Getting around

Hi, next week i'm going Paddington to St Pancras and then a few days later St Pancras to Victoria a few days after that Victoria to Paddington

No, I'm not playing Monopoly (I never could get Liverpool St)

Being a country hick from Cardiff. Are there any simple route suggestions or just survival, tips?

Thanks

There's always the Tube.

http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/user/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en

You can look at the TFL website, there are options to find cycling routes. Use the journey planner and select the option "Cycle" on the transports menu... It won't show you the quickest way, but it will show you a farly good one..
This is it: http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/user/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en

If you go into any bike shop, they will have a rack full of free maps produced by Transport for London for cyclists, with quieter routes marked on. Get one of those for central London. Or get someone to post one to you.

Ooops... you were quiker to post that!

Always.

I prefer the 'point in vaguely the right direction and keep going' method. Paddington to St Pancras could be done purely along the canal though right? Quite a pleasant ride.

Hi, next week i'm going Paddington to St Pancras

Piece of piss. Paddington is almost on the city road, which is where St Pancras is. If you're coming in from Wales, you'll probably hit platform 1. Halfway along the platform is an exit to the taxi rank. Follow the taxis up the ramp, out to the road and turn left. Follow your nose in that direction as far as you can for as straight as you can. That'll be all backstreets, so quieter traffic-wise but they run parallel to the city road, with is a feffing great six-lane highway that'll be a few hundred yards to your left. If in doubt then, turn left a bit and you'll hit the big road. Cross over to the far side, and carry on the direction you were first going. You'll pass Baker Street tube, Great Portland Street, Euston Sq, Euston and then you'll find St Pancras on your left. If you see Kings Cross, you just missed it.

St Pancras to Victoria

Go back up the city road the way you just came. Filter off left just after you pass Euston, it'll bring you round the face of Euston Square tube (it has entrances on both sides of the road) and you'll head down Gower St. It's quite a long road, if you're worried you've gone wrong, make sure you're going ever-so slightly downhill BTW - that's good, it means you're heading for the river. At the end of Gower St is Royal Mile Whiskies on your right (stop, if you like a drop, booze heaven) then you'll find a mad junction where loads of roads meet. Follow all the traffic around to the right a bit. That'll bring you out just at the top of Trafalgar Sq. Ride around there (taking your life in your hands) and under Admiralty Arch (that's easy to spot - it's the arch-shaped thing) it's on the far side of the square from where you came in. You're now on the Mall. Enjoy the views, ride to the end where Buckingham Palace is, wave to Queenie, and you're now half a mile from the station, so you'll find signs from there. If in doubt, go right of the palace and left at the roundabout with another big archy thing in the middle. If you get too Victoria Coach Station, you've gone just too far.

Victoria to Paddington

This one's trickiest, cos you can start off in the wrong direction. Come out of Victoria station, on the pavement (no riding yet), go left til you hit a big road (about 50yds), turn to your right and that's the direction you want to go but you're on the wrong side of the road, so cross and head off up there. It's slightly uphill and in a few hundred yards, will bring you aout at Hyde Park Corner (the archy thing). Cross over into the park (there'll probably be a few other cyclists going that way) and get onto the cycle path that runs along the bottom of the park (over to the left slightly). It'll run past the rose garden, then go slightly uphill and come out at the top at a road (stop at the Diana memorial down to your right if you like). Cross the road and carry on on the other half of the cyclepath, past the Serpentine Gallery and a small lake with geese and you'll hit a t-junction with a REALLY WIDE path through the park. Turn right, to the end of the park and Paddington is about 400 yards ahead of you, the other side of Bayswater Road. The little side streets kind of lead right up to it but just cross over and head up that way past the big hotel and ask someone, if you don't want to navigate by zen.

London cycling tips..? Watch the black cabs, they turn left and they stop without indicating, as soon as they see a fare. But they're unlikely to kill you, just be an annoyance. Place yourself "assertively" at junctions - make sure you are seen. Occasionally people get the arse. Fuck 'em. The one place to never ever be is starting off against the kerb if you are going straight on. Plonk yourself right in the middle of the road til you are past where anyone can turn left across you and squish you. And on places like Trafalgar Sq etc, definitely be in the middle of the lane, not tucked in the edge.

Despite what everyone thinks, it's not that bad riding in London, at least the car drivers are getting used to bikes now, so it seems to "work".

Euston Rd/Edgware Rd FTW.

take the lane, often. ride fast. always filter on the right side of traffic.dont try and keep up with motorbike couriers.avoid oxford street it stinks and is shit riding.

Thanks guys

Well I made it stage 1. piss easy really, Garmin is god!! It was soo easy I even got round the diversions in place. I have a good sense of direction (not from my mother). As I missed the allocated traine I went off piste and ended up in a Pub. a nice lunch later then off.

Nope, just outside I saw a nice Surly, never seen one in the metal before. It's owner turned up, is 5' 7" blonde, slim, named Sarah and very hot and sweet, I need to move to London...
She showed me up to Condor (close by) I need to move to London... I've spent more money. If you see this Sarah... leave your boyfriend, I'm your man! the Steamroller he built wasn't all that, I'd doo better..... Honest.
lol thanks.

now for round 2 N>S

You're from South Wales?

Then may I be the first to say "Alright Butt!"

you mean surely, surly.

Oh yes, I was more worried about my 2K felt that the traffic.
I'm going to change my On-one into a cyclocross for the winter and build up a surley.
I need a project!! yeha!

Thanks Booga, I'd reply in Welsh but I only speak that after 12 pints of lager and a Kebab.

Bloody hell, I don't seem to be able to splel blday taody.
I keep mis spelling Surely wrong. Doh! there a I go again.

Alex, the only Welsh I know is:
Bore Da
Mona y Fampir
Arafwch Narw
Tacsi
Ambiwlans
Cwrs Golff
and Llanfairpwllgwngylgogerychrwndrobwllllantisiliogogogoch! :)

Smart arse. lol but do you know the translation to the last? Without the use of Google.

My faveorite Welsh is Cathrine Jenkins, Nicole Cooke and Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau......
Anyway, back to cute London women... on bikes...
Oh, we have a thread for that..

I think it translates roughly as

"Something something rapid whirlpool something church of St Tsylio something about a red cave" :)

No idea what Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau means, but If it's the only phrase somebody knows in a language I'll take a guess at it meaning "will you go to bed with me"

[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hen_Wlad_fy_Nhadau[/ame]

Translation fail!

you're right there's a whirlpool a church and some other stuff to
You can't be Welsh then The national Album