Day 1,360
Farewell England
This was it - after our practice, riding Northampton to London, this was the real deal. My sister Carly and her husband Terry waved us off, I think with a mixture of emotions, some concern over our adventure and relief to get their home back. Thanks C and T, you've been stars!
We were heading to Dover, first though the not-so-small matter of leaving London. It was to be 45 miles of suburbs and retail parks. Virtually all the way on cycle paths besides roads. It kept us safe, away from the traffic, but gosh it was slow going. Some of the cycle paths have metal gates at the entrances and exits, these have long been an annoyance for cyclists. The very thing designed to keep other traffic off the cycle paths also often prevents cyclists too - it makes no sense!
We had an iconic view of the London skyline, though there are many tall buildings, due to the 1937 policy, known as ‘St Paul’s Heights’, the view to St Paul's and other historical buildings is protected from various sites surrounding the city. Rather wonderful it is too.
The London Skyline from Blythe Hill Fields
Finally, with relief we left London and the endless new housing estates reaching well past Dartford, and finally made it to England’s garden - Kent.
We were riding along small roads and cycle paths on a route designed by Sustrans. A charity which is transforming cycling in the UK. Another very noticeable improvement was in the attitude of the car drivers. England had been in 2nd place in our top 10 of worst counties to cycle in, but we were treated with respect and consideration for the entire journey, drivers repeatedly waiting for us to cross busy roads etc. Thanks to each and every one of you!
After a night in a Premier Inn, with our bikes safely with us in our room, we headed back into Kent. Kent is a roller coaster, we constantly went up, down, again and again. The views though made it worth it. Endless quiet lanes, small villages, churches, and apple orchards, with our route taking us straight through the middle of them. Must be wonderful in autumn with the scent of ripening apples filling the air. In many of the village houses were converted oast houses, their oval pointed roofs standing high above other houses. They were originally designed to dry the locally grown hops, to make some local beer no doubt!
Kent is actually pretty hilly!
Traditional oast houses
Lovely winding trails through apple orchards
In the distance we spotted the spires of Canterbury Cathedral, home to the spiritual leader of the Church of England. Consecrated in the year 1070 it is one of the oldest religious buildings in England. In our naivety we thought we would be able to have a look inside. We had forgotten it was Sunday, booked out services were taking place so after a wander around admiring it and other buildings hundreds of years old, we left. We had ‘friends’ to meet.
Mark and Julie are keen touring cyclists who have followed our journey via our films and blog posts. Julie had reached out to me, offering us a bed for the night if we were coming their way, and living just a few miles from Dover their home was a perfect stop for us. They rode out to meet us just a few miles from Canterbury. They were both buzzing with excitement to finally meet us two ‘celebs’ from YouTube. Within moments we were chatting as if we were old friends and being experienced tourers themselves they understood our needs completely.
Julie had made a fantastic meal, we shared a beer or two, and chatted late into the night. Nothing was too much trouble and we felt like honoured guests. The following morning they rode with us to Dover. Pausing once or twice to point out views of interest, though even I might have noticed the magnificent Dover Castle, looming high above those white cliffs. We were ready to say goodbye to England, to home, to our new wonderful friends, but not before a bit of a singsong, with a local builder joining in we sang ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’. We made Vera Lynn proud, and Mark and Julie, we sure hope ‘we'll meet again’!
Farewell England, see you in a bit!
