Cycling from north to south of London using just Santander hire bikes (Part 1/2)
The Santander Cycles challenge you didn’t know existed… (…mainly because we just made it up!)
Join us as we attempt to ride from the furthest North docking station to the furthest South docking station in London using only the Santander Cycle Hire Scheme.
In Part 1 of this challenge: We start at the home of UK cycling, the Lee Valley VeloPark in the Olympic Park. We put the £3.50 day pass to the test, swapping between the new e-bikes and the classic manual bikes to keep our costs down. Along the way, we navigate the “super and awful” London cycle network, battle Google Maps through industrial estates, and ride the famous Cycle Superhighway 3 (CS3).
📍 Route Highlights & Landmarks:
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park & West Ham
The Limehouse Cut & Three Mills Studios
Canary Wharf (and its killer hill!)
Tower of London & Tower Bridge
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Victoria Embankment & Big Ben
From dodging protests to getting lost in East London and hunting for sushi, see if we can make it through the city before the sun goes down. Will the weather hold out after Storm Claudia? Watch to find out!
👇 SUBSCRIBE for Part 2 to see if we make it to the finish line!
Furthest north is: Lee Valley Velopark in Stratford at the Olympics 2012 site.
Furthest south is: Clapham Common South
If you love London travel, cycling challenges, or discovering budget‑friendly adventures, this video is for you.
📍 Backpack Travels brings you authentic journeys, public transport hacks, and creative challenges across the UK and beyond. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more adventures!
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4 Comments
What do you think of our made up challenge? Fancy doing it yourself?
This was a really great day out that the both of us enjoyed. It's cheap, good exercise and you get to see London from a perspective that you might never have seen before.
Let us know what you think by commentiong below, thanks for all your support. Please like, share, subscribe or hyper if you fancy it!
Great challenge. This is my home city so I know it very well. The best way round the city is by bike, so you chose the correct mode of transport.
Hello 😊 Thanks for the new video. Really enjoyable, you are really really good at doing this kind of video.
Wishing you and Hannah a great weekend
Very impressive, you're much braver than me.I come down to London once a year and always hire a bike but I stick to the few routes that I know,but I always enjoy the ride and feel quite exhilarated afterwards.