Bikepacking London to Brighton
Take on one of the UK's most iconic cycle journeys to the coast via backroads, gravel tracks and secluded woodland
Trip Ref #10344
Bikepacking London to Brighton
Take on one of the UK's most iconic cycle journeys to the coast via backroads, gravel tracks and secluded woodland
DURATION
LOCATION
ANNUAL LEAVE
SEASON
GROUP SIZE
MEETING POINT
ACCOMMODATION
Bunkhouse
OVERALL RATING
0.0
DIFFICULTY
You'll need previous cycling experience and to be comfortable with some climbs and fun descents, though no technical experience is necessary
Learn all about bikepacking and test out riding a high-spec, fully-loaded adventure bike
Bed down for the night in a secluded woodland bunkhouse, fuelled with freshly made pizza
Pedal the chalky tracks of the South Downs National Park all the way to the sea for a celebratory dip
Day 1
Roll through the Surrey Hills
Cycling
Get set up with your bike and bikepacking bags in Richmond Park, a mecca for all London cyclists. Hear a bit more about the journey ahead from your expert guides before heading south towards the Surrey Hills. Passing through a wiggly 40km route on mostly quiet lanes, you’ll arrive at Leith Hill mid-afternoon with plenty of time to dump your bags at the bunkhouse and explore some local trails by bike or by foot. There’s a pub nearby for those who fancy grabbing a drink before you settle down for a pizza making extravaganza.
Day 2
To the sea
Cycling
A relaxed start to the morning as you grab breakfast and a coffee before loading up your bikes again and setting out for the coast. Winding through undulating hills and woodland, you’ll join a gravel track that will take you to Shoreham-on-Sea. Hitting the coastal path, you’ll continue onto the finish line at the iconic Brighton Pier, a celebratory dip in the sea awaits for the brave! Say goodbye to your trusty steed and fellow crew here - or hang out for sunset and fish and chips on the beach if you'd rather.
Included
Guides
Expert cycling guides and bike mechanic
Accommodation
1 night in a woodland bunkhouse
Meals
1 camp dinner and 1 breakfast
Equipment
Surley Straggler bikes and Ortlieb bikepacking bags provided
Not Included
Travel to and from the start point
Personal expenses
Some meals as described
Visas where required
Day 1
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
There'll be lunch stops on both days at local cafes so you can fuel up and rest your legs. Dinner at the bunkhouse will be a communal affair with everyone having a go at making their perfect pizza topping and chucking it in the outdoor wood-fired pizza oven. Breakfast will be provided on Day 2 as well as cycling snacks throughout to keep you going. Vegetarians and vegans can be catered for, just let your host know on your passenger info form.
What is the accommodation like?
Bunkhouse
You'll spend the night in a 1920's chalet-style bunkhouse nestled deep in the Surrey Hills. You will have the bunkhouse exclusively for your group and share the three bedrooms in bunks between you. There is an open fire if warmth is needed and numerous showers.
Upgrades
There is no option to upgrade to a single room for the night, they are not available at the bunkhouse.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Richmond Park Cafe
10:00 on Day 1
Ends
Brighton Beach
16:00 on Day 2
Transfers
You'll ride out of London on Day 1 and end in Brighton on Day 2 where there are numerous trains back to London and the South East.
Travel options
Your host will confirm the exact meeting point before your adventure begins.
Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear
In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.
What's included?
- Adventure bike hire for the weekend
- Bikepacking bags
What do I need to bring?
Keeping your kit minimal is the key as you will be carrying it all, so pack light. As a good rule, only bring a small backpack of things (including your sleeping bag) and this should all fit on the bike.
Sleeping
- Sleeping bag (2-season should be enough)
- Sleeping bag liner if desired
- Travel inflatable pillow
Clothes
- Cycling clothes
- Cycling shoes (if used)
- Cycling helmet
- Off the bike clothes – layers for the evening
- Something to sleep in
- Waterproof jacket
- Warm gloves
Other
- Washbag and toiletry items
- Towel (optional)
- Cash for alcoholic drinks at the bunkhouse if required
No optional extras are available for this trip.
We’re still waiting to collect any reviews from other travellers on this trip. However, all our hosts go through an extensive vetting process to ensure that your adventure is awesome.
We've crunched the numbers to work out the total carbon footprint of this trip, and plant enough trees to suck 2x as much back out the atmosphere.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 19kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal for 2023 to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. For every person booked with us since 2016 we’re planting enough trees to suck at least 2x more carbon out the atmosphere than is emitted by their trips. All native trees, as part of amazing projects that are re-foresting degraded land, tackling the biodiversity crisis and supporting local communities at the same time. We go further than that too, also funding re-wilding projects worldwide to help protect important keystone species from extinction. See the reforestation and re-wilding schemes we support. See our carbon action plan.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
This weekend is an ideal introduction to gravel riding and bikepacking. Previous cycling experience is required but no previous off-road cycling is necessary. You should be comfortable with the distances and elevation and also some steady climbs and descents. The pace is approx. 15km an hour. You'll ride as a group, with plenty of breaks, so that no one gets left behind. You will likely be on your bike/outside for most of the day riding at a relaxed pace with plenty of time to chat and get to know your crew.
The route is roughly 70% paved lanes and 30% gravel/un-surfaced roads. The majority of roads used on this trip are very quiet, but there are some short un-avoidable sections that are busier. At the busy sections you'll split into smaller groups to allow vehicles to pass with ease.
The bikes provided are Surly Straggler adventure bikes. These are highly versatile, with disc brakes and drop handlebars that provide the comfort of a road bike with the stability of an off-road one. You are welcome to bring your own bike, but if you do please make sure it’s suitable for the tour. You will need a bike with a minimum tyre width of 38mm to handle the gravel sections. Please note that this trip is not suitable for road bikes.
Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
It's the UK so come prepared for all weathers and check the forecast before packing!
This trip is designed so that you can turn up with a rucksack and re-pack what you need for the 2 days into bikepacking bags. You can leave your empty rucksacks/bags/anything else in Richmond Park where they will be transported and ready for collection in Brighton.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.
Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
You're in good company. Our adventures are typically made up of a mix of solo travellers and small groups of two or three friends who simply love adventure, pushing themselves and meeting awesome like-minded people. See here for more info about our lovely bunch of Much Better Adventurers.
Want to book a private trip? Just tap ‘Private Group’ in the dates and prices tab.
Your trip is led by carefully curated local hosts and expert guides. See here for more info about the guides we work with.
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