It was only when I was given a bike that my impression of London as an urban behemoth, labouring under the weight of its vast population and bursting-at-the-seams transport infrastructure, changed.  The bike allowed me to make sense of the urban morass and instilled a thirst for pedal-pushing adventures.

A route that I am particularly keen on is the Thames Path leading from Battersea to Richmond. Setting off from the Power Station you enter Battersea Park with its themed gardens, peace pagoda and boating lake. Heading west you join the official Thames Path, where on a sunny day people are out on the terraces sipping coffees, terriers are chasing geese and fledgling romances are blooming. Continuing upstream you ride past the heliport, over the River Wandle with its shipwreck, visible only at low tide, towards Barnes, where the paved path gives way to a rocky track.

You can take a breather and try to spot the frankly bizarre statue of Michael Jackson outside Fulham FC’s stadium before continuing along the bobbly path, skirting the border of Kew Gardens and entering Richmond’s genteel surrounds. With 13 miles in your legs, and some well-earned cake in your belly from sweet-toothed vendor  The Tide Tables, the choice is yours whether you cycle back or pop the bike on the train.

Text and image by Will Strange, photographer (and bike fanatic)