London-Gillingham-Dover-Dunkirk-Ieper (Ypres)-Ghent-Brugge-The Hague-London
GPS route (.gpx) available for download here.
GPS route (.gpx) available for download here.
Left the hostel after brushing the previous day’s dry mud
off my bike, and making some adjustments to my dynamo for phone charging. As I
entered Sittingbourne, I followed NCR1 signs, but then they stop.
This was the
only time on the trip when I got lost. The signs really stopped dead and I
retraced my path several times. I should have followed my GPS which was programmed to not go
through central Sittingbourne, but follow a cycle lane along a road looping
around the outside of the town.
Reactivating my sat nav, my route was going down a very dumpy looking road, with makeshift roadblocks (boulders, and some wooden obstructions). It also had some crappy painted rocks and rubbish strewn around. Just like something out of Big Fat Gypsy Weddings. I thought I hope this path doesn't take me through a traveller colony. Sure enough, I turned the corner into a swathe of caravans, and a tired looking bruiser in a singlet. It was 9am, so probably far too early for any of them to care that I was there. I escaped around the side and pedalled for my life. As it happens, I rejoined the NCR1 signs, which makes me think that somewhere along the way the bike path signs might have been tampered with.
Reactivating my sat nav, my route was going down a very dumpy looking road, with makeshift roadblocks (boulders, and some wooden obstructions). It also had some crappy painted rocks and rubbish strewn around. Just like something out of Big Fat Gypsy Weddings. I thought I hope this path doesn't take me through a traveller colony. Sure enough, I turned the corner into a swathe of caravans, and a tired looking bruiser in a singlet. It was 9am, so probably far too early for any of them to care that I was there. I escaped around the side and pedalled for my life. As it happens, I rejoined the NCR1 signs, which makes me think that somewhere along the way the bike path signs might have been tampered with.
This took me through an orchard, and up on top the hill I prepared my breakfast and coffee nestled between a strawberry farm and some variety of vegetables. The path was now a bicycle-dedicated
narrow gravel bridleway nestled between the fields and hedgerows. Again, the national cycle route was completely inappropriate for
road bikes. Pulled out my trangia and boiled water for a coffee.
The ride was very nice, on dedicated bridleways and quiet
country lanes. On the way to Faversham, the heavens opened again and I was
completely soaked. On leaving Faversham, the route got a bit hilly, not hard
steep sections but lots of up and down, up and down. Little did I know, but
with the combination of the grit on my rims from the previous day’s storm, and
loaded panniers, this was to wear my rear brake pads down to the metal pins. I
was without rear brakes for the rest of the trip.
Lunch time at a pub in a very crowded Canterbury. The ride
in to Canterbury is nice, through the university. The ride out is also nice,
along dedicated paths through the woods, again probably inappropriate for road
bikes.
Then it was to the coast, and a very windy Sandwich and
Deal. Riding near Sandwich the cycle route took me through a toll gate - it turns out to be a private road through someone's private estate. But bikes went through free. But shortly in to the estate, there was an awful lot of shooting, and I thought I was going to get a shoot. Still not really sure how I didn't get shot. Still awfully windy.
Arrived at long last somewhere near the camping ground, so I checked my GPS to see if I was remotely close, as I could see some white cliffs - maybe I'd gone too far. It turns out I was just below the camping ground! So I can now confirm that the white cliffs are real and not photoshopped.
Headed up to the camping ground at Kingsdown, with tea at a local pub. They told me that they weren't offering food that night (I've been told this before elsewhere), so I told them I'd stay for a beer then. Deciding I was alright, they then decided that they would be serving food. They had interesting accents - they were using a hard 'a' (æ) for France, rather than an elongated 'a' (ɑː).
Busy and big camping ground, but acceptable. The showers were offering cold water and cold water.
Arrived at long last somewhere near the camping ground, so I checked my GPS to see if I was remotely close, as I could see some white cliffs - maybe I'd gone too far. It turns out I was just below the camping ground! So I can now confirm that the white cliffs are real and not photoshopped.
Headed up to the camping ground at Kingsdown, with tea at a local pub. They told me that they weren't offering food that night (I've been told this before elsewhere), so I told them I'd stay for a beer then. Deciding I was alright, they then decided that they would be serving food. They had interesting accents - they were using a hard 'a' (æ) for France, rather than an elongated 'a' (ɑː).
Busy and big camping ground, but acceptable. The showers were offering cold water and cold water.
