From our experience with Barclays bikes we would say they are a MUST! The ride along the River Thames is very picturesque and definitely a nice change from the underground metro. The locals seem to refer to Barclays Bikes as ‘Boris bikes’ due to the mayor (Boris Johnson) being involved in their introduction to London. This alternative name had us very confused when we arrived so at least you now have a heads up!
Handy tips for Barclays Bikes (Boris Bikes):
- These bikes are located at docking points throughout Central London.
- When taking out and returning bikes you have to be forceful and pull/push quite hard to get them in and out of the docking stations.
- Keep in mind that there is a 5 minute down time where you have to wait between returning and borrowing bikes, therefore this is a great opportunity to take some pictures or enjoy a walk to the next docking station.
- We were able to borrow two bikes at a time using one debit card (you can also use a credit card)
- There is a mobile app which highlights all the docking stations; however each station also has a printed map showing the area within a 15 minute walking radius which is very helpful.
- You will be charged a fee of 2 pounds per bike for a 24 hour period or 10 pounds for one week.
- You can choose to keep swapping a Barclays bike every 30 minutes in order to avoid being charged extra fees but this can get stressful!
On our Barclays (Boris) bikes at Chelsea Marina
Our day out on Boris Bikes
After picking up bikes from Wandsworth Town, we made our way along the River Thames towards the Tower of London. However, we didn’t get far before we were chased down by security in Chelsea.. as it turns out you MUST walk next to your bike within the lovely Chelsea Marina (opps!).
Once we had finished apologising to the extremely nice security guard, our 30 minutes of free use was disappearing fast so we started keeping our eyes peeled for bike docking points. We were pleased to come across a station within minutes and Moss was even more stoked at the sight of a special Yellow bike waiting to be used (These yellow bikes are a tribute to tour de France and are very rare!). Unfortunately, something was wrong with the only two docking points available and no matter how hard we tried, our bikes would NOT click in!
Waving goodbye to Moss’s chance at yellow bike glory, we boosted it to the next docking point which only had one dock free. Moss locked his bike into the dock (therefore stopping the clock) and I used the machine to request an extra 15 minutes (free) due to the docking points being full. We then waited five minutes for our account to be valid again, as you can only get another bike 5 minutes after returning the last bike. We then did a swapsy, with Moss taking a new bike and me returning my bike (with its 15 minute overtime countdown.. eeek!).
We then pedalled on with a fresh 30 minutes on the clock and continued along the river Thames. After about 20 minutes the scenery was too tempting so we returned the bikes and continued on foot until the next docking point, allowing us to take plenty of photos! We then grabbed another bike each, however due to being more central, the roads were getting busier and people were walking EVERYWHERE! We weren’t the most daring riders so we were polite and walked our bikes through the swarms of people when necessary. We also decided the drama of returning our bikes in order to save a pound or two was not worth it and used the bikes for an extra 30 minutes (Tip: There is a docking station outside Borough Market!)
View of the River Thames from our Boris Bikes