MapMyRIDE

Description of this Bike Ride

Mostly follows the Sustrans route. Approximately 40 miles were urban and industrial, with a few stretches of salt marsh and some lovely rural roads at the very end adding up to about 10 miles. Its a fascinating trip that passes Greenwich and the remains of the Cutty Sark, the Millennium Dome, the Thames Barrier, the Crossness Pumping Plant and the suspension bridge at Dartford. There are an extraordinary number of abandoned industrial sites, and the path snakes thru a number of active chemical plants, sewage treatment plants, and aggregate industries. There are an extraordinary number of crane, coach, and lorry yards, along with many scrap metal dealers. Although I took the trip on a sunny September Sunday, it was surprisingly quiet, and there multiple places where I literally went for miles without encountering another person, let along other bikers. While there are many towns and cities near to the route, there are VERY few public toilets, pubs or shops on the actual route. Many of the sections are rough, including brick streets in London and other cities, and sections of the Thames Path approaching the Millenium Dome and through Erith. I used a touring bike with 32cm tires, and wouldn't recommend anything narrower than that. Mostly well-marked, but there are some confusing sections where I lost the cycle route along the Thames Path and in the exit from Gravesend. I wanted to get closer to the bridge in Dartford, and tried to follow a Kent Council biking map, but quickly lost the signs and circled around until I found my bearings and the mapped path along the M25. The map showed a cycle path along the west end of the Dartford Crossing which went under the bridge, but the guard at the tunnel promised me this didn't exist and that the map was incorrect. He was wrong. If I had the trip to do over again, I would try the number 1 thru Dartford along Watling St.

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