Shirley Hills WIP

* work in progress *

Out on the Waterlink Way NCN21 to the top of Shirley Hills.

Back via West Wickham and Langley Park. Red Lodge Road is shared pavement so you don't have to cycle in the road - it's a bit of a race track.

Dismount for the bit past Eden Park railway station, and again at Elmers End railway bridge.

Eagles Loop

A nice easy six-miler starting and ending at Selhurst Park Stadium, taking in Heavers Meadow, South Norwood Rec and the Country Park. Perfect for a weekend stretch of the legs. Could be completed in half an hour flat out, an hour at steady pace, or make a morning or afternoon of it with park, playground and cafe stops.

Dismount to cross Selhurst Road, again for the railway underpass at Norwood Junction (a nice selection of cafes there - Cafe Mimosa or Yeha Noha make a nice pit stop) and at Goat House Bridge.

Once you're on Lancaster Road, South Norwood Lakes (which has a playground and TWO cafes - opening times vary) is a short hop away via Avenue Road. Please cycle considerately around the lake - the path isn't that wide, and it gets quite busy.

This route uses the service road at the end of Southern Avenue to avoid South Norwood Hill, recommend crossing at one of the islands or straight over to Elm Park Road if it's quiet enough.

There are a couple of awkward barriers at the Country Park, so this one is not recommended for adapted cycles or cargo bikes. You may be able to get through by skirting the edge of the country park, staying south and west of the tram tracks, but it's an unpaved surface there. Tandems are OK as long as someone is able to lift them over the barriers.

Bonus local trivia: The culverted river you pass at Heaver's Meadow (next to the railway) is part of the Norbury Brook, a tributary of the Wandle - rainwater falling here joins the Thames at Wandsworth. The streams just around the corner at the Country Park feed the river Ravensbourne, which joins the Thames at Greenwich.

Both rivers have walking / cycling trails along much of their length, but the Wandle is best explored starting at Wandle Park (Croydon), Morden Hall Park or Colliers Wood - the Norbury Brook is not easily accessible along much of its length.

Addiscombe Over Easy

Easy loop from Brickfields Meadow to Lloyd Park. No main roads other than crossings, all arranged to work with the area's slightly confusing one way systems.

From the southern end of the route (Lloyd Park) you can get on the NCN232 "Connect2" route which is a nice way in to Central Croydon via Park Hill Park.

From the northern point (Brickfields Meadow) it's a short hop across Portland Road to the Albert Road LTN and its onward connections to South Norwood Country Park (Waterlink Way) and Crystal Palace via Regina, Lancaster & Auckland etc.

Croydon High Way WIP

* Work in progress * - Openstreetmap doesn't see permissive cycle routes on Ashburton Fields or Lloyd Park.

The high route in to Croydon. Albert Road, a bit of Waterlink Way, across Ashburton Fields and on to back streets.

Fryston Avenue (just before you get to the A232 Lower Addiscombe Road) is one-way - you'll have to walk that bit, but it's brief.

Then it's a very scenic little climb up Mapledale Road. From here you can get in to Lloyd Park and cycle along the top of the park, but for some reason this isn't working right now in the routing app.

After Lloyd Park it's a nice quiet back street route (Chichester Road) across to Park Hill Park and the Croydon Water Tower.

Then a nice downhill through Park Hill Park, when you exit the park there's a Toucan crossing & the pavement on the far side of the busy A232 is shared-use. So you don't have to cycle on the road there, and good thing too - it's not at all nice.

When you get to the bottom of the A232 by Fairfield Halls, you can either cross over and head in to the town centre, or turn right (north) along the front of Fairfield, take the next right by Croydon College and you'll come out opposite Dingwall Road.

From there there's a reasonably quiet/flat route back to South Norwood via Lansdowne, Gloucester and Holmesdale Roads.

For a shorter version of this route - after Lloyd Park, head straight down Park Hill Rise, along Canning Road and back through Addiscombe Railway Park, Ashburton Park, Woodside and Estcourt roads.

Ashburton Easy Loop

A nice easy flat four-miler taking in South Norwood Country Park, Bywood Bird Sanctuary, Ashburton Fields, Ashburton Park, Woodside Green and Brickfields Meadow.

Take care on Tennison Road when you come out the top end of Brickfields Meadow - it can be busy, but it's only very brief.