We’re considering a move to London right now and would like to understand how easy it is to train in London. We’re thinking about living in the Notting Hill/Kensington area. I know we can’t bike around there (but)…
How far do you have to bike (or drive) out of the city to get to relatively unemcumbered roads
Are there decent tri-clubs, swimming groups (I will work in the City)
Any tips on where to live - i.e. good pools, gyms, etc.
Would really appreciate some guidance here. Obviously a big move for us and being able to train effectively is important to me!
I live in Wimbledon, and am training for second IM. It is not like living in Boulder, I am sure, but eminnently doable.
Notting Hill/ Kensington, great for running, close to miles and miles of parks.
There are pools everywhere, including a lido in Hyde Park for the summer.
Cycling is, of course the hardest thing, but not impossible, by any means. For laps of an evening/ morning, ride around the outer circle of Regents park. At the weekend, you can head out to Surrey easily, and there are hills there. Alternatively, ride down to Putney and follow the river out to Windsor and beyond. The key for long rides is to head out early, so there is not lots of traffic. Once you are out of town, it is quiet enough.
let me know if you want any further reccomendations.
I live in Notting Hill with my husband, and I find training in London almost unbearable. Granted, I moved here from San Francisco, which is ideal for running, biking and swimming.
Most people drive or ride to Richmond Park and do the 7 mile loop over and over again. The perimeter drive is occupied by cars and can be very busy. It takes anywhere from 20 mins to 60 mins to get to Richmond Park from Notting Hill, depending on traffic and what time of day you travel there. I would guess, although I have not done it, that cycling there might be more efficient. Riding in the country can be very nice, and best to go early in the morning to avoid traffic traveling out of, and back in to London. Surrey (about 30 miles from Central London) is a good place to ride because it has some great hills and the scenery can be beautiful.
There is a good masters team at Swiss Cottage. In general, 25 meter pools are hard to find (most / all gyms with pools are limited to a few lanes and 18 meters).
These two gyms are worth taking a look at:
Virgin Active (multiple locations throughout London)
Harbour Club (single location in Notting Hill)
I live in Tokyo now so I’m used to training in the city, but…
The Richmond Park loop - you are saying that is very busy with cars or is it safe? If you drive for an hour to “get out of the city” can you then mount up and get in a good/safe ride? This is what I do in Tokyo so I’m used to it.
You don’t need to drive. I live in South West London about 3-4 miles south of the Thames and I can be out of London by car in 30 minutes, I can be at Gatwick in 20-30 minutes which is approximately 30 miles from Central London by train. Yesterday I drove from my house to Northampton and I was out of North London in 35 minutes having driven straight across town at 7 in the morning.
If I were in Nottinghill you can get to Paddington, Victoria and in another 10 mins by bike Waterloo / Charing Cross and from any of these stations you can be out of the city in 20 mins, from Charing Cross you can be in North Kent in 20 mins and ride around the North Downs, from Charing Cross and Victoria you can get to Surrey and Sussex.
Lots of places to go and to get out of London is easy. To be fair I don’t find London any worse than Chicago when I lived down town.
Interesting. Andrewmc obviously has more experience than I do venturing out of London to ride. It sounds like he also uses National Rail or other train services to do so, which I do not do and have only tried driving (hence my sensitivity to London traffic). If you’re used to training in an urban setting then you might be perfectly comfortable training in London.
To answer your question, riding in Richmond is perfectly safe. It can, however, tend to be very crowded and, from my perspective, not very enjoyable. However, it is beautiful.
You might want to look at moving to Richmond or even Kingston, still London (just) and only about 30 mins of central london. Much nicer place to live, and training should be easier. Good pools in richmond too I think, although haven’t been down to london in ages!
Unfortunately there does not seem to be the same tradition of masters swimming that you seem to find in the States and in South Africa which is were I am from. You will need to check with your local health club to see what they offer. All my group swimming is done with my club
London is very big so it all depends on were you live as to how easy it is to get out on your bike to train. If you lived in Greenwich which still has easy access to the city you could be out in the country in 30 mins. Here is an example of a ride that I do on a Saturday with my triathlon club.
To have any sort of decent run you need to run in a park, along the river or along the canals. Running on the pavement in London is not really an option as it will be very stop start.
I own a car in London and drive less than 5k / year and most of that is business or to get to my parents.
I take the train / bus everywhere.
I really like Kingston but would never move there, it’s 30 mins in to central London and if its going to take that long I’d rather be outside the M25.
I like Wimbledon, Clapham is fantastic for access out of London, and lots of other areas. I am a south of the thames kind of person though so you’d not catch me living “up north”
I just moved to Madrid last summer after 7 years in London, working in the City. I had great training throughout my time there, but like all city life you have to design it right to enjoy the great bits and avoid the nightmares.
My keys to a happy life were:
Live South-West: As Andrew suggested, Chelsea, Clapham, Wandsworth, Putney, Richmond or beyond- depending on your $$. This is the side of the city you want to be on for nearly everything tri-related.
I cycled or ran to and from work virtually every day - a fantastic use of dead time, avoiding London transport and saving $$. My route was about 5 miles along river paths, and I could lengthen it on the bike through various parks if I had the time / will. Cycling takes some confidence-building, but I had only one moment of taxi aggression in 7 years, and since the congestion charge came in and the tube bombings, the number of cyclists has grown massively to a point where you’re very much part of the valid traffic stream, with reasonably aware motorists and advanced stop lines for bikes at most junctions. The commuting riding can be very competitive and great training.
Tooting Bec Lido. One of the world’s great outdoor pools, a very special place, and tri wetsuits everywhere. http://www.slsc.org.uk/
Get out of bed, and get your training on the bike done before 10:00 on a weekend - absolutely no traffic issues anywhere, Richmond Park and Surrey are pretty serene until then.
