Left Kenton about 10.30am. The weather was a bit drizzly but not cold. Headed along Northwick Park Road towards the Hospital. At the Watford Road roundable took the underpass to avoid death on the busy roundabout. Then along Kenton Road/Lowlands Road to Harrow. Past Greenhill College where my brother Marc did his A-levels. It seems like yesterday but was about 30 years ago.
I stopped outside a BP garage next to the big double roundabout near Harrow on the Hill station. I still had not decided my route but consulting the map (Maps.me offline map) I found a residential backway. This linked HotH to North Harrow via West Harrow (Vaughan Rd, Bouverie Rd, The Gardens, Blenheim Rd). It is always good fun discovering new routes. The back roads are always very quiet and much less stressful.
At North Harrow, I followed Imperial Drive as far as Rayners Lane Baptist Church, then a right turn into Village Way. Here there are another series of residential roads heading in almost straight line due west (Village Way, Eastern Ave, North View, Elm Avenue, Pembroke Rd and Kingsend).
At this point I took a slight detour to go and see the house where my uncle Bob lived for about 50 years. Its a very nice house.
(picture)
The next big was weaving through some residential streets aiming for the Breakspear Arms. First cross the River Pinn (Sharps Lane, Southcote Rise, Westcote Rise then footbridge to Grasmere Ave. Then more zig-zagging: Grasmere Ave, Whiteheath Ave, Ladygate Ln then left into Breakspear Rd. There is probably a better route here but this was just reconnaisance (which I quite enjoy).
The transition between leaving the London suburbs and entering the green belt is quite dramatic. You got from well ordered leafy tree lined streets to what seems like endless brambly bushes covered in a thin veneer of black grime.
If this green-belt is the lungs of London then all I can say is that has a un-diagnosed case of black lung (link).
The next part of the route is a bit of a pig; in terms of crossing the colne valley. There are not many options. The A40 is effectively a motorway at this point and there are no paths on the side. On this ride I took a route north of the a40.
The route I took was: Breakspear Rd South, Newyears Green Ln, Harvil Rd, Moorhall Rd (crossing the Colne Valley and Grand Union Canal) and Moorfield Road culminating at Denham Green.
I had to make another decision here. I was trying to cross the M40 but the only realistic choices were NW to Chalfont St. Peters and riding along a section of the A40 to Tatling End. I chose the A40.
This section was not pleasant. Fortunately, there was a path along the side of the dual carriageway otherwise it would have been a non-starter. The traffic was quite heavy on the dual carriageway and it was windy and rainy. Additionally, I was cycling into a headwind uphill. It took 10 minutes to get past the worst section which culminated at the top of a hill.
The next section was more level. I had to navigate a junction of 2 big roads but the footpath was ok. I then went past a Toby Carvery (Tatling End) and a small shopping parade. This was followed by a bridge crossing the M25. Immediately after the bridge was a turning on the right (Fulmer Rd) which ultimately led to the village of Fulmer (Doh!). This was a very nice change for the earlier heavy traffic and noise of the busy dual carriageway.
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