A short, punchy ride for when you want hills without leaving London: about 49 km with roughly 670 m of climbing, which is a lot for the distance. It starts at Highbury Fields and finishes in Highgate, about 4 km from the start, so you can roll home or stop for a coffee.
Where it goes
You head north-west through Holloway and go straight into the first test: Swain's Lane, up the side of Highgate Cemetery. From Highgate the route runs north through East Finchley, North Finchley and Whetstone, then climbs Totteridge Lane to Totteridge, a lovely stretch of road. It loops round towards Arkley and up into High Barnet, then heads north and east through the open, almost rural roads around Hadley and Enfield Chase. The return comes south through Winchmore Hill and Palmers Green to Alexandra Palace and Muswell Hill.
The hard bits
- Swain's Lane (km 4): about 1 km climbing roughly 65 m, steepening to around 10% near the top. It comes early, so warm up on the way there.
- Totteridge Lane (km 13–16): a steadier climb of about 50 m.
- Up into Barnet (km 20–22): around 40 m, gradual.
- Alexandra Palace and Muswell Hill (km 45–47): a sting in the tail. The rise up to Alexandra Palace is followed by a short drop and then Muswell Hill itself, about 50 m in 700 m at around 7%.
In between, it rarely stays flat for long: there's between 30 and 100 m of climbing in every 5 km.
Planning
You're never far from a shop or café, as Highgate, Whetstone, High Barnet and Muswell Hill all have plenty. One bottle is usually enough except on hot days. These are suburban roads, so expect traffic, parked cars and buses, especially through Barnet and on Swain's Lane, which is narrow. It's a good year-round ride and a useful hill session in winter when longer rides are off the menu.
Weather: the climbs are short, but the descents are on suburban roads with drain covers, painted lines and, in autumn, wet leaves, so rain makes a real difference to how fast you can safely go downhill. The open ground around Hadley and Enfield Chase also catches the wind more than you'd expect this close to the city.