Biking and Bus
By wing77 at 2013-08-16 15:33:14
Hampstead, London Borough of Camden, London NW3, UK
26 replies
3677 views
Either way I don't think you'll have a great deal to gain from cycling to the station over walking.
Thanks!
It's an area I go via a lot - the Finchley road is a main road through suburbia - so I don't know what it's like to stay there but I can tell you that right by the station there's a Waitrose and some newsagents and kebab shops and there's a number of pubs but off the Finchley road it seems awfully suburban residential. You're not far from Golders Green, though, which certainly has shops and restaurants.
My guess, to some extent backed up by my Google search, is that you'll be here: http://goo.gl/maps/nJYU0
The side-streets are frequently fine as long as you carrying out caution (i.e. riding a door's width from parked cars.) The main roads are noticeably more intimidating, however the roads themselves aren't the real issue (although if you're a unsteady cyclist I would steer well clear.) Most injuries go down at junctions.
Never pass on the inside of a vehicle turning left. Never pass on the inside of a bus, truck (lorry) or van. Watch out for taxis: they repeatedly stop to pick up fares at the side of the road. Be a good road user: pause at the traffic lights, even if others don't! Also, pedestrians, predominantly in touristy parts (like the Strand!) often saunter out into the middle of the road with no looking, unmindful toward their surroundings.
If this all sounds a bit intimidating: elsewhere in the thread it looks like you are near as makes no difference to the Finchley Road. The number 13 bus runs straight to Aldwych, so you can get it directly to KCL. (Aldwych is a curved street on the end of the Strand, forming a sort of lowercase b shape—KCL is on the Strand, right amid the two junctions with Aldwych, next to a building called Somerset House.) You could also, should something happen (e.g. traffic problems on the Finchley Road), walk to Hampstead Heath and pick up the number 24 to Trafalgar Square, and then walk down the Strand to KCL.
Failing that - Belsize Park on the northern Line to Charing Cross (which is right where the Strand begins) is a short journey - but I detest being trapped in such a godawful place, I'd rather walk.
The side-streets are frequently fine as long as you carrying out caution (i.e. riding a door's width from parked cars.) The main roads are noticeably more intimidating, however the roads themselves aren't the real issue (although if you're a unsteady cyclist I would steer well clear.) Most injuries go down at junctions.
Never pass on the inside of a vehicle turning left. Never pass on the inside of a bus, truck (lorry) or van. Watch out for taxis: they repeatedly stop to pick up fares at the side of the road. Be a good road user: pause at the traffic lights, even if others don't! Also, pedestrians, predominantly in touristy parts (like the Strand!) often saunter out into the middle of the road with no looking, unmindful toward their surroundings.
If this all sounds a bit intimidating: elsewhere in the thread it looks like you are near as makes no difference to the Finchley Road. The number 13 bus runs straight to Aldwych, so you can get it directly to KCL. (Aldwych is a curved street on the end of the Strand, forming a sort of lowercase b shape—KCL is on the Strand, right amid the two junctions with Aldwych, next to a building called Somerset House.) You could also, should something happen (e.g. traffic problems on the Finchley Road), walk to Hampstead Heath and pick up the number 24 to Trafalgar Square, and then walk down the Strand to KCL.
Either way I don't think you'll have a great deal to gain from cycling to the station over walking.
Thanks!
It's an area I go via a lot - the Finchley road is a main road through suburbia - so I don't know what it's like to stay there but I can tell you that right by the station there's a Waitrose and some newsagents and kebab shops and there's a number of pubs but off the Finchley road it seems awfully suburban residential. You're not far from Golders Green, though, which certainly has shops and restaurants.
My guess, to some extent backed up by my Google search, is that you'll be here: http://goo.gl/maps/nJYU0
Also, the tube gets extremely crowded in the mornings, more so at Finchley Road than Hampstead.
The side-streets are frequently fine as long as you carrying out caution (i.e. riding a door's width from parked cars.) The main roads are noticeably more intimidating, however the roads themselves aren't the real issue (although if you're a unsteady cyclist I would steer well clear.) Most injuries go down at junctions.
Never pass on the inside of a vehicle turning left. Never pass on the inside of a bus, truck (lorry) or van. Watch out for taxis: they repeatedly stop to pick up fares at the side of the road. Be a good road user: pause at the traffic lights, even if others don't! Also, pedestrians, predominantly in touristy parts (like the Strand!) often saunter out into the middle of the road with no looking, unmindful toward their surroundings.
If this all sounds a bit intimidating: elsewhere in the thread it looks like you are near as makes no difference to the Finchley Road. The number 13 bus runs straight to Aldwych, so you can get it directly to KCL. (Aldwych is a curved street on the end of the Strand, forming a sort of lowercase b shape—KCL is on the Strand, right amid the two junctions with Aldwych, next to a building called Somerset House.) You could also, should something happen (e.g. traffic problems on the Finchley Road), walk to Hampstead Heath and pick up the number 24 to Trafalgar Square, and then walk down the Strand to KCL.
> To my dismay, I was put in Hampstead.
Most people in London would love to live in Hampstead.
Here's the thing about commuter cycling in london. You mostly take the identical route over and over again. You start by riding the route leisurely and carefully generally on a Sunday afternoon to get the route down. Know where the junctions are, know where it gets a bit intense, so you can get in the proper part of the road. Sound out the less intense routes.
Once you have the route down you'll increase in confidence and you'll grow a sixth sense for traffic and any turmoil that might occur. Then after a few weeks doing the same route and getting used to london routes you'll find your self using your bike more and more as you'll be used to london cycling. Then the city is yours!
Once you have the route down you'll increase in confidence and you'll grow a sixth sense for traffic and any turmoil that might occur. Then after a few weeks doing the same route and getting used to london routes you'll find your self using your bike more and more as you'll be used to london cycling. Then the city is yours!
