Cycle route - London to Dover ... can I avoid busy A2?

TipsterStu

Hi guys

I'm cycling, with some friends, London to Dover at the start of August ahead of a ride to Paris ... anyway I can get to Dover without using the A2 - especially between Rochester and Faversham as this route suggests they'd avoid next time -
http://www.cycle-route.com/routes/Londo ... -1385.html

Thanks in advance for your advice

Best

Stuart

izza

Stage one of London to Paris is detailed here.

http://www.londres-paris.com/site/html/ ... erview.php

culverwood

You can cut south via Maidstone and Charing before rejoining your route after Chilham.

I cut the corner and avoided Maidstone by using the Pilgrims Way but had a 26" wheeled tourer and it would not be a great short-cut for a road bike.

Chrissz

The A2 is not too bad until you get to Faversham. I took a group from Bexleyheath all the way down to Folkestone and stuck on the A2 until Faversham, then wenth through Dunkirk Village and Upper Harbledown into Canterbury (I ride this route most days from Sittingbourne to Canterbury, and quite often from Rochester).

If I was continuing on to Dover I'd go via Bridge, Barham, Wootton, Lydden & Temple Ewell.

culverwood

Chrissz wrote:

If I was continuing on to Dover I'd go via Bridge, Barham, Wootton, Lydden & Temple Ewell.

+1 or substitute Shepherdswell for Wootton

andymiller

Try doing a search: I'm fairly sure someone asked this recently.

Chrissz

andymiller wrote:

Try doing a search: I'm fairly sure someone asked this recently.

That may well have been me - did L2P at the end of June.

Kenjaja1

I am also looking for a London to Dover route. As i am starting from Richmond and cycling overnight I am looking at going down the A20 to Folkstone and the either staying on the A20 to Dover or else taking the B2011 from Folkstone to Dover.

If your start point is reasonably central or west of central London the A20 may be worth considering.

The advantage (for me) is that it is straightforward and I will not have to stop and try to check maps in the dark.
The downside is that it is not the shortest route.

I believe the A20 should have a bit less traffic than the A2 - but I am not sure. Hopefully someone will either confirm this or tell me I am wrong.

Best of luck with the jaunt and let us know how it goes.

culverwood

Kenjaja1 wrote:

I believe the A20 should have a bit less traffic than the A2 - but I am not sure. Hopefully someone will either confirm this or tell me I am wrong.

That's certainly my experience.

andymiller

Here's the thread I was thinking of:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... ight=dover

Chrissz

The A20 is horrible between Maidstone - Ashford! Busy, fast and a horrid surface.

The A2 tends to be busier but slower moving traffic with several villages to slow things down a little. My personal preference is the A2.

Russell Smith

Stuart,

Here you go Free London to Paris download hope it helps

http://veloandblue.files.wordpress.com/ ... master.pdf

Russ

see the blog also


http://veloandblue.files.wordpress.com

TipsterStu

Thanks everyone ... this is an amazing response

Based on what people have said ... I looked into breaking up the A2 a little and using the walk route for Woolwich South Pier to Dover ... Google threw this route back at me

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Woo ... flg=w&z=14

It seems to fit the bill ... admittedly it still has Gillingham to Faversham, but there's plenty of south downs too ... I've cycled on the Epping Road tons to get out into Essex and as thankless as that road is to cycle on, it's perfectly doable ... the satelite view of the A2 looks pretty similar IMO ... am I being too optimistic?

Where on the A2 are the real scary, no bike should be here, points?

Set off next Tuesday so as always your advice is welcomed and appreciated

andymiller

I'd give Russell Smith's route some serious consideration. It looks like it's probably longer, but, having cycled in a lot of the places it passes through, it looks like it might be enjoyable rather than simply endurable.

Russell Smith

Stu,

Go to www.veloandblue.com and download the Free PDF we created we left from Kingston, the PDF will give you the route elevation etc etc

Theres a few piccies to breeze through to

Enjoy

Russ

TipsterStu

Thank you

TipsterStu

Only problem is I'm coming from Leyton in east London ... so would need to come across to do this route ... trying to find a suitable meet up point from Woolwich South Pier

Ridg

I live in Medway and work in Canterbury so use both the A2 and A20 depending on which way I want to cycle home.

If I'm cycling to work then I'll dive off and cut through boughton under blean this cuts on the hilly part of the A2 providing a pretty much traffic tree climb through the village

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/31639600

you can then continue on the A2 or go through Cant and re-join at bridge via old dover road.

although it's not he most direct route, I'd say the A20 is wider than the A2 so you might feel more comfortable, as soon as you're past maidstone then it's quite and open country side, you can continue on the A20 or head toward Canterbury again, this route has much less traffic IMO and practically no traffic lights, the A2 is the most direct, but untill you've cleared medway you've got loads of traffic lights and traffic through the towns.

re Gillingham and Faversham, if you really want to avoid these, then you could leave the A2 at stroud and head through snodland toward the A20, this would take you through maidstone though.

interms of really scary parts, depends on your confidence, once you get to brenley corner (where the M2 meets the A2 / turns into thanet way) then it's dual carriageway, as long as you're tucked into the line or on the verge (hard) then you should be fine, so none IMO (I only ride between Cobham - Canterbury though).

Chrissz

An alternative route from Gillingham to Sittingbourne/Faversham is to use the lower road out of Gillingham to Iwade and then cut through the back of Sittingbourne to Faversham via Oare - very quiet, not too much elevation (muc of the route follows the coast) and at Faversham you can take the quiet roads to Dunkirk and continue as described.

TipsterStu

Thank you