Mini tours from London

looking for routes suitable for a ‘hybrid’ bike that will return us to SE from the frrry at Harwich, the NCN1 is my fallback. opinions welcome 🤗

Hi Tom,

I rode this a few years ago. All road but quite rideable on a hybrid

Check out this route on Strava: https://www.strava.com/routes/28715138 — Tour of the Low Countries - Day 3, Harwich to London, Waterloo

I'm thinking of heading to this gaff: http://www.pitchup.com/campsites/England­/South_East/West_Sussex/Billingshurst/bl­ue_ship/

I've this in my bookmarks, not followed and too long but you can probably edit around this campsite

ridewithgps.com/routes/32954310

And at a glance that campsite sits close to the Downs Link, not the most interesting but a car free route. https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/downs-link

And at a glance that campsite sits close to the Downs Link, not the most interesting but a car free route. https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route­-on-the-national-cycle-network/downs-lin­k

It does. Interesting. Might head down to the coast then get the train back on Sunday evening.

thanks Richard! Excellent pics too. ps. are you currently up a mountain? I saw a very dramatic shot of you on a wall ride- was that practice for the alps?

I'm at home at the moment. That was just some MTB skills coaching. Heading to the alps with my road bike next week tho'

nice

Any one got a good mini tour in Kent? I'm looking to get the train out to somewhere we can start a quiet route to a campsite/pub. Something pretty mellow.

I was thinking train to Canterbury and across to Sandwich or Deal on Sustrans 1

Board the first HS1 of the day from STP to Canterbury(can't remember whether it it is Canterbury east or west)
Climb out of Canterbury and follow 18 miles of easy traffic free lanes to Sandwich.
Follow the (traffic free) coastal path all the way to Whitstable.
Loads of opportunities for refreshment (or bail in the event of crap weather/headwind) along the way.
Come inland and camp at Painters Forstall campsite near Faversham.
Or there's Woodhill campsite nearby with a slightly higher star rating.
Somewhere between 60 and 70 miles of riding
I've done this ride dozens of times on fixed as well as gears (minus the camping bit - I always come home the same day as I went out).
If you buy a return ticket at STP, the return half will be valid from Faversham.

Pearoast.

That's where we stayed during the Chiltern Ridgeway ride linked above.

There's also this South Downs one we did where we camped:
https://manorfarmcocking.co.uk/camping.html

https://bikepacking.com/routes/downs-overnighter/

Nice one. Thanks. Looks like you can also do a day trip and head home from quite a few stations on the route.

You can. Other than the section between Canterbury and Sandwich, the route pretty much follows the railway line.

I’m from crewkerne and can say the ride down to west bay and back is one of my go to’s. about 25k each way, but can easily add on some more mileage. Can recommend so places around there if you do go
The train down is horrendous though, worst part about going back haha

Would happily take any routes down to the coast, especially quiet routes, gravel/car free bits down from the station that pass near that campsite, thanks!

Was kinda hoping the train from London would be easy haha, are they not nice like the Bournemouth line trains?!

Come the day... come the fucking thundery torrential rain. Probably gonna write it off.

Not done this myself past Margate, but looks to be a good loop. Edit: and Canterbury to Margate is a chill day ride with good trains back to London

https://www.cyclinguk.org/route/cantii-way-map-and-gpx

Years ago I took a train out to Margate and cycled back into London. Overnight at the hostel here:

https://www.palacefarm.com/

A quick overnight run out to the Dengie Peninsula on Friday, setting off from New Cross around 5pm, arriving in Bradwell on Sea for about 930. 100km out, 100km back in the morning.

Quick pint of cider in the pub about 2km from the peninsula, and then onto the peninsula itself to find a place to put tarp up.

the good:

• It's very remote when you get out there (excluding the Christian sect who live on the penisula, and happened to be out doing some sort of night walk at ~11pm when I was pitching up)
  
• incredible sunrise, and amazing wildlife. That includes adders (so the sign reckons)
  
• pub near the finish is a nice touch.
  
  

the bad

• Traffic out of London through Chigwell etc on a Friday eve was grim
  
• Essex is pretty, it's just not that enjoyable to ride in. Too flat, shit drivers, nothing much happens
  

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Looks lush - but open tarp and even the suggestion of adders would not a good night sleep make.

Far more prosaic than some of the lush options here - I've done a number of very satisfactory 'microadventures' on weekday evenings, out after work and back to the office the next day. Usually aiming for less than 30 mins train from London, 10-15 miles cycling to make it feel like you've gone somewhere, dinner in a nice pub then bivvy in a nearby wood. Two spots spring to mind - I've wildcamped in the national trust bit on Toys Hill a few times without incident, and there's a spot in the ashton rowant nature reserve on the chilterns escarpment which can be charmingly combined with a dreamy swim near Shillingford. Be warned tho, you want to get a good distance away from the car-park. Turns out this is one of the UK premier dogging spots. My selection of this location for a bivvy was a recurring theme in my recently-given best man speech 🤣

I will admit to googling 'adder bite death' and being reassured the last time was in 1974 or thereabouts

Is it actually possible to cross the peninsular - ie ride from where you were at St Peters on the Wall, south of Tillingham back to Burnham-on-Crouch? It was gated years ago, but it was always possible to circumvent the gates. However, following multiple thefts of agricultural equipment more recently, meant that they installed some Proper Gates making it impossible to follow the route south. Which is a shame, because being a private road, means that there is next to zero motorised traffic on it.

I'm not entirely sure as my route was quite 'out and back', but I do remember from Street View that it looked like a clear route to Burnham was possible, albeit a little inland.

https://www.strava.com/activities/9410662713

If I had longer I'd have considered heading down there and getting the mini ferry to Wallasea Island and come back through Southend etc.

Ah, I see.
I've done the run you describe - via Wallasey Island - a number of times. But I'm pretty sure it is no longer possible on account of the robust gates which have been installed half way between Tillingham and Burnham on Crouch .