Depart Spinoff 2 by staying on Hoe Lane, entering 0.6 Hainault Country Park After a mile of fine off-road park and forest riding, there is 1.5 a new Woodland Trust cafe and Visitor Centre. As you leave the park there is an extraordinary panorama of London - a view shared with the shortly encountered cycling centre and then Havering Park.
2.1 L on busy Romford Road, then a treat: at 2.4 turn right on Forest Road and in 250m lies Redbridge Cycling Centre with road and MTB circuits. Combine a session with your ride? At 2.8 there is a merciful stretch of off-road shared path. L 3.7 on Lodge Lane, R 4.5 on Cornell Way to reach 4.9 the byway running up the western edge of Havering Country Park.
Pause 5.3 as you enter Havering Park for another panorama of London on the skyline. The park has wonderful views north over rural Essex - and has the country’s second largest plantation of Wellingtonia, or Giant Sequoia; riding beneath them is an unexpected pleasure and novelty. Great picnic/rest spots abound amid the trees. After Havering-atte-Bower church and village green 6, the cricket ground 6.4 enjoys commanding views over the Thames estuary. Sharp L at junction 7.5 for Noak Hill.
Straight on at Noak Hill 8.8 (R for Spin-off 1-2-3 down NCN136 for Ingrebourne Valley to Rainham) on Chequers Road, over the M25. Then R on Wrightsbridge Road 9.2 (Spin-off 1-2-3 heads north here), past Old Macdonald’s Farm until L 10.1 on a metalled track, which takes you to 10.4 an entrance to Weald Country Park. This substantial deer park is Essex' Richmond, but lesser known and frequented. Cycling is being encouraged of late: Spin-off 2 uses an eastern traverse en route to Shenfield: this route looks in 11.7 at the visitor centre at the southwest corner.
At Sandpit Lane 12.6 Spin-off 2 joins briefly on Weald Road as it crosses the A12 below until R Honeypot Lane 13 takes you through Brentwood's SW suburbs, reaching Brentwood from the south.
