DIY including Dartford crossing

[Karla]

Wikipedia tells me that if I want to cross the Thames via the Dartford tunnel, the tunnel authorities will take me across in a van or somesuch.  If I do this as part of a DIY, what will happen with regard to distance, will I just have to make sure my route's well over-distance so that the km or two for the tunnel can be factored out?  Has anyone done this before?  Actually, has anyone gone through the tunnel with a bike before, can they tell me what happens?  Thanks.

[αdαmsκι]

I've used it once, which was on a night ride. My experience: Mr. Legg phones ahead to give them our ETA and when we arrive at the crossing there's no one there, so Mr. Legg uses the phone at the crossing to inform them of our presence. We then stand around for 10 minutes and a vehicle with a bike rack appears. We then dump the bikes on the rack and I try not to fall asleep on the 5 minutes crossing.

For a few of your it's fine and it doesn't take very long. I am informed it works less well when there's a group of 60 cyclists at 3 am.

I've no idea how it'd work in regardless to an Audax DIY.

Edited for spelling

[citoyen]

The New Forest On-Offshore 200 includes a couple of ferry crossings, for which the mileage isn't included in the official distance - though the "dead" time while waiting for the ferry and making the crossing is counted in your time for the ride.

I would assume the same principle applies for using the Dartford crossing.

d.

[Jurek]

Adam's right.

On any of several occasions I've pitched up on my own (Including the Rip van Winkle incident - before anyone reminds me...) Or with a couple of others, the transfer vehicle has turned up within 5 or 10 minutes of making the call.

Turn up 'pre-booked' in the middle of the night with 60 riders and they have the capacity to make  the crossing process last a couple of hours.  

Fatbloke used to do it as part of his daily commute IIRC - I don't recall him having said too many bad words about it.

[Weirdy Biker]

RE: DIY.  PM Martin, as ultimately he will arbitrate.

[Bobby]

I'm thinking about doing this, but cannot work out where on a map you get on / off...

https://www.gov.uk/dartford-crossing-bike  tells me that you go to 'kent point', and i assume get off at 'essex point' - any idea where they are?

Thanks!

[Martin]

more or less right next to the tollbooths (if they exist any more; but accessible by bike via a service road)

[Bobby]

ah yes, that makes sense now (and I read further down the web page that had some more information !!)

Thanks   

[Bobby]

this must be it i assume https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4548597,0.2439354,3a,75y,173.25h,74.12t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1syxSnU5M5BZK6-t2Alyu06Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[iddu]

http://www.gpxeditor.co.uk/routes2/users/iddu/Dartford-Crossing-RVPs

Wonderfully scenic route(s) to Essex Point.  Although it gives an address (which doesn't co-locate with the control points) and says call, I think you can reach EP from London Road - the cycle lane S/N appears to exist and there's an SP opposite the gates saying "Crossing RVP"

[jiberjaber]

Unless you are needing to do this on a Sunday or quite outside of working hours, I would potentially deviate to Tilbury/Gravesend Ferry for a far nicer experience... though routes on teh Essex side in to it should be planned with care to avoid to horrible roads.

[Bobby]

I was basically looking at a 400k DIY starting at home (Abingdon nr Oxford), and based heavily on the london orbital AUK300 route. 

I was looking at Sunday so the tunnel, if I did a different day, then the ferry does look better - nice to have choices