Routes Database

yep

looks pretty good to me

I'm a bit sick of starting rides from where I live (East Ham) which normally means either up through Epping or out through Hainault/Chigwell, which I'm a bit bored of.

Does anyone have a good 70-100km loop starting from within about 45 minutes' drive? I've had a go at trying to make one around parts of Essex I'm less familiar with (the peninsula between the rivers Crouch and Blackwater, for example), but the roads all look like busy, narrow B-roads that might not be much fun.

I'm happy to pay the Dart Charge for the right loop!

Ingatestone is a good starting point https://ridewithgps.com/routes/4943670

I hadn't looked at this thread for three years(!) when I came to look for a loop, and that WNKR ride was on the first page I came to. It looks like a good one and I may end up doing that.

I just found a route on RWGPS and have modified it slightly which I think is entirely on roads I've not ridden on before:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33545586

Does anyone have any input on this and whether it looks good/misses out good bits or key flytipping spots nearby?

Instead of doing the A road to Otford, head west a bit and take Knatts valley or bower lane. That A road is ok, but other than early mornings can get a bit busy.

Personally I'd head further south towards Seal>Plaxtol, then the bit towards Luddesdown is pretty nice. Personally I wouldn't bother skirting Gravesend, but it definitely flattens the route.

The road back from Otford to Dartford is pretty busy, you can make it more interesting, and quieter, by heading up Rowdow Hill just before Otford and head down Knatts Valley to Farningham.

You'll curse the hell out of me as you head up Rowdow though.

Thank you both! I have made some tweaks (which I think should show up automatically in the post above) but I didn't go out to try it today. Maybe next week...

Looking for the best route out to Tilbury Ferry from SE London.
Whenever I’ve headed that way I always seem to end up on a less than desirable road...

The A207 is a blast at 5am to be honest ;)

Ha I bet

Planning a three day tour in Wales for the end of August, inspired by @jaeyukdapbap ‘a recommendations earlier in the thread and having a quick look in at Dify Bike Park.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33573293

Rough route is staying over in: Mac-Elan-Beulah-getting the train back to Shrewsbury from Llandovery). Sticking to 35-40 miles per day.

Any suggestions, recommendations or dire warnings?

Nice! You'll have a gooood time. Pop rwgps into open cycle maps and have a look for where route 818 forks out of Llangurig (you've got it around 27miles into your route). Consider it. Fun broken road feels with zero car traffic. I really enjoyed it. 2 3rds of it are street viewable. The bits that aren't are fine to ride on.

At 57.7 miles you'll be doing some hike-a-bike if that's the sort of thing you're into. That's the way I went when I went through there so can't suggest solid alternates.

The 818 looks gorgeous from street view!

Thanks for the heads up about the hike-a-bike, looks like it's only 2 miles so we should be fine. Really looking forward to it!

Need some route advice for France/Italy.

Planning a week trip around the alps, going over the border from Briancon to Sestriere then down towards Turin. Is the road up and down okay (in terms of traffic etc)?

On the way back into France, I'm planning Susa -> Mont Cenis -> Val d'Isere -> Cormet de Roselend then down to Annecy. This seem reasonable?

Road, gravel or MTB?

The road from Briancon to Sestriere can be busy, but wide enough. There is a tunnel on the Sestriere side, but bikes go on the old road from memory.

Definitely do the Colle delle Finestre to Susa, simply stunning.

If you are on a gravel/mtb, the Strada dell'Assietta (Strada Provinciale 173) is also riveting. Basically what I am suggesting is the Torino-Nice Rally route, in reverse.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/16767562

Road I think if only so I don't need to carry sleeping stuff

My experiences are seriously out of date, over 20 years ago, but Mont Cenis from Susa is a long and relatively quiet climb. It gets a bit busier on the French side, but then it's quieter when you turn right at the bottom and head up the Iseran. The Iseran is mainly tourist traffic, but below Val d'Isere it can get quite busy. The Roselend is great, if you turn off on the descent by the lake you can go over the Col du Pre, which is narrow and twisty but very scenic. After Beaufort, the route via the Saisies and Aravis is great, with some spectacular views of Mont Blanc on clear days.

Anyone have any recent experience of the Gravesend ferry? Is the limited capacity causing any issues aiming for the 8:40

did Stayer route 1 yesterday - was great. Even better on 2.3" tyres. I'll be checking out more of them.
https://www.stayercycles.com/thedistance

I went on Saturday, added a few bits of my own. The part they removed (discessed extensively here and in their strava page) was a real highlight though, shame they had to remove it/you can't ride it.

2.3" tyres

That's borderline cheating.

Does anyone have a good route from Croydon to Brighton on relatively quiet country roads? Heading down there Saturday morning. If your route is from London feel free to send it over and I can edit the start point :)

Plenty of routes upthread, pick one.
https://www.lfgss.com/comments/15369077/

EDIT: For a friendly lunch stop I recommend this place

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/24355488

Definitely do the Colle delle Finestre to Susa

How's the climb and, more importantly, the descent into Susa. I don't much fancy steep gravel/mud descent on even 32mm road tyres but if it's not too sketchy it sounds like fun.