North Downs Way

Anyone done it?
I'm doing it on Monday-Wednesday morning. Looks like the first section might have some fairly challenging bits but the second half, across Kent, is easier. I'm planning to do 120km on each of the first two days, then the last 30-40km on Wednesday morning, then train it back as I need to get home for early afternoon. Taking tent. Weather looks OK.
https://www.cyclinguk.org/route/north-downs-way-riders-route-map-and-gpx

Not done it, but I live just off it. If you want a hot shower part way thru (near Sevenoaks) then dm me. I'm WFH those days so don't mind the time.
@frank9755

I've booked a campsite near sevenoaks, at Oldbury Hill, which is very close to the route, so I should be OK, but thanks very much for the offer.

I could potentially come out and join you for a bit, I need to work around school hours.
Also appreciate you might prefer solo :-)

I've done it a couple of times, but starting near Otford rather than all the way over towards Box Hill. Lovely ancient trails but they do only cover c.50% of the route, albeit the roads are the nice, quiet, windy, lane variety. The section from Snodland to Canterbury is a bit of a desert so worth planning your refuel points in advance. The trails out of Canterbury are mainly farmed fields so can be quite washboardy. Also there is a new development on the outskirts of Dover forcing some difficult to follow diversions - we managed to get stuck inside the construction area last time.

I've done a lot of it, and think your summary is pretty much spot on.

I did the section from Tandridge Hill to Sevenoaks Weald in May and it was slow going, lots of climbing and the route isn't well marked so I had to retrace my steps a few times as routing on my cheap Garmin isn't great (basically following a breadcrumb trail). I was planning on going as far as Wrotham, but ran out of time.

The section from Wrotham to Canterbury is much faster so is easily doable in a half a day.

Sorry just looked at this now. Would be great if it works for you. I'm just going up box hill now

I've walked a lot of it, but not ridden it.

Yes, the route isn't well marked and a lot of it is under tree cover, so surprisingly there's lots of the route that doesn't have nice views.

I'm in the pub now, waiting for dinner.

First day was quite hard. A bit of sand early on then a lot of up and down. Mostly nice tracks. Rode most of them and walked the steep ones.

I went onto the road for the last 20km as I wanted to get to the campsite before dark, might still have been riding if I'd stick to the route.

It was fun seeing bits that I recognise crop up, like ranmore common and toys hill.

Thanks for info above about tomorrow's section. Sounds like it will be a bit quicker but not such pleasant riding.

There are some nice open vistas along the pilgrims way, and some nice tree tunnels along the ancient tracks, which combined make for quite a pretty day which shouldn't be too slow going. Hardest climb (depending on how far you're going) is probably the one up to Burnham Down. A few resupply options at the Halling and Detling post offices, and local shops in Charing. Enjoy!

Not sure Upnor Castle is really worth the diversion through Rochester... but at least the Tudor Rose pub next door is half decent for lunch

I'm finished and back. Good ride, I enjoyed it, probably preferred it to KAW. Will write a bit when I have some time.

The second day was a lot easier. Most of the first half was along the Pilgrims' Way, which I enjoyed. It alternated between trail and tarmac sections, some I'd ridden before on the Oasts and Coasts, in the other direction. One thing I didn't like was - and it was the same on the first day - a lot of the north downs has a busy road at the bottom, and wiht the south wind, the sound of cars really carries up to the route.

There were a couple of hard climbs, of which the Burnham Down one was the hardest. I walked most of that, and half of the next one, but got up the third one OK. Some really pleasant trails, mostly not anything difficult.

I didn't do the Rochester diversion - I actually know that area well, lived near there when I was growing up, and have been to Upnor plenty of times, so kept on the main track.

It got gradually easier. The run in to Canterbury was tarmac paths by a river. Canterbury was fun. Not been there since another cycling tour in 2009. Full of German school groups and other tourists.

After Canterbury there was some of the riding across fields, but it was OK, not as bad as bits of the KAW, no sweetcorn and not a lot of 2-inch wide ruts - although I did have to walk one section for a hundred yards or so as the only rut I could ride in was so deep my pedals couldn't turn.

Then downhill into Dover, a gratuitous ride up to the Castle and back down again, and up the cliffs to Folkestone. PRobably about 30km virtually all on tarmac.

At Folkestone I dipped down to the campsite by a beach to the east of the town. I'd stayed there in 2009 and liked it, but I'd forgotten it was such an up-down to get to, a steep up/down in both directions. Pitched up there. There were take away menus but my phone wouldn't make calls - although I could get roaming internet from the French mobile networks, but only a weak signal. So I rode back up the hill and down into town, and had probably the best fish and chips I can remember, sitting by the harbour.

Back to the campsite, it was a really mild night, south wind, almost a full moon. I walked down to the beach, which was really close, and wandered around in the dark. There were a few people fishing down there, and others having a barbecue - I didn't like to stare but they seemed to have a fire lit under an old bath tub, which had what looked like a dog in it - fuck knows what kind of barbecue it was. But there was plenty of space to wander around, so I spent a bit of time there. It was actually my facourite bit of the trip.

Next day, back up the 130 metres or so, back to the track, a short day to finish off. Some more quiet lanes, a couple of pleasant trails, then a steep descent I had to walk as it was wet, loose cobbles. Then another one I missed out, which I started to walk down but found that a struggle - deeply rutted chalk and very steep. I went back to the road and down that way. From the signs it looks like the route now goes this way and I can see why, I really was struggling to walk the bike down it.

Then finished, rode to Ashford and train back, home for lunch.

Good trip, I really enjoyed it. Definitely a ride of two halves, the first day far more challenging terrain, and the second all rideable apart from a couple of steep climbs and descents - and a lot more tarmac. 120km was too much for the first day, I should have stopped after about 100km. 130 for the second was about right, could have done slightly more. 2.5 days about right, 3 would be very comfortable. And it's longer than they advertise - the gpx is about 270km, not 240-odd as they say on the CUK website.

Moon on the beach at Folkestone:

1 Attachment

lovely!!! thank you for this!

my phone wouldn't make calls - although I could get roaming internet from the French mobile networks, but only a weak signal

Kinda sums up Kent.

Nice report tho :0)