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London to Kensington

72 km road cycling route68 m climbing3½–4½ hoursGPX

Westminster, England, United Kingdom · Road

A flat 72 km road cycling route from London, England to Kensington through Chinatown, Holborn and City of London, with 68 m of climbing.

Route contributed by Richard Chapman · Created from a ride on Saturday 30th June 2018

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At a glance

Best for
Flat, steady riding
Distance
72 km
Point to point
Elevation gain
68 m
1 m per km
Riding time
3½–4½ hours
moving time, estimated
Difficulty
Moderate
Bike
Road bike
from the mapped surface
Surface
Paved
89% paved · 1% unpaved · 10% no data
Traffic
Mostly minor roads
2.7 km on main roads without a cycle lane · 9.3 km on cycle paths or lanes
Food & water
Regular
4131 cafés and restaurants · 335 shops · 38 water points · 3 petrol stations · 61 public toilets · 300 bike shops
Navigation
GPX download
free, no sign-in
Start → finish
London → Kensington

Map and elevation profile

Houses in Sheffield Terrace
Photo: Marathon · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation profile

Total ascent
68 m
Distance
72 km
0204060m0 km20406072 km42 m · highest, at 61.2 kmStartFinish

Route description

  1. London
  2. Chinatownkm 2
  3. Holbornkm 6
  4. City of Londonkm 8
  5. Mile Endkm 19
  6. Southwarkkm 24
  7. Bloomsburykm 28
  8. Mayfairkm 30
  9. Bayswaterkm 33
  10. Kensingtonkm 72

The ride starts near Westminster, passing places such as Belgravia (0 km), Victoria (0.5 km), Chinatown (2.4 km), Covent Garden (4.9 km), Holborn (6.3 km), and Stratford (16.2 km). The route is entirely flat with a slight elevation variation between 4 m at 15.2 km and 42 m at 23.6 km. It is mostly paved (89%) with a small 1% gravel or unpaved section and 10% unmapped surfaces. The road mix includes 40% paths, 14% roads with cycle lanes, and 13% cycle paths.

The route continues through Bow (17.9 km), Mile End (18.7 km), Whitechapel (20.9 km), Southwark (24.3 km), and finally into Kensington (34.1 km). There are 2.7 km on main roads without cycle lanes; 9.3 km of cycle paths or lanes, and longest unnamed roads feature. The longest stretch without a café, shop or water is 4.3 km between km 10.9 and 15.2. Cafés, shops, water taps, bike shops, toilets and bailout points are plentiful along the route.

Key amenities include cafés such as Colicci Hotdogs at 1.4 km and Guillam Coffee House at 32.9 km. There are shops like Japan Centre at 2 km and Simply Food & Wine at 32.4 km. Water taps and drinking water points are available at multiple locations including 2.8 km and 20.3 km. Toilets are present for instance at Trafalgar Square (2.1 km) and Paul's Walk (24.3 km). Bike shops include Brompton Junction (4.6 km) and Brooks (27.1 km).

Highlights

  • Under The Mound near Westminster
  • Flat elevation profile with max height 42 m
  • Passes through Covent Garden and Bow
  • Finishes in Kensington

Along the route

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

Places passed

  1. Chinatown 2.4 km
  2. Covent Garden 4.9 km
  3. Holborn 6.3 km
  4. Clerkenwell 7.4 km
  5. Finsbury 7.6 km
  6. City of London 8.4 km
  7. Stratford 16.2 km
  8. Bow 17.9 km
  9. Mile End 18.7 km
  10. Stepney 19.7 km
  11. Whitechapel 20.9 km
  12. Southwark 24.3 km
  13. Waterloo 25.9 km
  14. London 26.4 km
  15. Bloomsbury 28.3 km
  16. Soho 28.6 km
  17. Fitzrovia 28.7 km
  18. Mayfair 29.5 km
  19. Marylebone 29.7 km
  20. Paddington 31.4 km
  21. Bayswater 32.7 km
  22. Westbourne 33 km
  23. Notting Hill 33.4 km
  24. Kensington 34.1 km

Traffic, surface and gradient

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Mostly minor roads and streets on the map; 2.7 km is on main roads without a cycle lane.

Roads
40% path · 14% road with cycle lane · 13% cycle path · 13% quiet street · 20% other roads and tracks
Main roads
2.7 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Cycle paths
9.3 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
Surface
Paved: 89% of the route is mapped as paved, 1% as unpaved and 10% has no surface data.
Gradient
0% climbing · 0% descending · 100% flat

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: 4131 cafés and restaurants, 335 shops, 38 water points, 3 petrol stations, 61 public toilets and 300 bike shops.

Food, water and shops in ride order

  1. 1.4 kmColicci Hotdogs · café · 80 m off route
  2. 2.1 kmTrafalgar Square Toilets · toilets · 120 m off route
  3. 4.6 kmBrompton Junction · bike shop · on the route
  4. 6.2 kmDrinking water · 70 m off route
  5. 6.8 kmToilets · on the route
  6. 9.3 kmDrinking water · on the route
  7. 10.3 kmStarbucks · café · on the route
  8. 15.6 kmDrinking water · on the route
  9. 16.8 kmIsland Bikes · bike shop · on the route
  10. 18.3 kmForward Pharmacy · pharmacy · on the route
  11. 20 kmChina Ark · supermarket · on the route
  12. 20.3 kmToilets · 50 m off route
  13. 24.3 kmPaul's Walk · toilets · 110 m off route
  14. 26.2 kmJumbo · supermarket · 50 m off route
  15. 27.3 kmAmelia · café · on the route
  16. 30.1 kmBoots · pharmacy · 30 m off route
  17. 32.1 kmShell · petrol station · 40 m off route
  18. 32.9 kmGuillam Coffee House · café · on the route

Need to bail out?

  • 2.8 km — Covent Garden (station), on the route
  • 8.8 km — Liverpool Street (station), 80 m off route
  • 17.9 km — Bow Road (station), 40 m off route
  • 24.2 km — London Blackfriars (station), 30 m off route
  • 30.2 km — Marble Arch (station), on the route

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

Worth a stop

  • 0.9 km — Clarence House (castle)
  • 4.8 km — Royal Opera House (attraction)
  • 8.1 km — Bastion 14 (archaeological site)
  • 15.6 km — ArcelorMittal Orbit (attraction)
  • 19 km — Baron de Stern Clock Tower (monument)
  • 22.5 km — Sky Garden (viewpoint)

Stay after this ride

  • Vicarage Private Hotel · hotel · 300 m from the finish
  • Notting Hill Gate Hotel · hotel · 630 m from the finish
  • Hotel Blue Bells · hotel · 720 m from the finish
  • DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel London - Hyde Park · hotel · 720 m from the finish
  • Abbey Court Hotel · hotel · 560 m from the finish

Start and access

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

At the start

Bikes and repair
Wellington Arch (40 m)
Food and coffee
Hard Rock Cafe (150 m), Kiosk (270 m), Rose & Crown (170 m)

At the finish

Food and coffee
Blend Juice & Coffee Bar (190 m), LIFT COFFEE Notting Hill (290 m), The Churchill Arms (240 m)
Shops
K S R Foods (250 m)

Know before you go

  • 4.3 km longest stretch without café, shop or water (km 10.9-15.2)
  • 2.7 km on main roads without cycle lane

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

2 photographs from the road

Photo: Ricardalovesmonuments · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Marathon · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Ian S · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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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