Why this ride
205 km from Cambridge to Cambridge, about 3 h 12 of riding. The stops in between: Tower of London, Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe, back through Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe and back through Tower of London.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cambridge day out · Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 205 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 12
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Tower of London → Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe
5 km on Tower of London → Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 5 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Cambridge
Cambridge is flat, and for a motorcyclist that is both its weakness and its secret. The city sits where the chalk of the Gog Magog hills runs out into the fens, and the River Cam wanders through its heart past the colleges, between lawns and willows, under little bridges where punts jostle on summer afternoons. King's College Chapel, begun in the fifteenth century and finished under the early Tudors, has a fan-vaulted ceiling that looks as if it were carved from lace, and its choir sings evensong most days of term. More than 158,000 people live here, so fuel, food and a bed are never in doubt.
Read the complete Cambridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cambridge is where the day begins. Next is Tower of London.
2. Tower of London
The Tower of London is the oldest and most layered fortress in the capital. William the Conqueror began the White Tower in the 1070s, a massive keep of Caen stone meant to show the English who was in charge. Over nine centuries it was a palace, a mint, an armoury, a menagerie and a prison, and some of the people who went in did not come out: Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey were executed here, and the two young princes of the fifteenth century vanished within its walls. Today the Crown Jewels sit in the Waterloo Block and the Yeoman Warders, known as Beefeaters, lead tours with a mix of grim history and well-polished jokes.
Read the complete Tower of London write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Tower of London comes up 28 km in.
3. Tower of London
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Tower of London write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
At least 79 km in you reach Tower of London. Next is Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe.
4. Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe
Few views in the world are photographed more often, and few are harder to enjoy from the saddle. The Palace of Westminster, rebuilt after the fire of 1834 by Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin in a Gothic style that deliberately looked backward, stands on the north bank of the Thames, with its famous clock tower at one end. The tower is properly called the Elizabeth Tower, and Big Ben is the name of the great bell inside it. Across the road is Westminster Abbey, where English and British monarchs have been crowned since William the Conqueror in 1066, and where many of them are buried, along with poets, scientists and the Unknown Warrior.
Read the complete Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe, about halfway.
5. Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe sits at 112 km, about halfway. Next is back through Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe.
6. back through Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe comes up 140 km in. Next is back through Tower of London.
7. back through Tower of London
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Tower of London write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
168 km in you reach back through Tower of London.
8. back through Tower of London
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Tower of London write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Tower of London, late in the day. Next is Cambridge.
9. Cambridge
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cambridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 205 km.
Leg by leg
Cambridge to Tower of London
Cambridge → Tower of London is 107 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Tower of London to Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe
Tower of London → Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe is 5 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe to back through Tower of London
back through Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbe → back through Tower of London is 5 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Tower of London to Cambridge
back through Tower of London → Cambridge is 107 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
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