Erith (Thames path) to Gravesend, route advice

[Beebo]

If they put a small pedestrian bridge across the mouth of the river darent it would solve 99% of the problems.
There is no simple way to get around that area of marsh, without resorting to the dual carriage way.

 

[rb58]

Sorry, I missed this post Rob. In case you do it again, this is the way I usually go from Slade Green to the Tilbury ferry. It's very quiet.

 

[robjh]

Sorry, I missed this post Rob. In case you do it again, this is the way I usually go from Slade Green to the Tilbury ferry. It's very quiet.

Thanks Ross. Funnily enough it looks closer to my original route, but I got cold feet and went for the safety of the NCN instead.
I'll save that route for another time, but it looks unlikely, for obvious reasons, that I'll ever go that way to Southend again. I could imagine though coming out along the Thames and finishing at Rochester or Whitstable with a group one day, so I may get to try it.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

@robjh
I couldn't see your route in your link as it gave a 404 error code.
I was interested in what route you took from Tilbury to Southend as your comments about the approach to Southend being hillier than you thought.
If you went to Southend via the A13 then the only hills i can think of are Bread and Cheese hill or Church road both in Benfleet?
Glad you enjoyed your day out

 

[robjh]

@robjh
I couldn't see your route in your link as it gave a 404 error code.
I was interested in what route you took from Tilbury to Southend as your comments about the approach to Southend being hillier than you thought.
If you went to Southend via the A13 then the only hills i can think of are Bread and Cheese hill or Church road both in Benfleet?
Glad you enjoyed your day out

This was the route we took in the end. Also Strava here. The hilly bits were indeed around South Benfleet, as I tried to keep off the A roads, and you can see it in the elevation profile

Another time and with a bit more local knowledge I might be tempted to stick more to the big roads - TBH at 3 pm on a Saturday they didn't seem too bad.

 

[Dogtrousers]

This was the route we took in the end. Also Strava here. The hilly bits were indeed around South Benfleet, as I tried to keep off the A roads, and you can see it in the elevation profile

The dreaded Essex Alps

 

[Trickedem]

Glad you enjoyed it. There is still a chance that the ferry will operate again, if they can find a company to take the contract on.