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Cycling In London

Read our guide for Cycling In London and Find and Book experiences, courses, activities and tours! Browse through the list of experiences, either instantly book onto your dates or enquire to book. All you have to do is turn up and enjoy! If you’ve got any questions about any specific experience, send a message and the providers will aim to get back to you as soon as possible. Have a specific experience in mind that we don’t have listed? No problem, drop us a message and we’ll send your quote around to hundreds of the best experience providers nationwide and come back with you the best quote, making it easy for you to make the most of your spare time!

London

Being one of the most vibrant cities in the world, London has no shortage of things to do. In fact your biggest problem is probably going to be what not to do! From historical palaces and famous landmarks to musicals and nightlife London has it all. Take an iconic open-topped bus tour, delve into the details on a walking tour, explore the stunning Royal Parks, or get active with a paddle down the Thames. Whatever floats your boat, London has the answer! Practise your climbing skills in one of the many indoor climbing walls, or jump on a train and with just a short journey be climbing in beautiful woodlands at Harrison’s Rocks. Explore one of the many rivers, like canoeing or kayaking the Thames or the River Medway for a peaceful escape. There’s also a wealth of rolling hills in Surrey, perfect for the weekend hike, bike or camp!
london views

Cycling in London

Cycling is a fantastic way to explore a city, and London has a well-established network of cycle paths now, alongside a really easy bike hire system, with cycles available to pick up and drop off at a huge number of stations and landmarks all over the city. By cycling you’ll not only get a bit of exercise but see areas of the city you may otherwise have missed, and you’ll very likely get around quicker than you would be public transport too! With its rich history, varied and impressive architecture, iconic landmarks, green spaces and of course the River Thames, London has no shortage of fascinating and memorable cycles. Explore the stunning Royal Parks, discover Victorian London, venture out of the city along the canal paths, do a foodie tour visiting the fabulous markets or simply take in the most iconic landmarks. Whatever your preference, choose a great guide to help you maximise your experience and bring the city to life.
Whilst both walking and cycling are great ways to explore the city in more depth, in a place as big as London cycling really comes into its own as a way to cover a good many sights in one go. South of the river there’s the Shard, the London Eye, Borough Market, the Cutty Sark and the Tate Modern, whilst north lies Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the Natural History Museum amongst many others, Straddling the river of course lie many of the bridges, none more iconic than Tower Bridge.

Cycling along the Thames Path in London

Cycling along the Thames in London is one of the most popular activities and a great way to see most of the tourist attractions and full beauty of the city, as well as often seeing many street performers and being fully immersed in the city's culture. The full length of the Thames Path is 184 miles and starts from Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier at Charlton, but for those just looking for a great way to see the city, cycling various sections of the 31-mile section of the path from Greenwich through to Hampton Court is a fine way to see many of London’s most famous and interesting features, including the Cutty Sark, the Globe Theatre, the Shard, Tower Bridge, the London Eye, Westminster, Battersea Power Station, the lovely stretch of river between Putney and Barnes (home to the world-famous Oxford/Cambridge boat race), skirting Kew Gardens as you head out of the city proper through the lovely town of Richmond-upon-Thames before eventually arriving at Hampton Court Palace. Of course this can be broken down into stages for those wishing to take their time and explore each area in more detail!
cycling in london thames path

London Cycling Tours

Being the biggest city in the UK and one of the best known cities in the World and a major tourist destination, there are no shortage of London Cycling Tours in London. To get a full experience of the city, it’s worth doing several different tours. Some tours will take in the key landmarks, others will focus on the green parks scattered around the city, whilst for the foodie or the culture vulture why not try a tour focused on the markets or the West End? Join one of the tens of cycling tours that happen all across the city each day, with a selection of languages to choose from, themes, and areas covered. East London has a completely distinct look and feel to West London and the City of London itself, so make sure you explore the different parts of the city, and don’t forget to try one at night too, as the city can look at it’s most spectacular as the sun goes down and the lights come on! London is an excellent base for cycling onwards, with popular tours including London to Paris and London to Amsterdam Cycles, especially popular for raising funds for charities!
cycling tours in london

The Best Free Cycles in London

Being well sign-posted and having good signal, London is an excellent place for self-guided cycles. However, depending on your goals, there may be merits to having a guided cycle. Guided cycling tours in London can give you rich information about the city, point out some of the best places and hidden gems. At a relative low cost too, they’re great value for money and are often badged as the highlight of peoples visits to London. However if you prefer to take your time or just find your own way, here’s a few key self-guided cycles in London:

The Thames Path City Self-guided Cycle in London

An easy self-guided cycle in London is simply following the Thames as your compass. As a good challenge for a single day the stretch between Greenwich in the east and Hampton Court in the west covers 31 miles and encompasses a vast number of iconic London landmarks and sights, as mentioned above in the introduction. To break it down to smaller chunks and explore a bit more though, the section from Tower Bridge to Hammersmith covers some of the key sights, whilst also opening up a bit on the later sections to give you a nice ride on a gravel path alongside a stunning section of the river. There are various places worth stopping at to explore north of the river too, such as crossing the Millennium Bridge to visit St Paul’s Cathedral. There are plenty of places to stop for a bit to eat on the route too. Try some of the fantastic street food stalls at Borough Market by London Bridge, or along the South Bank near Waterloo. If you want to explore the greener aspect of the City head west from Putney to Hempton Court and enjoy some more open stretches of the river as it passes alongside Kew Gardens and the riverside towns of Richmond and Kingston, with many pubs lining the riverside too before you eventually reach the impressive Hampton Court Palace.
cycling the thames path in london

London’s Bridges Self-guided Cycle in London

One of the great self-guided cycles in London, is the London Bridges cycle. There are differing routes and lengths but a common place to start is Putney Bridge in West London and cover 16 Historic bridges to the stunning Tower Bridge over 25km. Cross over bridges as you go and get to see a vast changing of areas, from Putney which is more green and a key rowing location, through to Battersea and the new Battersea Power Station redevelopment. The Half-way point is at Vauxhall, with a distinct culture within its own boundaries, before heading on towards Westminster, the City Mile, London Bridge and, finally, Tower Bridge. It’s a challenging cycle for many but allows you to see a huge amount of the city in just a day.

Self-guided Cycle around London’s Parks

Three of the most popular parks in London are amazing places to explore. Richmond Park in West London offers a 10km loop with a very high chance of seeing deer and other wildlife, and it can feel like you’re nowhere near London (except when you get the occasional glimpse of the city in the skyline). Hampstead Heath has a circular cycle which gives you a complete panoramic view of the city sky-line once climbing Parliament Hill. And of course, the city's most famous park - Hyde Park - offers a cycle where you can come across the Serpentine Lake with boats for hire, open-water swimmers and if it’s a hot day, many people sun-bathing. If you’d like to experience a bit more of central London it’s possible to combine St James Park (looking out onto Buckingham Palace) and Green Park with Hyde Park as all are linked, whilst Regents Park is not far away too. All these parks can be very busy in summer, so for the full sense of tranquility and to maximise the nature and wildlife that can be seen, head there early in the morning and experience the best of the parks.
self-guided cycling in london

Self-guided Walk from East to West London

For each of the Queen's 60 years of reign, the Jubilee Greenway has a kilometer, making use of walking and cycling paths wherever possible. It was completed in 2012 as part of the Olympic Games to link together the major games sites. Starting off at Buckingham Palace and running the entire way to The Olympic Park in East London, before looping back on itself south of the Thames. It’s a great route because it covers off many of the key sites to see in London including: Kensington Palace, Little Venice, Chapel Market, Victoria Park, Olympic Park, O2 Arena, Greenwich Park, HMS Belfast, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Regents Park, Camden Market and Woolwich Foot Tunnel running under the Thames.

Countryside Cycles near London

London is well positioned near to some of the most stunning countryside in the UK, circled by Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so if you get a chance take the opportunity to get out of the city for a day to explore some of these beautiful areas.

Cycling in London, Surrey Hills and Leith Hill

Box Hill is probably the best-known Surrey Hills destination being featured on TV in major sporting events, located just under an hour away from central London and popular with cyclists after featuring in the 2012 Olympics road race. Easily accessible from Victoria (you can get a direct train from Victoria), this is a great entry point for those looking to get outdoors more without committing entire weekends to travel further afield. There are some great road routes up the iconic curves of Box Hill itself and many other steeper hills you can test yourself on nearby, including Leith Hill, the highest point in South-East England, and take in the spectacular views back over towards Dorking and Box Hill. For keen cyclists why not try out the route of the Ride 100 route that covers 100 miles from the Olympic Park in Stratford, out to the villages west of London before looping down across the Surrey Hills around Dorking. It then heads north again and into London via Kingston-upon-Thames, Wimbledon and Putney, finishing on the iconic Mall by Buckingham Palace.
cycling in london, surrey

Mountain Biking near London - The Surrey Hills, the South Downs and Epping Forest

For those looking for a little more off-road cycling there are some fantastic single-track trails in the Surrey Hills, particularly around Peaslake and Leith Hill. Some are marked, but to get the most of out the area several companies offer guided tours at the weekends. A little further afield to the south there’s the stunning South Downs National Park, with some fantastic cross-country mountain biking offering sweeping views out to the English Channel beyond. To the north of the city lies Epping Forest, home to the only proper mountain biking within the boundaries of Greater London itself. It has a great range of marked routes, but guided riding is also available to make the most of your day and to find the best the forest has to offer for your experience and fitness levels.

Cycling Near You

It’s easy to find cycling activities near you. Already got a bike? Head to one of the National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and explore the areas. Whilst route planning can help make the most of your cycle, to see the best routes and avoid busy roads, there’s something refreshing about just jumping on the bike with no route planned and the freedom to explore where you wish! Alternatively, join a guided cycling or mountain biking group by browsing through our listings where you’ll be shown the best routes, meet a bunch of like-minded people and even pick up some mountain biking skills along the way!
Bike-packing cycling near you

Mountain Bike Experience Days

For the best Mountain Bike Experience Days check out our listings but be sure to get a level that’s suitable for you. They’ll either be mentioned as suitable for beginners or as advance, or will specifically reference the Mountain Bike Trail Grading System that outlines the type of terrain and difficulty. Green routes are easy, flat and accessible for most. Blue are moderate routes, elevation and with some basic off-roading. Red routes are graded as ‘hard’ with some steep elevation, drop-offs, bigger rocks with varying terrain types and water crossings, with a good level of stamina required. Black mountain biking routes deemed severe with unavoidable challenging terrain, tracks and down-hill sections suitable for those capable of the most physically demanding sports and previous mountain biking experience.
mountain biking experience days near you

Cycling, Biking and Backpacking Adventure Holidays

A relatively new multi-day adventure activity has arisen - bikepacking. Bikepacking has become increasingly popular as a means of touring areas with bikes, whilst carrying all your kit, being self-sufficient. Often with camping in between, it’s a great way to see a larger area over walking and still feeling the sense of adventure. Alternatively, get back to basics with normal road bikes (or e-bikes for those who want to take it easier). Mountain Biking Adventure Weekends are also a great way to get more remote than road cycling and pick up new skills. From the stunning coastal Cornish paths, to the remote Scottish highlands, explore more for Cycling Adventure Holidays in UK

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