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Kensington – Potters Bar

65 km road cycling loop467 m climbing2½–3½ hoursGPX

Kensington, England, United Kingdom · Road

A rolling 65 km road cycling loop from Notting Hill, England through Westbourne, Queen's Park and Archway, with 467 m of climbing.

Route contributed by Richard Chapman · Created from a ride on Thursday 28th July 2022

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At a glance

Best for
Rolling day rides
Distance
64.7 km
Loop
Elevation gain
467 m
7 m per km
Riding time
2½–3½ hours
moving time, estimated
Difficulty
Moderate
Bike
Road bike
from the mapped surface
Surface
Paved
88% paved · 2% unpaved · 10% no data
Traffic
Some main roads
22.8 km on main roads without a cycle lane · 3.3 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more · 3.6 km on cycle paths or lanes
Food & water
Regular
936 cafés and restaurants · 238 shops · 17 water points · 13 petrol stations · 40 public toilets · 51 bike shops
Navigation
GPX download
free, no sign-in
Start and finish
Notting Hill

Map and elevation profile

Elevation profile

Total ascent
467 m
Distance
65 km
050100150m0 km204065 km141 m · highest, at 55.5 kmStartFinish · back at the start

Route description

  1. Notting Hill
  2. Westbournekm 2
  3. Queen's Parkkm 4
  4. Archwaykm 9
  5. Palmers Greenkm 18
  6. Northawkm 31
  7. High Barnetkm 43
  8. Fallow Cornerkm 49
  9. West Hampsteadkm 57
  10. Notting Hillkm 65

This loop starts and ends in Kensington, passing through numerous London districts such as Notting Hill, North Kensington, Maida Hill, Queen's Park, Archway, Highgate, Muswell Hill, Wood Green, and Potters Bar at 27.8 km before returning. The route features 64.7 km with 467 m of elevation gain, including four climbs: a 1.7 km climb at 4.2% average gradient past Dartmouth Park, a 1.3 km climb at 3.2% near Muswell Hill, a 1.8 km climb at 2.7% shortly after Potters Bar, and a 2.1 km climb at 3% through Hampstead towards Hampstead Heath reaching the highest point at 141 m (km 54.2).

Why ride this route?

  • The longest of the 4 rides from Kensington.

Highlights

  • Climb past Dartmouth Park (1.7 km at 4.2%)
  • Highest point near Hampstead Heath (141 m at 54.2 km)
  • Passes through Potters Bar at 27.8 km
  • Longest descent 2.4 km from 10.4 km

Along the route

Measured from the route line, the Copernicus elevation model and OpenStreetMap.

Places passed

  1. Maida Hill 3.1 km
  2. Maida Vale 3.2 km
  3. Queen's Park 3.8 km
  4. St. John's Wood 5.1 km
  5. Belsize Park 6.3 km
  6. Gospel Oak 8 km
  7. Dartmouth Park 8.8 km
  8. Archway 9.2 km
  9. Highgate 9.8 km
  10. Hornsey 12.6 km
  11. Muswell Hill 12.9 km
  12. Wood Green 15 km
  13. Palmers Green 17.9 km
  14. Southgate 19.8 km
  15. Cockfosters 22.2 km
  16. Potters Bar 27.8 km
  17. Northaw House 30.1 km
  18. Northaw 30.7 km
  19. Northaw Place 35.8 km
  20. Little Heath 37.2 km
  21. Ganwick Corner 39.8 km
  22. Hadley 41.8 km
  23. High Barnet 43.2 km
  24. Chipping Barnet 43.2 km
  25. Whetstone 46.4 km
  26. Woodside Park 47.6 km
  27. North Finchley 48.4 km
  28. Fallow Corner 49.2 km
  29. Finchley 49.9 km
  30. East Finchley 51.2 km
  31. Hampstead Garden Suburb 52.7 km
  32. Hampstead 55 km
  33. West Hampstead 56.6 km
  34. South Hampstead 57.4 km
  35. Kensal Town 60.3 km
  36. Bayswater 62.3 km

Climbs

Climbs in ride order: where each starts, what this ride climbs, and the full named ascent
ClimbStarts atOn this rideTop on this ride
Unnamed climb8.2 km1.7 km · 69 m · 4.2 % · max 8.1 %128 m
Unnamed climb12.2 km1.3 km · 40 m · 3.2 % · max 5.1 %89 m
Unnamed climb24.8 km1.8 km · 48 m · 2.7 % · max 5.2 %121 m
Unnamed climb52 km2.1 km · 64 m · 3 % · max 4.2 %141 m

High point 141 m at 54.2 km; low point 25 m.

Traffic, surface and gradient

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Expect stretches on main roads without a cycle lane (22.8 km in all) between quieter sections.

Roads
36% main road · 20% minor road · 19% quiet street · 18% path · 7% other roads and tracks
Main roads
22.8 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads
3.3 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Cycle paths
3.6 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
Main roads used
High Road (4 km)
Surface
Paved: 88% of the route is mapped as paved, 2% as unpaved and 10% has no surface data.
Gradient
18% climbing · 19% descending · 64% flat
Steep sections
1.3 km over 5% · steepest 500 m averages 7.4% at 9.3 km
Longest descent
2.4 km from 10.4 km, dropping 76 m

Food, water and services

Within a few hundred metres of the track, from OpenStreetMap. Opening hours change — treat this as where to look, not a promise.

No stretch is longer than 15 km without a café, shop or water. Along the route: 936 cafés and restaurants, 238 shops, 17 water points, 13 petrol stations, 40 public toilets and 51 bike shops.

Food, water and shops in ride order

  1. 0.1 kmPanache · café · 30 m off route
  2. 0.4 kmNotting Hill Gate · toilets · 80 m off route
  3. 2.7 kmPitchkins & Currans · pharmacy · on the route
  4. 5.9 kmPalmer Memorial Drinking Fountain · drinking water · 50 m off route
  5. 8.3 kmToilets · on the route
  6. 10 kmGulf · petrol station · 100 m off route
  7. 12.6 kmFuture Cycles · bike shop · 60 m off route
  8. 22.7 kmCockfosters Women's Toilets · toilets · 30 m off route
  9. 23.3 kmTexaco · petrol station · on the route
  10. 37.5 kmCake & Craft · patisserie · on the route
  11. 38.3 kmMurco · petrol station · on the route
  12. 43.1 kmPatisserie Joie De Vie · café · on the route
  13. 45.9 kmM&S · supermarket · on the route
  14. 46.6 kmEsso Whetstone · petrol station · 70 m off route
  15. 51.1 kmIceland · supermarket · on the route
  16. 51.4 kmC W Andrews · pharmacy · on the route
  17. 56.7 kmToilets · 70 m off route
  18. 59.2 kmDrinking water · 170 m off route

Need to bail out?

  • 0.4 km — Holland Park (station), 610 m off route
  • 7.3 km — Hampstead Heath (station), 40 m off route
  • 15 km — Alexandra Palace (station), 60 m off route
  • 22.5 km — Cockfosters (station), 100 m off route
  • 43.8 km — High Barnet (station), 80 m off route
  • 51.5 km — East Finchley (station), 60 m off route
  • 57.6 km — South Hampstead (station), 50 m off route

Whether bikes are carried depends on the service — check before relying on it.

Worth a stop

  • 5.6 km — The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (attraction)
  • 9.3 km — Highgate Cemetery Tours (attraction)
  • 13.9 km — Alexandra Palace (attraction)
  • 41.6 km — Hadley Highstone (monument)
  • 54.4 km — Hampstead Heath (peak)
  • 60.9 km — Krāsainās mājas (attraction)

Start and access

Starts and finishes at Notting Hill. Mapped within a short walk of the start, from OpenStreetMap.

At the start and finish

Food and coffee
LIFT COFFEE Notting Hill (50 m), Panache (170 m), The Churchill Arms (20 m)

Know before you go

  • 22.8 km on main roads without a cycle lane
  • 3.3 km on fast roads with 80 km/h or more
  • Gravel or unpaved section (2% of route)
  • Longest stretch without café, shop or water: 6.6 km from 30.8 to 37.4 km

Routes are for inspiration. Roads, surfaces and conditions change — check locally and ride within your limits.

4 photographs from the road

About this route

Ridden by
Richard Chapman
Date ridden
Route line
Built from a GPS recording of the ride.
Elevation
Recalculated from the Copernicus GLO-90 terrain model every 50 m, not the device’s barometer.
Roads, surface, services
Measured along the line from OpenStreetMap extracts.
GPX
Generated from the route line: track points only, no timestamps or personal data.
Page added
Page last updated

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