Mott Street and Swains Lane

Hi,
I hope someone can help me here. As part of the 100 climbs set of rides, I'll be riding Mott Street and Swains lane this Friday during the day at some point. It's rare that any of the climbs are in built up areas but Swains Lane is clearly in a busy area. I don't know North London at all so am looking for some help on a reasonable route. I've plotted a route entirely on guesswork but would really appreciate it if someone can have a look and let me know if I've chosen any particularly stupid roads to ride along.
The quieter the better, I'll be on a robust tourer so offroad routes are fine as long as they're easy to follow. Note that I'll be following this blindly on a basic Garmin so the most direct route with fewest turns would also be helpful.

Also note that this is one ride in 4 for the day, before I head back up North. I'll be doing all the climbs within easy distance of the M25 on this day

Any advice given will be very much appreciated.
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1011579877

jon

hey jon - a big chunk of that is on a canal towpath, so as long as you're happy enough with that then you should be fine. not really much on that I'd really change!

Normal club route to Swain's Lane is along Pemberton Gardens and Bickerton Road, which is a nice warmup hill. Depending on how much traffic you fancy you might want to go through Finsbury Park (the park) in both directions and use Hanley Road / Marlborough Road to reach Holloway Road.

In Highgate you might as well start from the very end of Parkland Walk on Holmesdale Road nearer Highgate station, which definitely has a ramp (the entrance you've chosen might be steps, can't remember). Parkland Walk is unpaved so if it's been raining it'll be muddy, but probably traversable.

If you're going up Mott Street, you should continue to the High Beech tea hut for cheap coffee and Battenberg (keep going straight on at the crossroads, it's at the far end of the car park).

Other than that, looks pretty good.

I'd be tempted to go along the whole of Swains Lane, starting where it's flat at the mini-roundabout on Highgate Road, rather than turning in from Chester Road. It's not really better, but you get to go along the whole lane and the brief little run up the top of Highgate road and past the few shops at the bottom of Swains Lane is reasonably pretty.

+1 to the above.
FYI if these things are important to you, the climb as described in the 100 Climbs book (and thus the 'OFFICIAL 100 Climbs' strava segment, which you need to get the veloviewer tick) starts from a bit further down Swain's Lane than your route, see here: https://www.strava.com/segments/6691038

Enjoy and good luck with your project!

edit: basically what Tim said

Yes, It's important to me to get the veloviewer tick where I can so thanks for that (I expect I would have figured it out when I arrived), I've been bitten by a few metres before so take extra care when starting and finishing.

Didn't realise I'd chosen a canal towpath, thanks for pointing that out. I see it now. I might re-route that bit for speed.

Many thanks chaps. If I complete all the rides near the M25 that'll take me to 80 out of 100 completed!

Seven sisters road isn't that nice, might be better going further down lee valley then across Stamford hill, through to Finsbury Park, the parkland walk to Highgate can be muddy but a nice ride. Looking slightly further north is Alexandra Pallace, bit if a hill with great views over London. ( if not foggy like Sunday ;).
Swaines lanes goes between Highgates old and "new" cemeteries, you pass some interesting gothic buildings .

Good luck,

If you've energy can loop left at top, down Westhill , and do it again ;)

Steve