The London Traveler

If you fancy seeing London a different way you can rent a bike from a number of places.

London Bicycle Company is based in Gabriel’s Wharf, on the South Bank. Bikes cost £18 for the first day, but if you rent for longer, the per diem price gets cheaper.

Budgiebikes offer bright yellow bicycles at £9.50 a day, or £1.50 an hour. Budge operates out of a number of London Youth Hostels, including St Pancras, Holland Park, Earls Court, and Thameside.

A different way of renting is offered by OYbike. It’s similar to the Paris Velib scheme; you need to become a member first, which needs a £10 deposit (and you need a credit card to use the scheme). Bikestands are placed around the city, often close to stations, and you just log in at the stand, take the bike out, and return it to another stand when you’re finished.

London isn’t the most bike-friendly city in Europe. I’ve biked in London, and I’ve biked in Paris, and no doubt – Paris is better.

But it’s getting better. There are a number of decent cycle routes now, and some outlying attractions are best explored by bike – for instance Richmond Park, or the Lee Valley park that extends from London up into Hertfordshire. (Lee Valley YHA also provides bike hire.)

So perhaps it’s time to get on your bike… as soon as it stops raining, anyway!

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