Cycling around Clapham: the main route, hire bikes and where to lock up

The simplest way to cycle through Clapham is to follow Cycle Superhighway 7, which runs straight past Clapham North, Clapham High Street, Clapham Common and Clapham South. For hire, there are dockless e-bikes on both the Lambeth and Wandsworth sides. For locking up, the Junction has the best-documented parking.

The main route: CS7 through Clapham

According to GPS Routes, CS7 runs 11.6 miles (18.7 km) from Cannon Street in the City to Colliers Wood. In order, the stops are Southwark Bridge, Elephant & Castle, Kennington, Oval, Stockwell, Clapham North, Clapham High Street, Clapham Common, Clapham South, Balham, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway and Colliers Wood.

Bikemap describes it as following roughly the A24 and A3, mostly on the road, with clear lanes, some protected stretches and some mixed ones. In other words, expect a mix of protection rather than a fully separated path the whole way. TfL has renamed its routes as Cycleways, so check TfL’s current map before you set off.

At the southern end the route finishes near Merton Abbey Mills, where it links to the Wandle Trail (National Cycle Route 20). That is traffic free, heading towards Morden Hall Park and Croydon.

Ideas for a loop

• Common, Wandle and Battersea Park. A community-uploaded loop on Bikemap links Wandsworth, the Wandle Trail, Clapham Common and Battersea Park in 16.5 km, with 227 m of climbing. It is several years old, so treat it as a starting idea.
• Social rides from the Bandstand. Listings on Let’s Ride use the Clapham Common Bandstand as a start point, including routes to Westminster via Battersea Park and to Hyde Park and Brompton Cemetery (11 miles). They are one-off events, but the routes are worth borrowing.

The Old Town and Venn Street were redesigned in 2011 by Urban Movement for Lambeth, and the scheme won the London Transport Awards 2015 award for Excellence in Cycling and Walking, as noted by Urban Movement. It is a pleasant place to roll through on the way to the Common.

Check Lambeth and Wandsworth council pages for the rules on cycling on the Common’s paths before you assume a shortcut.

Hire bikes

Dockless e-bikes in Lambeth

Lambeth signed a two-year deal with Lime, Forest and Voi to convert more than 130 kerbside car parking spaces into bike bays, road.cc reported in March 2026. Lime and Forest are each permitted about 2,000 bikes in the borough, and riders must end trips in the bays. Voi is capped at 800 vehicles, and Investigating Lambeth lists Clapham among the demand hotspots. Prices are in each operator’s app.

Wandsworth side

Around the Junction, Wandsworth has said it is working with Lime, Forest and Voi, according to Visit Clapham Junction. Check the apps for where you can end a trip.

Santander Cycles

TfL says the docked scheme has more than 11,500 bikes at over 750 docking stations, per its docking station data. A dock sits on Clapham Road at Stockwell station, and iVisits reported a 26-bike dock near Clapham South tube, described as the most southerly in the network. Use the TfL map to check live availability and fares.

Where to lock up

Clapham Junction station, St John’s Hill, SW11. GWR lists sheltered cycle parking with 294 spaces and CCTV on the Brighton Yard side, with lockers to hire subject to availability. It is the one spot in this guide with documented secure parking.

Elsewhere, standard Sheffield stands are the usual public parking, but check on the spot rather than count on a rack outside a given stop. Bike theft in Lambeth has risen sharply, per road.cc, so use a proper lock and fix it to the stand through the frame.

If you live here

Lambeth has 828 on-street cycle hangars, each holding six bikes, but about 13,989 people are on the waiting list, according to road.cc. Residents can apply through Lambeth’s cycle hangar page. They are not an option for visitors.