On Thu, 14 May 2009, Tom Crispin wrote:

On Wed, 13 May 2009 23:19:31 +0100, Tom Anderson
wrote:

I want to visit a friend who lives near Hither Green (or thereabouts -
not totally sure what the closest railway station is yet) tomorrow
evening. I'll be going from work, which is (not quite) in the City. It
strikes me as a bit far to cycle, especially as i don't know the area.
So, i want to take the train from London Bridge, and take my bike with
me, so i can cycle from the station to her house, and then from London
Bridge home later on.

I understand that Southeastern don't take trains on London-leaving
trains before 1900, which is fair enough. Does anyone happen to know if
my understanding is correct?

Moreover, is it realistic for me to think i will be able to get on a
train with my bike soon after that? I have this terrible vision of the
evening peak being standing-room-only and not conducive to bikes for
hours on end.

If joining the train at Charing Cross, get on near the front, the bike
won't be a problem. If getting on at London Bridge there will be more
room at the front, but not much! The exit at Hither Green Station is
right at the back of the train.

Humm. I'm finished at work, so i have plenty of time to get to CX before
seven, i suppose, although it seems slightly mad to do so given that i'm
just up the road from LB.

I live minutes from Hither Green. I can suggest two cycling routes,
one largely motor traffic free, and an express route.

The traffic free route will take up to an hour; the express route up
to 40 minutes.

1. From London Bridge pick up the Thames Cycle Route, generally well
signed as NCR4. Follow the route almost all the way to Greenwich. At
Deptford Creek, before crossing the River Ravensbourne, follow NCR21
to Lewisham. At Lewisham follow the cycle route through the Town
Centre to Lewisham Library, then Limes Grove, right College Park, left
Dermody Road, right Eastdown Park, ahead Leahurst Rod, arrive Hither
Green.

2. From London Bridge, follow the A200 [Tooley Street (bus/cycle
lanes), Jamaica Road (bus lanes), Lower Road (bus lanes),

So far, a route i've done - that's how i got the bike home from Decathlon,
at Surrey Quays, where i bought it!

Evelyn Street], then right Deptford Church Street (nasty junction, bus
lanes), ahead Brookmill Road, ahead Thurston Street, left Loampit Vale,
ahead Lewisham High Street (nasty roundabout, bus lane), left Lee High
Road, right Manor Park, right Staplehurst Road, arrive Hither Green.

That looks good. I would normally just do this, but am put off quite a lot
by the fact that i haven't got a map - i just didn't have room in my bag
to pack my A-Z, and that part of London being terra incognita to me, i've
never ordered cycle guides for it (well, not until five minutes ago, but
in horse - stable door terms, that doesn't count).

Actually, i tell a lie - i've just looked at the ancient second-issue
sheet 11, and the route just clips the corner - the bottom left corner is
roundabout Honor Oak Crematorium, which means it covers the route from
Surrey Quays, not to Hither Green station, but to my destination halfway
down Lee High Road. Right, the Wheels of Aluminium, rather than Steel, it
is!

Even though the air is grotesquely humid and i have a suit jacket ...

tom

--
solvilvitur ambulando. copy a diamond shape, recording angel. .. ..