Stage 1 Map
From East Croydon Station, turn left and follow the Tram line into Addiscome Road. Follow Addiscombe Road until you reach some traffic lights. At these lights, if you look to the left you'll see one of the few buildings left standing from the East India Company training academy, the officers quarters. Continue along Addiscome Road. The tram now bears off to the right, before we lose sight of it. On the left, you'll pass Addiscome Farm, which is one of the oldest buildings in Croydon. After a while, we come to a roundabout. Turn right here into Shirley Road. Climb the hill, and go straight over the roundabout into Upper Shirley Road. Then, take an almost immediate left turn into Shirley Church Road.
Stage 2 Map
Continue to follow Shirley Church Road.
Stage 3 Map
Follow Shirley Church Road, passing a golf club on your right. After a while, the road narrows, and becomes Spout Hill. There's a steep downhill run now. If you look to your right as you go down the hill, you'll see a gate way with stone lions on the gate posts. These are several hundred years old. Be ready to slow down for a sharp right hand turn at the bottom of the hill into Addington Village Road. Follow the road to the left, to a large roundabout. Here you need to take the 3rd exit into Kent Gate Way. Here we see the tram line again. Keep in the left hand lane, and go straight over the next roundabout. Just after this, turn left into Featherbed Lane. You'll be following this road for a few miles. You go past a golf course, then some woodland, with a scout's camp on the right.
Stage 4 Map
After a short climb, turn right into Fairchildes Road. You'll pass a pub called the "White Bear" on your right. Follow the road until to you come to the crossroads. What you actually have to do is take a left them immediate right into Hessiers Hill. This is a fast donwnhill run, but take care. At the bottom of the hill, the road is often completely washed away, and you find yourself cycling through a pile of gravel. The road becomes Beddlestead Lane, and you start a long climb. When you get to a Communications mast on your right, marked on the map as a "wireless station", it's worth looking behind, as on a clear day you can see all the way to central London.
Stage 5 Map
At the end of the road, turn right into Clarks Lane. When you come to the junction, turn left into Titsey Hill. This is a steep downhill run, but it's a bit of a rough road at the time of writing, and you need to keep your eye out for the left turn into Pilgrims Way. This will be the second turning of your left, just past the church.
Stage 6 Map
Pilgrims Way is the route that Pilgrims followed on their way to Canterbury. These days they'd probably use the M25, which runs parallel to the round to the south. Pilgrims way is a much nicer road to travel on though, with some fine scenery, as you cycle along the lower part of the ridgeway. You'll cross two roads, the B2024 and the A233.
Stage 7 Map
After crossing the A233, take the next left into Brasted Hill. This road isn't actually signposted, but it's the first crossroads you come to. There's now an extremely steep climp back up the ridgeway. When you come to a "T" junction, turn left into The Mower, but again, this road isn't signposted.
Stage 8 Map
Follow the road, which becomes Cudham Lane South, just after the junction with Grays Road on the left. Cudham Road South is signposted, to re-assure you you're on the right route. Follow this road, into the village of Cudham. Here you need to take a left turn, into Downe Road, a good downhill run.
Stage 9 Map
Follow the road, which becomes Hangrove Hill, a long uphill climb, then Cudham Road. When you reach the village square of Downe, bear to the right into the High Street. Follow the road, which becomes Rookery Road, then New Hill Road. At the end of New Hill Road, bear to the left into Downe Road.
Stage 10 Map
At the end of Downe Road, take a right and then left via the mini roundabout into Church Road. Follow the road, which becomes Jackass Lane. It's temping to go very fast on the stretch, but there's lots of blind bends, and you'll often find horses being ridden along here. The road later becomes Gates Green Road.
Stage 11 Map
At the end of the road, turn left into Croydon Road. Go straight over the roundabout, as the road becomes Glebe Way.
Stage 12 Map
Climb up Glebe Way. Go through West Wickham, where the road becomes the High Street. At the roundabout, take the first exit into Wickham Road.
Stage 13 Map
At the roundabout, take the right hand exit into Shirley Road. At the next roundabout, turn left into Addiscombe Road. Follow the road. Eventually, the tram line reappears on the left. Just before the tram line crosses the road, get into the right hand lane. Cyclists can turn right here to continue on Addiscome Road. Take care to listen out for trams, as there's not much room for them to overtake on some sections of this road. To avoid negotiating the one way system, it's easiest to get off and cross Addiscombe Road just before the threepenny bit building. Walk across Cherry Orchard Road at the Zebra crossing, past the Post Office,then East Croydon Station is right ahead of you.
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