30.5km Central London Route Cycle

This route is a loop that runs from Regent’s Park Train Station and ends back at the station. In total, this route is 30.5 km. The route will take you past many spectacular landmarks like the Tower of London, London Fields and Camden Road Photo Point. Additionally, there are restaurants along the way to stop for refreshments or a quick, healthy meal. You can use Parkopedia to find parking spots near you before and after your journey. Also, see this website for more information on bicycles on public transport and this website for bike hire at major stations.

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Starting at Regent’s Park and setting off, you will head toward St. Paul’s Cathedral – the first landmark on this route. At the time of St. Paul’s Cathedral’s completion, it was one of the most significant buildings of medieval times. The site of St. Paul’s has been a place of worship for millennia, including a temple to the goddess Diana for the Romans, and a pagan place of worship long before that. St. Paul’s Cathedral was rebuilt five times, this structure being the fifth. The previous structure, number four, fell into disrepair after the Reformation of Tudor England and the Civil War and was eventually completely demolished by the Great Fire of London in 1666. Structures one to three were destroyed by Vikings and aggressive fires. St. Paul’s needed a solid foundation to be built on as it was to be made of stone in an area with soft clay ground. The architect and designer, Christopher Wren, had an extensive foundation built, now a crypt that holds kings and other historically critical people. As if the Cathedral hadn’t been through enough, it suffered some damage during the Blitz of London when its dome was pierced by a German bomb. Additionally, in 1913, an explosive device was found next to the Bishop’s Throne by a cleaner who heard a ticking noise. It was placed inside a bucket of water and taken to the nearest police station to be investigated further. 

6.7 kilometres from your starting point, you will see the Tower of London or His Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress. Serving as the second landmark on this route, the Tower of London is one of the main highlights in the city. It was built by William the Conqueror in the 1070s. Since then, it has held the Crown Jewels, housed the Yeomen Warders, and the pampered ravens. The ravens, Jubilee, Harris, Poppy, Georgie, Edgar, Branwen, and Rex, are known as the guardians of the Tower, and it is rumoured that if they left the Tower, the Tower and the whole of London would fall. This was insisted upon by Charles II. The ravens are well cared for and have a meat, biscuits, and blood diet. Their wings are trimmed to discourage leaving the Tower, but they can still fly. Some of the previous ravens have, however, flown away, while others have been dismissed from their duties, like Raven George for eating TV aerials. 

On the northern bank of the river Thames, the Majestic Tower of London stands at 27 metres high.

About 7.9 kilometres from your starting point at Regent’s Park Train Station, after you pass the Tower of London, you will find the Cable Street mural on this route.

The Battle of Cable Street occurred in 1936 on the 4^th of October. The battle was a result of a dispute between the British Union Fascists (BUF) and anti-fascists, including Jews, Socialists, Communists, and anarchists. The petition calling for the ban of the march from Tower Hill to open-air public meeting places to address BUF supporters, taking place on 4 October, was denied. The numbers of partakers vary greatly from thousands to hundreds of thousands. Barricades were built and set up here in Cable Street, which the police attempted to remove and were met with hand-to-hand fighting, missiles of rotten vegetables and rubbish, and the contents of chamber pots. 

Thames Path: Wapping / Limehouse is the next landmark on this route. The Thames Path runs along the north and south banks of the Thames River and is a trendy tourist attraction, especially on summer days.

This landmark is 8.8 kilometres from your starting point. The Limehouse cut is on the eastern side of the Limehouse basin and features unique views of the fisherboats and buildings around the basin. With shops and cafes, Limehouse is an excellent spot for a casual stroll on a day out. You may even see some water birds here. 

The next landmark is London Fields, another one of this route’s highlights. However, this is only a pass-by spot. Moreover, this part of the route stretches from London Fields to Upper Street. London Fields was host to an anti-aircraft battery in WWII; you can still see the tarmac under the grass in the south-west corner and a bomb shelter near the tennis courts. 

Your next landmark on this route is the Camden Road Photo Point. This landmark is 24 kilometres into the route from the starting point.

The final landmark of this route is the Primrose Hill Climb, another highlight of this route with stunning views. 

Primrose Hill is well known for its beautiful view of the city from the top. In fact, the hill climb up to the top is a great exercise with anticipation of what awaits at the top. Primrose Hill is a Grade II listed public park, with the hill being the second-highest natural point in Camden. The hill summit has a clear view of the Central London skyline. Primrose Hill appeared in some well-known films, including Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason, Paddington and Paddington 2, and One Hundred and One Dalmatians, where Pongo and Perdita meet with a Great Dane to find out where the puppies are. It was also featured and referred to in a number of songs by the likes of Madness, Girls Aloud, Blur, Billy Bragg, Saint Etienne, and James McCartney and Sean Ono Lenon, sons of Paul McCartney and John Lennon, released their first collaboration called “Primrose Hill” in April 2024. 

Resources:

If you enjoyed this route, see our 11km Thames Circular Route.

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Download the GPX file here.

Information from various sources including wikipedia.org.