mmmmartin
Random geezer
You should by now have the track of a FNRttC route to WhitstableThere are at least three of us on the ride
You should by now have the track of a FNRttC route to WhitstableThere are at least three of us on the ride
I do !You should by now have the track of a FNRttC route to Whitstable
When my club did Dover from Croydon (leaving about 8am) they did an overnight stop at the Canterbury YHA. Then an easy ride down to Dover for a midday ferry. May be easier than trying to do Dover in one go with risks of missing ferry or being very late into France.What I get from this thread is that @Brains should start at midnight. Having done FNRttC Whitstable ride, that's not completely bonkers. Meeting in Greenwich/Woowich for supper, cycle through the night, breakfast on the ferry or in a cafe. Accommodation within 20km of the port at calais, then people can spend the rest of the day sleeping, exploring the town or going for miniature cycling adventures along the coast.
I've done the C&W (Whitstable to Canterbury) a few times on fixed.
Surfaces (for the most part) are not too bad, but I'd not argue with smutchin's view above^
Some of the inclines made me grimp (almost to the point of standstill-and-fall-over) thobut.
You know how in the south east everything is bigger and better than in the rest of the country ?
In this case what we are referring to geologically are the last Alpine folds, Shooters Hill is the most northerly Alpine Fold, so, to be accurate, you are correct, we should be calling the hills of Kent, the foothills of the Alpine Mountain Range !
Here is a photo I took at the start of the first Alpine ascent (in Deal, Kent). It could be tough!
View attachment 380385
Also, when are you heading off? 20+ cyclists heading east through SE London will be a nightmare with traffic. For that reason alone I would start somewhere like Darford instead.
Yes, and not wildly interesting. Trains to Dartford can be had for about £2.80 from SE London if you use an oyster card - Dartford is on the edge of the oyster card zone I think.
Best to start from a station that has no steps to the platforms. Or possibly even lifts in case they conk out.
Lee station is always step free both directions.
If you are interested Brains I could send you a gpx from Dartford to Birchington** which is along that coast. I have ridden/used it recently so it definitely works. You can of course ride from Dartford to Rochester pretty much traffic free if you don't use the more scenic routes. Not wildly pretty but it has certain virtues for novices.
** burial place of this chap by the way - he's near the church door.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Gabriel_Rossetti
edit - just seen that you are planning to start from Shooters Hill.
Last time I got off the train at Swanley, which was a couple of years ago I was told my Oyster card wasn't valid there. As the man said, rather menacingly, "You're in Kent now". A banjo played in the background.
Did the @Banjo want to be retired?Swanley was added to the Oystercard/Contactless system early last year. The Banjo was retired.