Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => Rides and Touring => Topic started by: yoav on 24 June, 2019, 01:35:41 pm

Title: Route request - Dover to London
Post by: yoav on 24 June, 2019, 01:35:41 pm
Any suggestions for cycling from Dover ferry port to Stratford in London. Maybe in one day or perhaps with an overnight stop somewhere.

Thanks.
Title: Re: Route request - Dover to London
Post by: telstarbox on 24 June, 2019, 03:05:13 pm
How much hill would you prefer?
Title: Re: Route request - Dover to London
Post by: quixoticgeek on 24 June, 2019, 06:54:16 pm

In theory, National Cycle Network Route 1 takes you the whole way. But it would be an understatement to call that the scenic route...

Assuming you're not going for very scenic (NCN1), you kinda have a choice of North from Dover to Canterbury, up to the coast, left, and follow the river to London.

Or stay south of the Northdowns, then follow the Medway up to the coast, turn left.

Or carry on and cross the North downs where it's even hillier. Depending how lumpy you like it.

What ever you do, if you're not used to cycling in the UK. Getting out of Dover ferry terminal will be quite a baptism of fire. Getting onto the sea front cycle path from the ferry involves navigation across a round about full of big HGVs doing silly speeds.

Good luck

J
Title: Re: Route request - Dover to London
Post by: Jurek on 24 June, 2019, 07:37:02 pm
Parts of NCN1 in the Medway area are a shameful embarrassment, and should be avoided at all costs.
Title: Re: Route request - Dover to London
Post by: quixoticgeek on 24 June, 2019, 08:14:52 pm
Parts of NCN1 in the Medway area are a shameful embarrassment, and should be avoided at all costs.

Are there any bits of NCN1 that aren't?

J
Title: Re: Route request - Dover to London
Post by: arabella on 08 July, 2019, 12:52:31 pm
Woolwich or even Tilbury Ferry?  Depends how much you mind traffic and how many km you want to add

I used to do nearly this back in the late '80s/early 90s, but not as far as Dover.  Sort of:
A207 (Shooters Hill)
A226 along the N Kent coast
pick up the A2 to cross the Medway etc.
then use Dunkirk & Harbledown etc into Canterbury
my route took me onto A257, you'd want to head for Bridge etc

BUT ... there's now more traffic than there used to be as I found on my 1st annual ride to E Kent from Ips: (year 1 - A2, year 2 -  below mentioned bridleway, year 3 - N Kent coast, year 4 (this year) still pending, probably N Kent coast again)
thoughts:
take A258 out of Dover, L to Guston at the top, then eg Eythorne, Aylsham, Bekesbourne (ie along the railway)
pick a crossing of the Stour, then out through Blean and to Faversham, then parallel to the A2 through Teynham, Bobbing etc.
You're still stuck with the A2 and the Medway though.
Probably Gravesend crossing if using this route, then work out something to Stratford.

Beware the N Downs way bridleway - not suitable for cycling (I tried, once)
Title: Re: Route request - Dover to London
Post by: yoav on 08 July, 2019, 08:14:47 pm
Thanks all. I’ve been using the iPhone app Bikehub to find bike friendly routes. So far, I have used it to get from Bruges to Ypres to St Omer. It has worked well in that it has routed me on either quiet roads or cycle paths but still being direct, more or less. Tomorrow I shall use it to get us to Calais and then Dover to Canterbury to Stratford (East London). The latter route looks very similar to your suggestion so hopefully it will do the trick. Even better is I’ve worked out how to get the route from my iPhone to my Garmin Edge without using a computer so it’s much easier to use.