This is a classic example of a bike-only route that avoids a busy road. By piecing together narrow streets, blocked to motorists by judicious use of bollards, you can entirely avoid the Farringdon Road and reach King’s Cross from the City.

The key is Shoe Lane, a tiny street that passes under Holborn Viaduct without a sniff of traffic. Saffron Hill isn’t any wider, but together they do a very good job of delivering you onto the back streets of Farringdon. From here you can skirt around the frenzy of Kings Cross to come out opposite St Pancras Station.