-
Sorry to hear and hope all's okay. I regularly travel in that general direction (closer to Bromley/Bexley) but never have by bike - if I did my Brompton would be my last choice. There are some long steady climbs if coming from the direction of Blackheath. An electric Brompton would be good though.
-
sorry to hear that, I think it would be a bit of a schlep on a brompton, but I think a multi-modal journey would be good - I always hate the dry stale hospital air & even a short blast on a bike does a lot to flush out the lungs & the mental health (for me). Something like getting the train the main section Orpington to Hither Green/St Johns & then brompton everything else is exactly the kind of thing bromptons excel at.
-
Blackheath station is at the bottom of a valley, so there’s going to be a hill to or from most locations. They’re not too long but at least the one to the south is fairly steep (but doable, especially on a 6 speed). Lewisham station is at the bottom of Belmont Hill which is long but not steep. There aren’t any particular cycling facilities like bike lanes at this end of the ride.
At Orpington, there’s a significant hill immediately west of the station but there is a segregated bike lane to give you some space to get up it, though annoyingly it can’t make up which side of the road it wants to be on. After that the main road route is not particularly hilly, nor is the back route via Crofton Avenue, which is where the cycle route runs out, and the A232 is narrow from there on. The main hospital entrance faces south, which doesn’t help coming from Orpington, though you can get in via Sainsbury’s car park.
Hope that helps!
You are reading a single comment by @Pantsmaster and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
infmz
ibob
pedro82
@Pantsmaster
I have to go to London to visit my sister in hospital (Bromley/Orpington) and clear out her fridge/bins in her flat (Blackheath). Was considering trying the Brompton hire to get me between as the public transport options look crap. Am I going to hate myself riding the 25 miles or so shuttling back and forth? Having never ridden one before I’m not sure if it’s a dumb idea, although I guess I can fold it and take it on a bus or train if necessary.