Road · United Kingdom
North of the River
A flat 53 km road cycling loop from Kensington, England through South Kensington, Vauxhall and London, with 102 m of climbing.
At a glance
- Best for
- Flat, steady riding
- Distance
- 53.1 km
- Elevation gain
- 102 m
- Riding time
- 2½–3½ hours
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Bike
- Road bike
- Surface
- Paved
- Traffic
- Mostly minor roads
- Food & water
- Regular
- Navigation
- GPX download
- Start and finish
- Kensington
Map and elevation profile
Elevation profile
- 102 m
- 53 km
Route description
- Kensington
- South Kensington
- Vauxhall
- London
- City of London
- Poplar
- Dalston
- Kentish Town
- St. John's Wood
- Kensington
Starting in Kensington at 0.6 km, the route proceeds through South Kensington, Earl's Court, Brompton, Chelsea, and Pimlico, crossing the Thames near Vauxhall and Millbank by 7 km. The route passes central London locales including Lambeth, Victoria, Westminster, Waterloo, Covent Garden, Bloomsbury, and Holborn. From km 12 it moves through Southwark and the City of London before continuing east towards Whitechapel, Limehouse, and Poplar. Around km 21 it enters Hackney Wick and Hackney, then turns northwest through Dalston, Islington, and King’s Cross before looping back through Belsize Park and Marylebone to complete the circuit at Kensington at 53.1 km.
The ride’s elevation gain is 102 m, with a maximum height of 53 m at km 35.1 and the lowest point of 4 m near km 9.2. The terrain is mostly flat, with 94% flat sections and small portions over 5% gradient for just 0.1 km. The surface is 92% paved, 1% gravel or unpaved, and 7% unmapped. The road types include cycle path or lane for 14.3 km, paths (31%), quiet streets (22%), minor and main roads, with 3.8 km on main roads without a cycle lane. The longest stretch without a cafe, shop, or water is 1.3 km between km 35.2 and 36.5.
There are several places to refuel and bail out along the route including bike shops at km 3.1, 14.7, 24.8, 37.5, and 42.6. Cafes and restaurants are plentiful, notably Starbucks at km 0.8, Ozone Coffee at km 11.5, La Figa at km 17, and Lift Coffee Notting Hill at km 50.6. Toilets and drinking water points are spaced regularly. Bailout stations include Gloucester Road at km 1.9, Charing Cross at km 9, and Paddington near km 49. The ride is suited for urban cycling enthusiasts seeking a moderate distance loop through London.
Highlights
- Passes Covent Garden and Soho
- Crosses the Thames at Vauxhall
- Climbs to 53 m near Belsize Park
- Starts and ends in Kensington
Along the route
Places passed
Traffic, surface and gradient
Mostly minor roads and streets on the map; 3.8 km is on main roads without a cycle lane.
- Roads
- 31% path · 22% quiet street · 14% cycle path · 14% road with cycle lane · 19% other roads and tracks
- Main roads
- 3.8 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
- Cycle paths
- 14.3 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
- Surface
- Paved: 92% of the route is mapped as paved, 1% as unpaved and 7% has no surface data.
- Gradient
- 3% climbing · 3% descending · 94% flat
Food, water and services
No stretch is longer than 15 km without a café, shop or water. Along the route: 3017 cafés and restaurants, 448 shops, 49 water points, 9 petrol stations, 92 public toilets and 413 bike shops.
Food, water and shops in ride order
- 0.8 kmStarbucks · café · on the route
- 2.3 kmShell · petrol station · 280 m off route
- 6 kmPaxall Pharmacy · pharmacy · on the route
- 7.4 kmCaffè Nero · café · on the route
- 11.5 kmOzone Coffee · café · on the route
- 14.7 kmFoffa · bike shop · 50 m off route
- 15.4 kmAli's · pharmacy · 50 m off route
- 18.6 kmLidl · supermarket · 90 m off route
- 23.3 kmEast Side Toilets · toilets · 60 m off route
- 24.8 kmTesco · supermarket · 60 m off route
- 26.9 kmPassmore Edwards Water Tap · water tap · 110 m off route
- 29.3 kmShell · petrol station · 70 m off route
- 32.5 kmBiotech Pharmacy · pharmacy · 30 m off route
- 33.9 kmAmazon Fresh · supermarket · on the route
- 38.5 kmToilets · on the route
- 42.5 kmDrinking water · 40 m off route
- 42.9 kmSainsbury's · supermarket · 60 m off route
- 47.6 kmEsso · petrol station · 160 m off route
Need to bail out?
- 1.9 km — Gloucester Road (station), 90 m off route
- 9 km — Charing Cross (station), 150 m off route
- 15.3 km — Shadwell (station), on the route
- 25.6 km — London Fields (station), 70 m off route
- 32.7 km — Camden Road (station), 60 m off route
- 49 km — Paddington (station), 260 m off route
Worth a stop
- 4.2 km — Chelsea Physic Garden (attraction)
- 8.5 km — New Scotland Yard (attraction)
- 11.9 km — St Paul's Cathedral (attraction)
- 27.2 km — Haggerston Street School War Memorial (monument)
- 31.6 km — St Pancras Lock (attraction)
- 36.9 km — Music for Trees (attraction)
Start and access
At the start and finish
- Food and coffee
- LIFT COFFEE Notting Hill (250 m), Blend Juice & Coffee Bar (160 m), The Blue Stoops (230 m)
- Shops
- Sainsbury's Local (240 m)
Know before you go
- 3.8 km on main roads without a cycle lane
- Longest stretch without cafe, shop or water is 1.3 km
- 1% gravel or unpaved surface
- Steepest 500m at 3.4% gradient at km 9.6