Hopefully I will get a job in East crydon, and I was wondering where the nearest good riding is. I like dh and xc well i like everything on the brightside, i will have a car and so can travel
Wales ?
😉
Hopefully moving to croydon
That's a bit like saying [i]'Hopefully getting mouth-raped by a rhino'[/i] 😉
Anyway, forget the car The Surrey Hills and South Downs are just a short train ride away from your local station. Thameslink to Hassocks takes no time then a quick blast up Ditchling Beacon or one of the adjacent bridleways will get you up on the downs.
[i]That's a bit like saying 'Hopefully getting mouth-raped by a rhino' [;-)] [/i]
😆 I work in Croydon and can't disagree.
As slugwash also said, Surrey Hills and South Downs
Are you leaving Barking that Croydon seems good? Live elsewhere, ride to work.
Squeaking with mirth at [i]mouth-raped by a rhino[/i]. 😯
Having lived and worked in Croydon, it's a hell hole - Don't Do It.
I've escaped from the place. There is a good bike shop there, Geoffry Butler Cycles (Darkside kit) and Bike Plus (MTB stuff) Ben the mechanic knows his stuff
Don't do the living in Croydon bit. There's heaps of good train connections- live just about anywhere else between there and Brighton and you'll have ok-good rding on youir doorstep, just don't live in Croydon. As others say, Surrey Hills/North Downs is the best fro serious riding and they're just a short train trip away.
I never thought I'd hear anyone say that they hoped to GO to Croydon, let alone LIVE there!
Croydon, the only town that isn't twinned with somewhere else.
It does have a suicide pact with Erith tho...
tbh, i only hope that i live there because it means i have a job in my degree area. it wasn't my first choice, i applied to go to leeds, but that position is no longer avaliable. I currently live in Bath, which is where I go to uni, and previously lived on the coast in devon, but in the current economic climate a grad job which pays 25k a year, even if it is based in croydon, is to good an oppertunity for me to pass up. I might live in central london with a mate and commute, or somewhere near horsham and commute, the place of work is only 2 mins from the train station.
You want to live in croydon....
Why not just go the whole hog and move to Thornton Heath
I am sure the locals will be happy to relieve you of your bike, whether you are riding it or not.
nope i want the job in crydon, i dont particulaly care for 2 years where i live
Its possible to link up a load of bits and pieces, just takes a bit of trial and error, theres a few little gems around there, cant remember too many specifics but it all kept me entertained for a couple of years.
Places to head towards include Wimbledon, Cheam, Oxshott, Epsom, Richmond, Chessington.
If you want to go somewhere during the week there is a small wood that used to keep me amused for an hour just south of Croydon on the Coombe Road called Ballard's plantation. It's small but used to have some nice singletrack running through the place. Not sure of the legality of riding there but I never had any trouble from anyone and I remember seeing David Baker, Gary Foord and Barrie Clarke racing the British National Cyclo-cross championships there back in the day. Other than that as everyone says the North Downs are a ride able distance from Croydon or a short train journey will take you to Brighton and the South Downs. You could always live a further city-ward Norwood springs to mind which would enable you to work in Croydon and have a social life in London.
Cheers guys all is usefull, like i said, i only have an interview so i am not counting my chickens before they hatch, but i just wanted to see if there was hope..... looks like i will be living in the city and commuting to croydon hopefully if i can persuade a couple of friends to move in togeather.
Didn't mean to be unhelpful and I'm sure working in Croydon will be fine if you get the job, it's just not a very nice place to live. I'd suggest heading further into south London around Streatham/Clapham/Brixton (choose the one which best fits your budget and tolerance for urban grittiness) so that you can experience London properly and not just the outer burbs. If you are coming to live in the most crowded part of the country then I think you should live in a place where you can actually enjoy the good bits! Croydon has all the disadvantages of London with none of the benefits. Otherwise head further out and live in one fo the towns nearby si that you are actually in the countryside.
Hook up with the Addiscombe CC riders - they're a most agreeable lot and ride from Croydon.
[url] http://www.addiscombe.org/ [/url]
I worked in Croydon for a couple of years. Walk past M&S towards West Croydon station and you'll really see the lows.
The good thing is you don't have to live there to work there!
Train links into E.Croydon are good. Try looking further afield... Redhill(gulp),Merstham, Coulsdon, Caterham, Oxted, Godstone, etc.,
I work by EC and live in Sanderstead.
The addiscombe know most of the off road routes around so are worth contacting. Shirley hills has some good cheeky trails only a few minutes ride from the station
As a place to live i'd recommend Wimbledon. Canny place to live, good links to the city and the downs, the tram goes between wimbledon and croydon.
You mention Horsham [waves] it's not at all bad here. Pitch/Leith Hill and the South Downs are a 20 min drive depending on which part of the South Downs of course. There is some local riding too, enough for an evening blast.
Haven't been to Croydon for over 20 years! It's got to be 20-25 miles away..
Ian - from memory don't you ride a Nicolai? Decent dealer (Head for the Hills) in Dorking...
you can't take a bike on the tram though if that makes a difference
you can't take a bike on the tram though if that makes a difference
Although it is only 6 and a bit miles of easy road riding, so I dunno why you'd bother with the tram.
Joe
place of my yoof. Can't see myself ever choosing to go back to Croydon!Oxted
As a place to live i'd recommend Wimbledon. Canny place to live, good links to the city and the downs, the tram goes between wimbledon and croydon.
he's right you know. if you look at the area of wimbldon/earlsfield/colliers wood/tooting/streatham borders/furzedown/merton you are 30mins on the train to dorking for MTB riding and either a short road ride/tube/rail journey into the city, you would have to check for the best route to croydon on either overland or the tram for the quickest way to get there.
well placed for darkside riding too as you have good access to the lanes inside the m25 around cudham/downe or going the other way out to epsom for the surrey hills and richmond park for a quick blast.
I grew up in Croydon (Sanderstead) and moved back a few years ago. yeah you may not want to hang out on the high st on a friday or saturday night when the p!$$heads are on the loose but there's a lot of towns where that's true. I live in a nice quiet tree-lined street, I can cycle from my door and be in countryside in 10 minutes, or get a train and be in central London in half an hour. If you can't stand the thought of suburbia I'd suggest somewhere around Clapham Junction, easy for central London, 10 minutes on the train to EC and you get better rail connections to the South Downs, the Surrey Hills (Dorking, Box Hill etc) plus Swinley Forest is also only 45 mins on train. CJ is p0ncier (rugger boys on the piss rather than chavs, so maybe not so different - just plummier voices) and not so gritty and edgy as Brixton etc ;o) but everywhere is a compromise of some sort.
P.S. Croydon is twinned with Arnhem by the way. :o)
do you live in sanderstead now schullelieber?
I thought burmaboy and me are the only MTBers in da hood!
[i]do you live in sanderstead now schullelieber?
I thought burmaboy and me are the only MTBers in da hood![/i]
South Croydon - Sanderstead was too surburban, things are much edgier here.
I live in Oxted, which is north downs close to Croydon. Found best thing to do is get couple of OS maps and explore. Surrey Hills are generally good for xc, but get trashed by horses on bridleways and turns into a mud fest after rain. Go darkside and you'll find great country roads and routes to Ashdown Forest.
Def. live out of Croydon and cycle/commute in. I walked from EC train station toward town and saw a bloke projectile vomit whilst walking, about 7pm on a Friday night, bout sums up croydon for me.
[i]I walked from EC train station toward town and saw a bloke projectile vomit whilst walking[/i]
I saw someone do that the other day in Croydon but what made it even worse was the pigeons started standing in his vomit picking at the chunks. Was without doubt the most disgusting scene I have seen in ages so I thought I'd share 🙂
To be fair to Croydon, I quite like working close to the large quantity of shops and the transport links are good. So far(!) only been headbutted to the ground once but that was a while ago.
As above, Shirley Hills is good for a short evenings blast after work. I used to get the train from W.Croydon to the North Downs (one change c.40mins I think?).
I liked Croydon, never had any trouble there. Look up the BlackSheep bar
There's riding all around Croydon. The North Downs are a few miles South. Shirley Hils to the East.
Bracknell (The Look Out - Swinley Forrest) is a hour away by car, as is Bedgebury (just) and PORC.
Leith Hill area has awesome sections and plenty of riding from XC to DH (albeit short). There's a volunteer Trail Maintenance team that work on the trails so that'll be another way to meet the locals and get to know the local riding contact Mark Reynolds on mtb@hurtwoodcontrol.co.uk
Happy trails.
ianpinder, just to add. Generalising alittle but if you come out of E.Croydon station and turn left its alot different than if you turn right..
Its no rougher than other parts of London to be fair and there are good houses/properties to be had in Croydon. I live in Manchester and for the secondtime in a year someone has been shot in my local area. True, whilst I was in Croydon 3 men were shotdead in a drinking den (cross from WCroydon station) but these things happen EVERYWHERE.
I liked it there. My local (the Oval) was spot on. I miss that place, a real mix of characters in there and many many a night I almost fell over with alcohol!
Oh yes, on the North Downs- stunning riding to be had. I still think its one of the best places to ride in England.
I work two doors away from the oval. Lucky for me you moved away before I started Hora 😉
Hi leggyblonde, its a good pub though isnt it? Some interesting characters (inc workers, students, locals etc etc) but never any trouble etc. Edit- Ah if you work where I think you do I dont think you'd be allowed to go out for a alcoholic drink at lunch?!
ooo the Oval, haven't been there in a while. Used to have good quiz nights.
And not forgeting proximity to Selhurst Park to see South London's finest! C'mon the Palace!!!
STW oval meetup somepoint?
No, I'm not a teacher Hora! I perpetuate the cliché that most people on here are engineers...
[url= http://www.tzgpartnership.com/home ]2 doors the other way[/url]
True, whilst I was in Croydon 3 men were shotdead in a drinking den (cross from WCroydon station) but these things happen EVERYWHERE.
nope. can't say that's ever happened in Reigate 🙂
Sorry about my lack of replies, I have my last exam tomorrow so i thought I better do some work.
Momentum, don't worry about it you were actually being helpful. It's nice to know people opinions. I'm not to fussed if it is a bit rough, I can deal with that, however, I like outdoors, so I either want to be in the country or in the city for a bit of experience, so its either somewhere further south in the country or in London it self if I can find someone to live with.
Yes I am Nicolai rider and I'm aware of head to the hills, but couldn't remember where they were based so thanks for the info. leggieblonde, any graduate jobs going at your place? I'm applying to Jacobs just round the corner from the station.
And yeah I'm interested in Horsham because I went to school at Christs Hospital which is just outside. Lets hope i get the job then I can start looking proper, might book a hotel or stay at a mates and explore all the areas properly.
ianpinder, good thing about Croydon (for a graduate) is living costs are lower than central London and very regular trains straight into Victoria (i.e. a whole job world opened up for you). Its 15mins into Victoria?
Plus, the lovely leggyblonde (you better be female!) 8) the Oval, Backsheepbar and some others 😀
lol, I hope leggyblonde is female, for no other reason then i don't want to think of the male version...... If i live in crydon i shall live on my own, if i live in central london then i shall share with a friend, either way the rent will be he same, however if i live in central london then the bils are split between two so that is where savings come in. however uness i want to ride everyday i then have to pay to get to work, and having a quick look on the website an annual ticket costs 1300 which negates any saving I make by sharing the bills.
Good point. Whereabouts in London does your mate live?
leggyblonde isn't female but he does have a sister.
the Oval, Backsheepbar and some others
Hell Hora, you rated those dumps? I was going to mention them in my original post as places to avoid/reasons to avoid going out in Croydon. As you say, Victoria is only 15 minutes away, doorstep to all the debauchery London has to offer up to a country lad.
Sorry to disappoint but MrSmith is correct, I'm prettier though 8)
No specific vacancies here, we're only a tiny practice. Will be on the lookout in a couple of months if all goes to plan.
Hell Hora, you rated those dumps?
When you have known true dumps then you adjust accordingly. Not so long ago I was sat in a fairly secluded spot where a group of Liverpudlians were discussing a deal with someone who was going to turn up shortly...
Plus, this is coming from someone who absolutely loved Camden 8)
Good point. Whereabouts in London does your mate live?
so far she lives in bath, in the same house i used to live in, however we both finish uni tomorrow and she will be working for costain at one of the main railway stations in the centre of london apparently. so, atm nowhere.
we shall see though early days yet, at least there are places to ride, which is good 🙂
does your new house have a stair case? if so...thier you go?
I went to school at Christs Hospital
Oh dear, I'd rather take it from behind from a hippo than ponce around in the Christ's Hospital uniform.
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Ever considered moving abroad 😉
And BTW, you went to public school and you can't even spell Croydon! I hope you parents don't surf this forum when they're not stockbroking 😉
Dad is far to busy at the golf club, and mum is busy down at the spa to read this so I am safe....see living in croydon isn't the worst thing i would of done
'her'...this gets better. Who the **** wants to live in Croydon alone when you can have a flat mate you both know and ..is female? 8)
No brainer.
[i]I'm not to fussed if it is a bit rough, I can deal with that, however, I like outdoors, so I either want to be in the country or in the city for a bit of experience, so its either somewhere further south in the country or in London it self if I can find someone to live with. [/i]
The thing about Croydon is that it doesn't have the good bits of city life or of country life - it's the grim no-man's land in between the two. It's probably less rough than Brixton, where I live, but it doesn't have the easy access to central london (trains to victoria aren't much help if you actually want to go out in London beyond midnight) or a load of great pubs, clubs and bars on the doorstep. If i was leaving Uni in Bath to come to London then I'd be heading for somewhere that I could make the most of city life. Have fun with whatever you decide to do!
If I understand it rightly, isn't Christs Hospital known for taking on bright pupils from troubled backgrounds, who's parents can't afford to send them to public school - or who's parents aren't around!?
Have to disagree with some of your points there momentum. Central Croydon is 3 miles from proper countryside (farms, woods, downland etc) so an hour's offroad blast is possible where as it isn't from Brixton. Also Croydon has much easier/quicker access to central than most of Zs 2&3. 15 mins to Victoria and 12 to London Bridge. Trains also run to Croydon all night as it's on the gatwick line. The 3am weekend trains are extremely popular! Agree with lack of good clubs and bars, but there are a few nice hidden pubs away from the centre.
[i]Have to disagree with some of your points there momentum. Central Croydon is 3 miles from proper countryside (farms, woods, downland etc) so an hour's offroad blast is possible where as it isn't from Brixton. Also Croydon has much easier/quicker access to central than most of Zs 2&3. 15 mins to Victoria and 12 to London Bridge. Trains also run to Croydon all night as it's on the gatwick line. The 3am weekend trains are extremely popular! Agree with lack of good clubs and bars, but there are a few nice hidden pubs away from the centre. [/i]
Fair enough - I am fairly ignorant about Croydon and haven't lived there so my experiences aren't that rounded. I do remember overhearign a conversation between two pregnant women in Ikea and realising they were mother and daughter, which was a lovely little vignette!
It sounds like there are some good sides to Croydon that I hadn't been aware of, but I still don't think it would be a great place for a young person moving to London. The OP sounds a bit like me - prefers the proper countryside but is coming to London for work. My thinking is that if you have to live in a crowded city against you natural inclination then you might as well do it properly and really make the most of it, so that when you move to the countryside in later life you can look back on your time in the crazy city fondly. To me that means having good stuff on the doorstep with more stuff that's easy to get to. I didn't realise that there are hourly trains back to Croydon through the night (which is pretty good), but I still think it would be quicker to travel from Shoreditch to Brixton at 4am then to Croydon, especially if your train timetable skills are suffering a bit!
Have to say I'm very jealous of you being able to ride from your door, although I've started to notice some cheeky trails in some of south london's parks!
Yeah, it's pretty annoying missing an hourly train by one minute when all you want to do is sleep...
My girlfriend lives in Stoke Newington so I'm "lucky" enough to get my regular fix of gritty urban experiences!
I mentioned to my GF about Croydon this morning....she said WHO THE **** WOULD WANT TO LIVE THERE?! Err, I dont think she has the same rose-tinted specs view of the place as me 😆
If I understand it rightly, isn't Christs Hospital known for taking on bright pupils from troubled backgrounds, who's parents can't afford to send them to public school - or who's parents aren't around!?
Yup, your bang on, farther divorced and my mother is disabled, my parents or I personally didn't pay a penny, only 8 people out of 850 actually paid the FULL school fees, it got me places I would never have gone otherwise and ofr that I am eternally greatfull.
ianpinder - I live in Croydon.
A few hundred yards at the top of my road is Croham Hurst which has singletrack woodland and is the site of a Bronze Age burial ground. This pic was taken at the top :
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Less than 5 mins bike ride from there, is Shirley Hills (Addington Hill) which is also about a 5 mins or so bike ride from East Croydon Station. This was taken at the top :
[img] 
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If you look here you will see a multitude of stuff which shows the sort of trails you can expect. None of it is more than about a half hour bike ride from East Croydon Station, some of it a lot less. But [i]please[/i] don't tell anyone.
http://www.jbutler.org.uk/London/Croydon/Loop3.shtml
EDIT : The Addington Hill pic isn't working, but you can see it on the link.
Less than 5 mins bike ride from there, is Shirley Hills (Addington Hill) which is also about a 5 mins or so bike ride from East Croydon Station.
I don't know if the situation has changed now but that used to be officially off limits to cyclists with regular patrols by rangers (who seemed happy to ignore all the slightly odd looking dodgy old geezers wandering around in dirty old macs). The only time cycling was allowed there was the races during the cross season.
Seems I can't escape her influence! Everyone seems to know me as Geraldine's son, Anna's brother etc... I am my own person dammit! lol
Anna's brother
You're Anna's brother ? Is that the Anna who went to uni to do forensic science ? If so, what happened - she said that she would still occasionally come out off-roading with ACC when home from uni.
hahahaha! Ps. Anna better be leggy and blonde?
Hora, not as tall as me but a bit blonder!
Ernie, she studied anthropology so I'm not sure. Can there be two cycling Annas in the croydon area?
No that's her, my mistake. I remember now, she said anthropology and [i]I think[/i] she said something about maybe using it to get into forensic ? I remember asking her what did she want to do after uni, whether she wanted to go round the world like Indiana Jones. She replied, "No, I want to marry a rich man". Smart girl !