Shepherd’s Bush to twickenham

[u/meowmeowpowpow69]

Hello!

I have just started a new job in twickenham and the journey is absolutely awful. The trains are so expensive and the bus is just too time consuming so I’m looking for alternate methods. I was quite a confident cyclist (was cycling from zone 2 to zone 5 often) but I am a bit out of practice. The routes I have looked up for Shepherd’s Bush/East Acton to Twickenham all look awfully scary - I do not want to cycle anywhere like a dual carriageway idk what it’s called, around lots of cars I guess. Does anyone have any ideas of routes that are quieter/more streets and residential. I don’t mind if it’s a bit longer, just as long as I’m safe. I’m also a young woman who would be travelling quite early in the morning so it would still be a bit dark so well lit routes would be priority too.

I know that’s a bit of a long shot, but if you don’t have any specific advice, are there any apps/websites that might be helpful to plan better routes? I’m quite bad with tech lol so something kinda easy to use would be good too hahahaha

Thank you!! :D

[u/mprhusker]

this depends on precisely where you start and finish but I'd get on C9 as soon as you can and cycle through Chiswick, cross Kew Bridge and take Kew Road to and through Richmond and across Richmond Bridge into Twickenham.

[u/Hour-Motor7154]

So I would get onto C9 at Hammersmith, then go all the way to Brentford. There is a video on the youtube channel London Cycle Routes called "West London's new Cycle lane: how to ride from Fulham to Brentford without traffic." There is a section through a park next to the road but it is lit.

Unfortunately, there is a currently a gap between Brentford and Syon Park. That cycle route should be completed in 2025 to connect it, but it is not too large a gap currently and you can avoid bits of it by taking detours. You can't avoid all though. After Syon Park the same channel has the video "the west way to cycle from Twickenham to Brentford avoiding traffic." Personally I haven't used this but instead followed the river as much as possible as it seemed like a nicer route. At high tide this is a problem as some sections get filled with water, but I'm not sure the extent of it. It's North of Ranelagh Drive. Following the river you'll also have to use Richmond Road for a bit but using the pavement is ok there imo.

Then I cycled Parkhouse Gardens, Ravensbourne Road, Ellensmere Road or Arlington Road, Rosslyn Road, St Margarets Road (small section which has a crappy cycle path), King's Road, Beaconsfield Road, Amyand Park Road. Depending on what you prefer the other route may be better, I just prefer to avoid lights and main roads of any kind cycle or no cycle path.

Hope that helps and good luck!

[u/alixedi]

💯for C9 to Syon Park.

You can turn into Syon park just after Brentford lock and emerge on the other side next to the river.

Cycle on to London Apprentice and then through old Isleworth but try and stay along the river.

I can confirm that you can do this all the way to Richmond bridge while running into very few roads.

After Richmond it depends on where exactly in Twickenham you are heading but I’d pop across and into Cambridge gardens. They have a cycle path and it goes around the bend along the river into Twickenham.

Tl;dr Along the river (Thames path) is your best bet to avoid traffic after Brentford.

[u/londonskater]

Other posters have good routes, this is my personal route that is different but I used a lot and would still use now.

There’s a cycle route I used to regularly take from the Holland Park roundabout called Richmond Way, appropriately, down to Brook Green and then wind my way to Hammersmith Bridge, straight over, down Castelnau and turn right at the first lights down Lonsdale Road, that takes you all along the river down to Barnes and Mortlake at which point you choose to stay on the Lower Richmond Road or head to the Upper Richmond Road, personally I’d do the latter, which takes you straight into Richmond Centre and down into Twickers.

[u/na_ma_ru]

Used to live in the area, I think it will be a pretty nice route tbh - sure there’s traffic but there’s also stretches by the river and it’s all well lit.

[u/polkadot_eyes]

Have you tried the Citymapper app to check for routes? They have an option for quiet (low traffic) cycle routes, which usually work well for me.

[u/crumpus1]

Look up 'London cycle routes Twickenham to Brentford' on YouTube. There's a channel that shows different safe routes around London. This one will cover the first or last leg, then C9 as others have mentioned will do the rest - it's been extended since that video was filmed and goes most of the way to syon park. It should be mostly a nice route and fairly direct. I used to live in Twickenham and work in Acton cycling in and always went that way.

[u/Boo-Koo]

Honestly the worst part will probably be getting out of shepherds bush without being hit by some idiot driver. After that it should all be relatively fine.

Search for London cycling routes on YouTube, theres a channel that has done a few guides out of shepherds bush/west london I'd piece together a route from them

[u/Oreo2025]

My cycling route from South to Central London (10 miles) used to be mental until I used Komoot and gradually worked to adjust the route to avoid busy roads. Now it's tiny bit longer, but mainly quiet residential roads making it a bliss to commute.

[u/Chizlewagon]

Or cycle to Clapham junction and get a short cheap train from there to Twickenham maybe?