The London Cycling Guide by Tom Bogdanowicz

Reviewed by Peter Murray

The London Cycling Campaign (LCC) is best known for doing what its name says – campaigning for better facilities for cycling in London – but this books celebrates both the joys of riding a bike and the richness and delights of London’s built environment, parks, rivers and forests. 

The guide has been put together by the LCC's senior policy officer, Tom Bogdanowicz, with contributions from members. Tom spends much of his time campaigning for 'mini- Hollands', marked by segregated bike routes and safer lorries, but he also leads cycling tours of the capital. Cycling is by far the best way of looking at London – you can cover more ground than walking but you still have a real connection to the places themselves. 

The London Cycling Guide was first published in 2010 – the year London’s cycle-hire scheme was launched – but this updated edition boasts how far London has changed over the last half a decade with a photograph of the East-West Cycle Superhighway with Big Ben in the background and two Santander bike riders cycling safely along the Victoria Embankment. 

This updated edition includes the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and how to navigate it – something even Google hasn’t properly learnt to do yet. There are some 40 rides, from west London waterways to north London heights, as well as useful tips for novice cyclists. 

Pedestrians will be pleased to read the LCC official instruction: 'Jumping red lights and riding on pavements is illegal and can be frightening and dangerous to others. Don’t do it!'