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Cycling to Swanborough & Rodmell - Pavement ??

On 2 Nov 2012 at 4:11pm SHS wrote:

Can anyone tell me how far the pavement or other footpath exists after the Kingston turnoff? I'm accompanying a child so don't want to risk him on dangerous parts of the road. Can we get to Swanborough safely? If so, we can then take the paths across the Downs and come back down Mill Lane into Rodmell. Thanks.

On 2 Nov 2012 at 4:49pm Southover Queen wrote:

Do you mean at the side of the road, SHS? None as far as I can see as a motorist. I wouldn't take a child along that stretch - the C7 is dangerous at the best of times with high risk car drivers, and my heart sinks when I see cyclists on it too.

On 2 Nov 2012 at 5:31pm wanderer wrote:

google maps drop the yellow man and have a nose

Check it out here »

On 2 Nov 2012 at 6:29pm s wrote:

the pavement only goes up to the kingston turnoff. I agree with Southover Queen i wouldn't take my child along that road and i'm a cyclist to and i've had near misses aswell.

On 3 Nov 2012 at 10:11am buzz aldrin wrote:

Are we missing the point here? Encouraging the children to ride on the pavements is both illegal (unless it is a signed cycle route) and mollycoddling. I agree the C7 isn't the best route to cycle along - find some off-road routes to build confidence then find some better roads to ride. Bright gear, helmets and lights are all essential - would you really want to be travelling 20-30mph 5' above a rock-hard surface without some head protection. No helmet = brain danage.
When I was 11 I passed my cycling proficiency - no helmets back then but at least I learnt to correctly position my feet on the pedals (toes not instep) and to cycle safely in traffic. Click the link below!
As a regular cyclist in London and Oxford, I have had a few incidents with cars, taxis and even a bus but survived without injury due to the right gear and the right attitude.

Check it out here »

On 3 Nov 2012 at 11:09pm Dave wrote:

Ive been cycling for a lot of years, never worn a helmet, never needed one.
I'll take my risks and live withe the consequences.

On 4 Nov 2012 at 10:01am SHS wrote:

Thanks chaps for your comments - I hadn't thought of the obvious, checking google (Wanderer) and ultimately we drove there and walked back along the top of the scarp, coming down through Kingston.
Buzz, normally this child does cycle on the road under close supervision but I make exceptions on busy main or dangerous roads - better a healthy child breaking the law than an injured law-abiding one. Frankly, ever since the powers that be decided to put paint and metal signs on pavements to call them cycle paths I've reasoned that they are effectively saying it's ok to cycle on pavements. They've certainly made them dangerous for both pedestrians and cyclists.

On 4 Nov 2012 at 7:47pm bunch of ciints wrote:

What a pair of tw@ts - Dave thinks his skull will survive impact with the pavement - it won't
AND
shs thinks it's OK to condone law breaking when it suits....

On 7 Nov 2012 at 10:37am ar106 wrote:

The C7 is fine to cycle on as an adult as long as you can keep a good pace up and ride defensively, I wouldn't take a child on it though.
A good traffic free route to Swanborough is to along Juggs Road, up Kingston Ridge, then down Breach Road. This is all bridleways and therefore legal to cycle on, although it might not all be cycleable due to steep hills and terrain. Bing Maps has OS maps so you can plan the route.

Check it out here »

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