New Family Cycling Routes Open Across Notting Hill's Parks

Notting Hill families gained three marked cycling routes on 15 June when Kensington and Chelsea Council finished resurfacing paths in Avondale Park and installing bollards along the Ladbroke Grove edge of Ladbroke Square Gardens.

Wellness groups in the neighbourhood have tracked rising demand for outdoor activity since the 2024 summer heatwave kept more residents close to home. Parents say they want short, flat loops where children can practise without crossing busy junctions on Holland Park Avenue or Westbourne Grove.

Two local loops for beginners

The first route starts at the Avondale Park entrance on Walmer Road and circles the 3.2-hectare green twice before returning via the new 400-metre shared path beside the playground. The second runs south from Ladbroke Grove station along the western side of Ladbroke Square Gardens, then joins a quiet spur that reaches the north gate of Kensington Gardens in eight minutes at a child’s pace. Both stretches carry 20 mph limits and daytime stewarding by the Notting Hill Neighbourhood Watch cycling patrol on weekends.

Transport for London figures released in May showed a 22 per cent rise in leisure cycling trips on west London residential streets between 2023 and 2025. In the same period, Avondale Park recorded 1,800 child visits on bikes during organised Saturday sessions run by the council’s ActiveWest programme. Hire bikes at the park kiosk cost £8 for two hours, with child seats and helmets included.

Getting started this weekend

Beginners can collect a free route map at the Avondale Park café or download it from the council website. The paths stay open until 9 pm in July. Riders are asked to keep speeds under 10 mph near play areas and to yield at the two marked crossings on Clarendon Road. Local bike shops on Portobello Road offer free safety checks every Saturday morning through August.