Rainham Marshes Ride
An easy ride from Upminster which shows just how many nature reserves and country parks there are in this near corner of Essex. We will start by riding down the Ingrebourne valley to the Thames near Rainham, and along the riverside path to the RSPB centre for early lunch after about 10 miles. Then there is the option to stay and look around the nature reserve (this is a good time of year to see many species as the over-wintering birds are here now) or to cycle on around a 10 mile loop including the Grays Graffiti wall, the Chafford Gorges (another nature reserve area) and Davy Down, returning to the RSPB for tea and cake. Then back to Upminster (10 miles).
Much of the route is traffic free, lots of it completely away from roads, some of it on cycle paths near roads, so it is very suitable for families with children. The section past the graffiti wall along the Thames on the 10 mile loop is a bit rough and has some steps. Help will be readily available for the latter if needed, but don't bring your best road bike on this one. There are several opportunities to leave early - you can get on a train back to London at Rainham or Purfleet - so the ride can be anywhere between 10 and 30 miles.
If you want to visit the RSPB reserve then admission is £2.50 for adult non-members (it's free to go into the visitor centre and cafe). The cheapest way to travel out and back will be with an Oystercard - Limehouse to Upminster is £1.30 each way with pay-as-you-go, or if you want to travel back from Purfleet that is £3.30 as it's out of the TfL zones.
Please be at Upminster station by 09.45 at the latest. That means catching the 09.14 train from Limehouse (09.10 from Fenchurch St or 09.19 from West Ham or 09.24 from Barking) Unfortunately there is no District Line service from Mile End that day, but it is running east from Bromley-by-Bow so you could start from there and change at West Ham or Barking - the 09.01 or 09.11 from there should get you to Upminster in time. Please note at Limehouse there is no lift to the platform - bikes must be carried up..
Originally scheduled for December 18th and cancelled due to very bad weather, hopefully we will be luckier this time!
back to Ride reports
- Home
- About
- News
- Campaigns
- Events & Rides
- Ride reports
- Ace Cafe Ride
- Afterworker Ride 3
- Afterworker Ride
- Afterworker Ride
- Autumn Apples Ride
- Bike Week 2012
- Bike Week 2013
- Boundary Bike Ride for Tower Hamlets "No Place For Hate" campaign
- Boundary Ride 2012
- Bow Floating Towpath (2) and Lower Lea
- Box Hill Ride
- Breakfast Ride
- Breakfast Ride
- Breakfast ride
- Breakfast ride 2 - Highgate
- Brighton Ride
- Brighton Ride
- Chilterns Cycleway
- Christmas Lights Ride
- Christmas Lights Ride and Carol Service
- Clone of Easy to Erith
- Clone of Lee Valley Ride
- Lee Valley Ride 2015
- Clone of Ride to Cake Mountain 2013
- Clone of Sevenoaks Ride
- Cycle Cafes Ride
- Cycle:MK
- Dengie Marshes
- East End Natural Resources & Food Ride
- Easter Monday ride to Windsor
- Easy to Erith
- Essex Lanes - the Frank Haines Memorial Ride
- Essex Lanes Ride
- Essex Lanes Ride
- Foulness Ride
- Fright Ride
- Fright Ride 2
- Fright Ride 3
- Hell of the East 2012
- Ingrebourne Valley - Rainham RSPB Reserve - Tilbury
- Islands of Essex
- Jam Factory Ride
- Knatts Valley and Kent Lanes
- Knatts Valley or bust!
- Lee Valley Ride
- Lee Valley Ride
- Lee Valley Ride
- London Open House Ride Saturday
- London to Cambridge, optional Ely extension
- Midweek ride to Windsor
- Mile End to Cambridge
- Mile End to Cambridge
- Bow Roundabout Vigil 5th Anniversary
- Evening ride, Take Flight with the Wheelers
- Halloween Mini-Fright Ride
- London Sights Ride to Richmond Park
- Mile End to Richmond Park Ride
- Prudential London FreeCycle
- Quietway 6 assessment ride
- RideLondon FreeCycle
- Walthamstow Mini-Holland ride
- Museums of East London
- New Years Ride
- Open House Tour
- Open House ride
- Parks of North London - edition 4
- Parks of North London Ride
- Photography Ride
- Quirky Ride
- Rainham Marshes Feb 2011
- Richmond Park Ride
- Ride to Cake Mountain
- Ride to Cake Mountain 2013
- Sevenoaks Ride
- Sevenoaks Ride
- South London Parks Ride 2012 edition
- South London Parks and Open Spaces
- Southend Ride
- Southwark Cyclists' Christmas Day Ride
- Surrey 6 Peaks
- Surrey 6 Peaks
- Surrey Cycleway & Box Hill
- Surrey Cycleway & Box Hill
- Surrey Cycleway Ride
- The 8th Glamour Ride
- The 10th Glamour Ride
- The 11th Glamour Ride
- The 12th Glamour Ride
- The 9th Glamour Ride
- The Big Ride - Love London, Go Dutch
- The Thames - ride and fly
- Tiptree Jam Factory Ride 3
- Tour of London Garden Squares
- Two Rivers and a Park
- Upshire Church Teas Ride 1
- Upshire Church Teas Ride 2
- Upshire Church Teas Ride
- Upshire Diamond Jubilee Tea
- Vineyard Ride
- Weekend Away - Eastbourne
- Weekend away in Kent
- Wheelers Christmas Ride
- Wheelers Christmas Ride
- Wheelers Christmas Ride
- Wheelers Cycle Ride Guidance
- Wheelers Spring Weekend Away in Kent
- Women's Ride 2
- Women's ride
- Space for Cycling Big Ride
- Cycle Buddies
- Ride reports
- Workshop
- Local Info
- Contact
Upcoming rides & events
Rides information
Our rides are highlighted by "RIDE". You don't have to be a member to join in and we're also always looking for new ride ideas. Contact our Rides Co-ordinator for further information.
There is no need to register beforehand for a ride unless this is specifically stated, most rides are "turn up and go".
If you haven't ridden with us before please read our Ride Guidance Notes.
Please note that for train assisted rides we often cannot publish times until about 2 weeks beforehand because of the need to check engineering works. Also sometimes our ride leaders do have to change dates/times/routes at reasonably short notice. Generally this website will be up to date and also details will be sent out to our email groups, but if in doubt contact the ride leader or our rides co-ordinator to check arrangements.
Social media & email groups
Keep in touch with local cycling issues and events by joining one of our email groups.