London to Brighton Cycle Ride - Alternative Route

This is an alternative route to the well known London to Brighton ride (Europe's largest cycle event) organized by British Heart Foundation. I've never joined their ride as I thought the way back home would be painful, because cycles are not allowed in the trains and you have to find a way to get back home. And also riding along with other 29.999 cyclists poses a bit danger.

Although I never joined their rides, I had once cycled on a similar route to Brighton passing through famous (or infamous) Ditchling Beacon. And it was the day I took as a mission to find out to get Brighton avoiding this mountain! If you haven't heard it yet, Ditchling Beacon is the third highest point in the South Downs and it is just to the north of Brighton. It stands before you, just you start thinking you arrived your destination.

Hover your mouse on the camera icons to see the pictures I took on the way.

There are always alternatives like A23. Although A23 is almost flat, it is not as pleasurable as going through countryside roads. And obviously you have to be very cautious for the busy traffic.

So, I decided to invent my own route. With the help of Google maps, I came up with this map. Starting from Sutton and keeping on the relatively quiet country lanes ending up in Brighton Pier.

The route is almost flat. But if you would like to spice it up, you can pop in Devil's Dyke. When you reach just the borders of Brighton at Poynings, you can either take left and join National Cycle Route 20 or you can go straight and climb through Devil's Dyke. National Cycle Route is again almost flat, apart from couple of ascents. And it is totally traffic free, and really fun to ride. However, you must spare some energy to get through Devil'd Dyke, yet it is still far easier then Ditchling Beacon.

I chose Sutton Train Station as a starting point, not for a particular reason apart from the fact that I live just 5 minutes walking distance from there. Besides, it is a very good point to start as you already very close to countryside and away from the city traffic.

When I was planning my route, I tried not to enter county centers to get the most of the scene's beauty. Bearing this in mind and I wouldn't be able to shop easyly without leaving my planned route, I carried a loaded pack of food and drinks. So, you should be a bit organized. However there are loads of pubs along the way to pop in and have refreshments.

I kept a slowish pace throughout the ride, enjoying environment and taking lost of breaks. It took about 5.5 hours to get the sight of Brighton Pier. (That includes my half hour break as well.) My GPS receiver tells the route is 60km. However I reckon I could have slightly longer than this if I used my bike computer.

If you still think that ride is too long for you, there is a train station at Faygate, just at the middle of the route.

The way back home was with trains, as most cyclists do.

Here is the list of what you should consider to take with you.

  1. Water
  2. Something to snack
  3. Map
  4. Inner tubes
  5. Pump

These are tips to ease your ride

  1. Always pump up your tires to the maximum pressure. This makes your bike rolling easyly and reduces chances of flat tires.
  2. Adjust your saddle. Having a bit heigher saddle helps you to push for uphills.
  3. Stick to your map. Take frequent breaks and make sure your are on the track. If you get lost, do not try to find an alternaitive road. Get back to the last check point.

Here is some more detailed map to download.

And this is the link to the photo gallery taken at this ride

Some useful links:
National Cycle Network Map (PDF File)
National Cycle Routes
Collection of bike route maps
Bike Events

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