National Cycle Route 21 (or NCR 21) is part of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

National Cycle Network The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...

. It runs from

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

in South-East

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

south to

Crawley Crawley () is a large town and borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a population of 106,597 at the time of th ...

, then east to

Groombridge Groombridge is a village of about 1,600 people. It straddles the border between Kent and East Sussex, in England. The nearest large town is Royal Tunbridge Wells, about away by road. The main part of the village ("New Groombridge") lies in t ...

and south to

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...

, with a short final loop northwards again to its end at

Pevensey Pevensey ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The main village is located north-east of Eastbourne, one mile (1.6 km) inland from Pevensey Bay. The settlement of Pevensey Bay forms part of ...

.Route 21 , Sustrans
/ref> The route is approximately 150 km (93 miles) long. Several sections are not suitable for road bikes. Links to: *

National Cycle Route 4 Between these, the route runs through Reading, Bath, Bristol, Newport, Swansea and St David's. Within Wales, sections of the route follow branches of the Celtic Trail cycle route. Route The total length of the path is 443.6 miles and takes ...

at Greenwich which is the route's start. *

National Cycle Route 1 The cycle-path is located in the United Kingdom. Route Dover to Canterbury Dover , Deal , Sandwich , Canterbury Links with National Cycle Route 2, Regional route 16, and Regional route 17 in Dover. Leaves Dover passing Dover Castle. S ...

at Greenwich is a few hundred metres from the route's start. *

National Cycle Route 2 When complete, the route will be long. Route The route has several sections. # Dover to Hastings. The route follows the Chalk and Channel Way along the cliff tops to Folkestone and crosses Romney Marsh to Lydd. From Rye it follows the coast ...

Polegate Polegate is a town and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England, United Kingdom.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It ...

and at Pevensey at the route's finish. *

National Cycle Route 20 National Cycle Route 20 is part of the United Kingdom's National Cycle Network and follows the Wandle Trail in London. It is the London - Brighton cycle route which starts alongside the river Thames at Wandsworth heading south along a mixtur ...

at Redhill and at Crawley. The route forms much of the English section of the

Avenue Verte The Avenue Verte/Greenway is a joint Anglo-French initiative assisted by Europe, to develop a largely traffic-free route between Paris and London (via the Dieppe – Newhaven ferry) for cyclists, walkers and horse riders. A route was put in place ...

, a planned long-distance cycle route linking London and Paris.

Route

Greenwich to Crawley

Lewisham Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified i ...

, South Norwood ,

New Addington New Addington is a town in South London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is located 5 miles south east of Croydon, south of Addington Village and north of Biggin Hill. History Until the 1930s, the area now known as New Addingt ...

, Redhill ,

Horley Horley is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England, south of the towns of Reigate and Redhill. The county border with West Sussex is to the south with Crawley and Gatwick Airport close to the town. It has its own ec ...

Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport (), also known as London Gatwick , is a major international airport near Crawley, West Sussex, England, south of Central London. In 2021, Gatwick was the third-busiest airport by total passenger traffic in the UK, after H ...

This section starts by leaving

NCR 4 Between these, the route runs through Reading, Bath, Bristol, Newport, Swansea and St David's. Within Wales, sections of the route follow branches of the Celtic Trail cycle route. Route The total length of the path is 443.6 miles and takes a ...

beside the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

and following the

Waterlink Way Waterlink Way is a cyclepath and walking route in South East London. It extends from South Norwood Country Park (near Elmers End station) to the Cutty Sark ship in Greenwich, a total of eight miles. The Waterlink Way connects a number of park ...

south through South-East London, generally on well-surfaced bridleways and residential roads and climbing gently. On leaving Greater London the route quickly becomes more rugged, following a number of paths and roads, including the long access road to

Woldingham School Woldingham School is an independent school for girls, located in the former Marden Park of outside the village of Woldingham, Surrey, in South East England. It is a Roman Catholic school and a member of the global Network of Sacred Heart Schools ...

. After passing under the

M25 motorway The M25 or London Orbital Motorway is a major road encircling most of Greater London. The motorway is one of the most important roads in the UK and one of the busiest. Margaret Thatcher opened the final section in 1986, making the M25 the lon ...

the track quality improves again and the route heads west to Redhill, before again heading south, close by the London-Brighton railway. It passes directly underneath the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, weaves through the runway approach lights and continues south to Crawley. Between Redhill and Crawley the route duplicates Route 20.

Crawley to Groombridge

Crawley Down Crawley Down is a small village in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. There is one church, one school, and a number of social groups. It lies seven miles from Gatwick Airport. The next nearest railway stations are Three Bridges and ...

East Grinstead East Grinstead is a town in West Sussex, England, near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders, south of London, northeast of Brighton, and northeast of the county town of Chichester. Situated in the extreme northeast of the county, the civ ...

This section is largely on well-made railway paths through attractive countryside and consists of the

Worth Way The Worth Way is a footpath and bridleway linking the West Sussex towns of Crawley and East Grinstead via the village of Crawley Down. Mostly following the trackbed of a disused railway the path is an important wildlife corridor. It is part of ...

immediately followed by the

Forest Way The Forest Way is a linear Country park providing Hiking, walking, cycling, Equestrianism, horse riding and the quiet enjoyment of the countryside. It runs for around 16 km from East Grinstead to Groombridge. The Forest Way lies within th ...

. It finishes just south of Groombridge, with a short signposted spur to the village itself.

Groombridge to Eastbourne

Rotherfield Rotherfield is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. It is one of the largest parishes in East Sussex. There are three villages in the parish: Rotherfield, Mark Cross and Eridge. The River Rother, which ...

, Mayfield , Heathfield ,

Hailsham Hailsham is a town, a civil parish and the administrative centre of the Wealden district of East Sussex, England.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Dat ...

The first half of this section is on undulating country roads, passing by Eridge Station. About one mile before Eridge Station is a spur connecting

Crowborough Crowborough is a town and civil parish in East Sussex, England, in the Weald at the edge of Ashdown Forest in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 7 miles (11 km) south-west of Royal Tunbridge Wells and 33 miles (53 ...

with the route. After Mayfield there is a steep off-road section. The route then follows the whole length of the

Cuckoo Trail The Cuckoo Trail is a footpath and cycleway which runs from Hampden Park to Heathfield in East Sussex. It passes through the towns of Polegate and Hailsham, as well as the villages of Hellingly and Horam. History The Trail largely foll ...

from Heathfield to Eastbourne, crossing NCR 2 at Polegate.

Eastbourne to Pevensey

The route follows the coast up from the east side of Eastbourne, passing the harbour, to Pevensey, where it meets NCR 2.

References

https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/route-21

External links

East Sussex County Council: National Cycle Network: Route 21

{{coord , 51, 11, 10, N, 0, 9, 7, W, scale:500000_region:GB, display=title Cycleways in London Transport in Surrey Transport in West Sussex Transport in East Sussex National Cycle Routes