Cantii Way

@King_Saxlingham currently thinking the 11th-12th, second weekend of Feb, some guys off the forum are up for it too, and yeah camping. Maybe wild, maybe not, brave the cold for one night haha

Sounds good. Would prob drive up Friday eve. Would be great to test the new setup before summer.

Anyone have any tips for wild camping spots along the route? Probably will be doing YAL's version if that makes any difference

I split it into two days and camped close to Camber Castle, slightly off route just outside Rye, you need to go offroad a bit to get to it, but because of this there was no one else around.

There are a couple bits on YAL's route that are not passible, when are you planning to ride it as I can dig out my route and point these out.

Thanks, that sounds like a nice little spot and not too difficult to find.

I've got a few days off, so thinking I'll leave Tuesday - I could probably map around those bits if you let me know where they are? What makes them unpassable?

Completely grown over, and blocked at one end you can route around but I pressed on and spent ages walking/carrying the bike, climbing into a farm and getting chased by dogs

I can't find the exact section but it's around this bit. There is a path overgrown, I eventually passed the other end and it's been blocked off with concrete.

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If you come across this, you can get around but better to go back the way you came back on to the road and cut it out, as thats probably 5 minutes vs an hour of hike a bike, I was tired and made a bad decision carrying on as it doesn't look to far on a map, but I was literally climbing over shit and walking for ages.

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Otherwise the route was decent, I did about 95 miles day one and then a fairly short day 2 as I cut the route short to ride home to Faversham via Canterbury.

Thanks for these, I've marked my map around that zone as couldn't spy anything particularly off with the tools. Will let you know how I get on, however loading my bike this evening I'm less confident about leaving tomorrow - I think I need more bags...

Sorry for the impassable bits - I'll update the loop. Soz to all have had to hikeabike in my name.

I can see why you've not been responding to my texts @mustardbeak :(

A joke of course I've not been texting but he's certainly cursing my name I'm sure

Anyone got any good camping spots for this? Looks like a bit of a lack of actual campsites, so most likely wild camping? There will be three of us, so a bit of room required.

Planning on doing it over three days nice and leisurely like. Rye to Whistable/Herne Bay, then to Deal sort of area or further, then back to Rye.

Alternatively I guess B&B's are an option if anyone has any recommendations again?

Saw a pub with a campsite near Deal on my search earlier.

https://www.campsites.co.uk/search/campsites-in-kent/tilmanstone/plough-and-harrow

Anyone know a good spot / recomend anywhere to leave a car in Rye for a few days whilst doing the loop?

At home

I don't live in Rye unfortunately. (Or fortunately, not sure what it's like as never been. Could be lovely).

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

or if you insist

https://en.parkopedia.co.uk/

Rye is not very big so I am sure you could get away with leaving the car just off the centre, away from the car parks, say nearer the residential streets off and around Battle road (just north-west of the station) or down by the military canal near the Globe Inn TN31 7NX - basically anywhere away from the central controlled parking area

Lovely thanks.

@hippy I'd much rather train, but it'll be nearly £300 for three us rather than about £25 of petrol in one car and any parking charges.

We use the 2 Together pass and book in advance to save a lot of money. But I still ended up driving to some Wessex events because it worked out cheaper or easier. I'm trying to sell the car though so it's just not an option.

I might do this after xmas with the missus. What's the verdict on the OG route versus @youramericanlover version? Did you fix the blocked bits? Is YAL's more off-road or less? (I have 50mm slicks but could go bigger and knobbier and the grrl can go road or gravel wheels) Why do both routes avoid the Margate corner?

I have more time off than her so was also thinking about riding over to France from Dover and doing @frank9755 Calais to Dieppe route along the coast. What are my odds of just rocking up and getting on the ferries versus booking ahead?

Christmas is a bit of a funny time with the ferries. There will be days when it's busy and others when it's dead.

They have fewer crossings in winter, as they're not so busy. The dieppe one reduces the timetable. On the calais one they sometimes just cancel some crossings last minute.

If you don't need a cabin on the dieppe one I expect you would get on, but Christmas is funny time, etc, there might be one day when it's absolutely booked out. But you would be able to see that ahead of time.

a bit of a lack of actual campsites

Just saw the other week that a campsite I've used a couple of times and really liked had closed. It was the camping and caravan club one under the cliffs at Folkestone. Was right by the beach, you could go down for an evening walk or even dip. And get French phone signal for a bonus roaming charge.
It closed because of subsidence and risk of rock falls.

Ok, so, deffo worth looking ahead a bit to see if there's actual crossings/vacancies.