Road · United Kingdom
Kensington – London
A flat 11 km road cycling loop from Notting Hill, England through Paddington, Mayfair and London, with 20 m of climbing.
At a glance
- Best for
- Easy, flat rides
- Distance
- 10.5 km
- Elevation gain
- 20 m
- Riding time
- Under an hour
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Bike
- Road bike with sturdy tyres, or gravel bike
- Surface
- Mostly paved
- Traffic
- Mostly minor roads
- Food & water
- Regular
- Navigation
- GPX download
- Start and finish
- Notting Hill
Map and elevation profile
Elevation profile
- 20 m
- 11 km
Route description
- Notting Hill
- Paddington
- Mayfair
- Belgravia
- Chinatown
- London
- Westminster
- Victoria
- Knightsbridge
- Notting Hill
Starting in Kensington, the route heads through Notting Hill at 0.5 km and Bayswater at 1 km, continuing on to Paddington at 2 km. The surface is predominantly paved (87%) with some gravel or unpaved sections (8%) and small unmapped parts (6%). The route includes 5.9 km of path, 2.4 km of cycle path, and 1.4 km of pedestrian areas. The ride passes through several London districts including Mayfair (3.5 km), Belgravia (4.2 km), Chinatown and London (5.7-5.8 km), then Westminster and Victoria (6.6 km). Elevation varies between 33 m at the start and 5 m at around 5.6 km, with a gentle profile featuring 20 m of climb and descent overall. The steepest 500 m section has a 2% gradient at 6.7 km. Facilities are frequent, with cafés such as Mawi Cafe at 0.5 km, St. James’s Café at 5.7 km, and Palace Gate Kiosk at 10.1 km. Shops include supermarkets near 1.1 km and at the finish. Toilets and drinking water are accessible along the route. Bailout points with stations exist at 1.9 km (Lancaster Gate) and 8 km (Hyde Park Corner).
Highlights
- Passes through Notting Hill and Paddington
- Crosses Westminster and Victoria districts
- Steepest section at 6.7 km with 2% gradient
- Cycle path constitutes 23% of the route
Along the route
Places passed
Traffic, surface and gradient
Mostly minor roads and streets on the map.
- Roads
- 56% path · 23% cycle path · 13% pedestrian · 8% other roads and tracks
- Cycle paths
- 2.5 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
- Surface
- Predominantly paved: 87% is mapped as paved, 8% as unpaved or gravel and 6% has no surface data.
- Gradient
- 6% climbing · 10% descending · 85% flat
Food, water and services
No stretch is longer than 15 km without a café, shop or water. Along the route: 555 cafés and restaurants, 56 shops, 10 water points, 2 petrol stations, 15 public toilets and 92 bike shops.
Food, water and shops in ride order
- 0.4 kmPalace Garden Terrace · bike rental · on the route
- 0.5 kmMawi Cafe · café · on the route
- 0.5 kmNotting Hill Pharmacy · pharmacy · 210 m off route
- 1.1 kmSimply Food & Wine · supermarket · 80 m off route
- 1.3 kmShell · petrol station · 60 m off route
- 1.8 kmToilets · on the route
- 2.8 kmFreeman Family Drinking Fountain · drinking water · on the route
- 5.7 kmSt. James’s Café · café · on the route
- 9 kmHyde Park 6 · drinking water · 80 m off route
- 9.4 kmMount Gate Toilets · toilets · on the route
- 10.1 kmPalace Gate Kiosk · café · on the route
- 10.1 kmPalace Gate · bike rental · on the route
- 10.3 kmPrince Pharmacy · pharmacy · on the route
- 10.5 kmWhole Foods Market · supermarket · 40 m off route
Need to bail out?
- 1.9 km — Lancaster Gate (station), 60 m off route
- 8 km — Hyde Park Corner (station), 90 m off route
Worth a stop
- 4.2 km — Wellington Arch (monument)
- 7.7 km — Wellington Monument (monument)
Start and access
At the start and finish
- Food and coffee
- Blend Juice & Coffee Bar (90 m), LIFT COFFEE Notting Hill (220 m), The Churchill Arms (150 m)
- Shops
- K S R Foods (150 m)
Know before you go
- Longest stretch without café, shop or water: 0.8 km from 6.8 to 7.6 km
- 0.1 km with gradient over 10% at 6.7 km