friday.

So I'll need a safe place to park up within (besuited, non-sweaty) cycling distance of Blackfriars: Personally I'm guessing up to six miles ... Any suggestions?

Might be cheaper to sell your car, and then buy another one when you need to drive out....

Park Luton Bedford area and get the train in?

Maybe not ideal but I usually park at High Barnet and take the tube.

I happen to know that Cavendish Road, Chiswick, has plenty of unlimited street parking (check it out on Google Streetview). It has the advantage, if you're entering London along the M4, of being a very short distance South from where the motorway becomes the A4. A quick look at my Boris cycling map suggests pedalling East by staying North of the Thames until Barnes bridge, cross to the south bank then cycle along Lonsdale Rd and cross Hammersmith Bridge back to the North bank. Once you've got through the joys of Hammersmith flyover you're near enough in West Kensington and Central London beckons. It's still quite a distance to Blackfriars though

What sort of time are you looking at getting there?

You could park somewhere along the DLR line, there's a cheap(ish) car park at Blackwall station which is about 7 quid for the entire day and it's a pretty easy cycle from there of about 5 miles(Down Commercial Road/A13 onto London Wall/A1211).

Also, the DLR is currently letting you take bicycles on it as part of a trial they're running so if the weather is rotten you can just hop on at Blackwall to Tower Gateway

Many thanks all! Chiswick seems about right, about 6 - 7 miles away tops. Won't spend much time in the gyratory , looks like there's a cycle lane along H'smith Rd/Ken High St. now. S Carriage Drive an option if I'm ahead on time, through Green Park, over W'minster Bridge and York Road looks open to cyclists... I grew up there and was used to London traffic as a youth; it'll be interesting to see what has changed!