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Kensington to Dorking

43 km road cycling route261 m climbing1½–2½ hoursGPX

Kensington, England, United Kingdom · Road

A rolling 43 km road cycling route from Kensington, England to Dorking through South Kensington, Earl's Court and Putney, with 261 m of climbing.

Route contributed by Richard Chapman · Created from a ride on Sunday 31st July 2022

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At a glance

Best for
Rolling day rides
Distance
42.9 km
Point to point
Elevation gain
261 m
6 m per km
Riding time
1½–2½ hours
moving time, estimated
Difficulty
Moderate
Bike
Road bike
from the mapped surface
Surface
Mostly paved
90% paved · 6% unpaved · 4% no data
Traffic
Some main roads
10.2 km on main roads without a cycle lane · 1 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more · 4.9 km on cycle paths or lanes
Food & water
Regular
668 cafés and restaurants · 132 shops · 9 water points · 5 petrol stations · 19 public toilets · 75 bike shops
Navigation
GPX download
free, no sign-in
Start → finish
Kensington → Dorking

Map and elevation profile

Elevation profile

Total ascent
261 m
Distance
43 km
050100150200m0 km10203043 km176 m · highest, at 34.3 kmStartFinish

Route description

  1. Kensington
  2. South Kensingtonkm 2
  3. Earl's Courtkm 2
  4. Putneykm 6
  5. Putney Valekm 13
  6. New Maldenkm 17
  7. Old Maldenkm 20
  8. Epsomkm 27
  9. Micklehamkm 38
  10. Dorkingkm 43

The route starts at Kensington, passing through South Kensington, Fulham, Putney, and Barnes in the first 12.6 km. It uses a mix of minor roads, main roads, quiet streets, and paths with 90% paved surfaces. There are 10.2 km on main roads without cycle lanes and 4.9 km on cycle paths or lanes.

Climbing begins mainly from 27.3 km with a 2 km climb gaining 63 m at an average gradient of 3.2%, reaching 116 m elevation. A second shorter climb of 1.2 km raises 46 m at 3.7% average, reaching a maximum height of 175 m near km 33.9. The steepest 500 m section has a 5.3% grade around km 33.5. The longest descent is 2.6 km dropping 80 m from km 34.3.

Along the route there are cafés, shops, water points, bike shops and bail out stations in towns like Barnes, New Malden, Epsom, and Headley. The longest stretch without café, shop or water is 5.1 km from km 33.9 to 39. The ride finishes in Dorking, where cafés, shops, pubs and a pharmacy are available.

Highlights

  • Climbs starting at 27.3 km and 32.7 km
  • Reach 175 m elevation near km 33.9
  • Pass through Epsom at 27 km
  • Longest descent of 2.6 km from 34.3 km

Along the route

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

Places passed

  1. Earl's Court 2.1 km
  2. West Kensington 2.6 km
  3. Fulham 4.4 km
  4. Putney 5.6 km
  5. Barnes 8 km
  6. Putney Vale 12.6 km
  7. Kingston Vale 13.2 km
  8. Coombe 14.2 km
  9. New Malden 16.5 km
  10. Motspur Park 18.2 km
  11. Worcester Park 19 km
  12. Old Malden 19.9 km
  13. West Ewell 23.3 km
  14. Epsom 27 km
  15. Langley Vale 30.2 km
  16. Headley 34.5 km
  17. Mickleham 37.9 km
  18. Westhumble 39.3 km
  19. Pixham 40.3 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 climb27.3 km2 km · 63 m · 3.2 % · max 4.5 %116 m
Unnamed climb32.7 km1.2 km · 46 m · 3.7 % · max 5.5 %175 m

High point 175 m at 33.9 km; low point 4 m.

Traffic, surface and gradient

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Expect stretches on main roads without a cycle lane (10.2 km in all) between quieter sections.

Roads
28% minor road · 20% main road · 18% quiet street · 16% path · 18% other roads and tracks
Main roads
10.2 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads
1 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Cycle paths
4.9 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
Surface
Predominantly paved: 90% is mapped as paved, 6% as unpaved or gravel and 4% has no surface data.
Gradient
13% climbing · 16% descending · 71% flat
Steep sections
0.5 km over 5%
Longest descent
2.6 km from 34.3 km, dropping 80 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: 668 cafés and restaurants, 132 shops, 9 water points, 5 petrol stations, 19 public toilets and 75 bike shops.

Food, water and shops in ride order

  1. 0.5 kmDrinking water · on the route
  2. 0.7 kmBoots · pharmacy · on the route
  3. 3.9 kmBalfe's Bikes · bike shop · on the route
  4. 6.1 kmHudson's · drinking water · 50 m off route
  5. 6.6 kmToilets · 50 m off route
  6. 9.4 kmDrinking water · 150 m off route
  7. 12.6 kmDrinking water · on the route
  8. 12.8 kmVanilla Patisserie · bakery · 60 m off route
  9. 16.6 kmRepair stand · 50 m off route
  10. 17.1 kmDrinking water · on the route
  11. 17.1 kmBoots · pharmacy · on the route
  12. 26.1 kmPound Lane Cycle Service · bike shop · on the route
  13. 27 kmGAIL's · bakery · 60 m off route
  14. 27.1 kmAshley Centre Toilets · toilets · 180 m off route
  15. 33.9 kmHeadley Village Stores and Tea Room · café · 240 m off route
  16. 39 kmRyka's Car Park · toilets · on the route
  17. 41.9 kmDrinking water · 60 m off route
  18. 42 kmEsquires · café · on the route

Need to bail out?

  • 0.7 km — High Street Kensington (station), 70 m off route
  • 7.5 km — Barnes (station), 120 m off route
  • 16.7 km — New Malden (station), 90 m off route
  • 26.7 km — Epsom (station), 130 m off route
  • 40.8 km — Dorking Deepdene (station), 70 m off route

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

Worth a stop

  • 2 km — Police Box (attraction)
  • 5.7 km — University Boat Race Stone (monument)
  • 11.4 km — Spankers Hill (peak)
  • 36.9 km — White Hill (peak)

Stay after this ride

  • Fairdene Guest House · guest house · 690 m from the finish
  • Travelodge Dorking · hotel · 1.4 km from the finish
  • Burford Bridge Hotel · hotel · 3.0 km from the finish
  • The Vineyard hotel · guest house · 2.1 km from the finish
  • Blackbrook House · guest house · 2.9 km from the finish

Start and access

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

At the start

Food and coffee
Blend Juice & Coffee Bar (170 m), Daku Coffee One (510 m), Orée (560 m)

At the finish

Food and coffee
Two Many Cooks (250 m), Esquires (320 m), The Cricketers (100 m)
Shops
Sainsbury's (310 m)
Pharmacy and medical
South Street Pharmacy (110 m)

Know before you go

  • Longest stretch without café or shop for 5.1 km after 33.9 km
  • 10.2 km on main roads without cycle lanes
  • 1 km on roads with speed limits 80 km/h or more
  • Approximately 6% gravel or unpaved roads

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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