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Route directions PDF (right click to download)
GPX file (right click to download)
Glorious Bike Rides
Glorious Bike Rides
Route directions PDF (right click to download)
GPX file (right click to download)
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An enjoyable ride, done on a weekday.
Getting out of Gravesend was a nightmare because its solid one-way systems. I would recommend working out how to reach the riverside promenade form the station avoiding major roads, even if it involves walking away from the station.
After that it was very well-planned, as are all the LL rides I’ve done. I literally saw nobody on foot or bike in the countryside.
Here’s my track (secret link only accessible from this page): http://goo.gl/RCj0PZ
Just back from riding this route today. We found getting out of Gravesend was fine, following the Route Directions (PDF, above), which in part follow a series of tracks (signed cycle route) through atmospheric post-industrial warehouses.
We made a couple of notes on the route later on:
At Km 22, I think the route directions should read “…then immediately LEFT at the roundabout (signed Allhallows)”.
We didn’t quite make it to the London Stone – the footpath was blocked by a large herd of cows! If we’d had more time, the map suggested an alternate route via a different footpath. But by now, the cows have probably have moved on…
At Km 24.1, there’s now a traffic-free shared-use cycle route along Roper’s Lane.
Any how, thanks Jack, nice ride!
At Km 25, the Cycle Route is now signed NCN 179 (it’s been renumbered from RCN 18).
At Km 28.8, we thought for a moment we were lost: we were descending on a military road, towards a big closed gate with big military signage making the way ahead appear to be a dead end. It’s not – boldy press on and you’ll find the cycle path is tucked away just to the right of the gate.
We cycled this route on Monday and it wasn’t my favourite Lost Lanes route – for the stretch along the A228 southbound you’re cycling with the huge number of lorries heading to and from Thamesport (maybe doing it on a week day meant we saw more traffic than a weekend, but it doesn’t seem like a road that would be quiet at any time). We ended up cycling on the not-officially-shared-use pavement instead through this section (only the very start is signed as shared use, then it directs you back on to the carriageway).
Some of the B-road sections are fast, wide, relatively busy 40mph roads too (the stretch to and from Allhallows in particular). These are the only roads available to get between these places, so I understand why the route had to use them, but overall it didn’t feel like a very cycle-friendly roadscape.
The section from Gravesend to High Halstow is good (although the path alongside the canal was /VERY/ bumpy indeed – not great on my road bike and we were relieved to get back to tarmac), and there are some wonderful views in this section too.
The section up to the London Stone requires lifting your bike over a very high stile (at least when we did it), so if you have a heavy bike then you may struggle with that (we just about managed but my partner wouldn’t have managed to get her bike over on her own). That said, it’s a nice section and interesting to see the stone.
Hi Mark,
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy parts of the ride. I fear you may have ridden on the A228 southbound for more than is necessary. The route only uses a short section and there definitely is a shared-use footpath all the way along that bit, not the greatest bit of cycle infrastructure, I’ll admit, but it is off the road. Whether or not it’s well signed now I can’t say. It’s part of National Cycle Route 18. In those situations, if in doubt I ride on the pavement, giving way to pedestrians, of which there tend to be few.
The B-roads on the Hoo can be busier than I’d like, especially on weekdays. My own experience of riding this and the feedback from others has suggested that it’s better at weekends. So maybe that’s something for others to bear in mind. Another issue is that the area is prone to spates of heavy development associated with the various industrial activities in the area, and it may be that for several months there’s a surge in construction-related traffic.
As for getting to the London Stone, yes, it’s not a cycle path up there so best bet is either to lift bikes over the gate or leave them on the other side of the gate, locked if you have a lock, and continue to the stone by foot. It’s a bit of adventure that last bit!
Jack
Thanks for the reply Jack – I don’t think we went too far on the A228 (looking at my GPS it was about 0.5 miles) but we may have mis-understood the signing. We err’d on the side of riding on the pavement anyway – and didn’t see a single pedestrian 🙂
And you’re probably right that 4pm on a Monday afternoon is probably busier on the B-roads than any time at the weekend – we’re fairly easily scared by fast roads – despite (or perhaps because of) thousands of miles of cycling in London, cars moving faster than about 12mph still come as a surprise.
Anyway, we’ve loved all the other Lost Lanes we’ve ridden so far, so thanks for the great book – we recommend it to people all the time!
Mark
p.s. here’s the two parts of our GPS trace, if you’re interested to see if we went wrong: part 1 (Allhallows to Strood) – http://ridewithgps.com/trips/4446466 and part 2 (Gravesend back to Allhallows) – http://ridewithgps.com/trips/4447695
We just did this lovely cycle on Saturday – took about 4 fairly leisurely hours. Really enjoyed the weird exit out of town at the start, flying along the country lanes in the middle, an ice lolly from a nearby shop which hadn’t melted by the time we made it down to the beach, and then a decent fish & chips from the Eagle Inn in Rochester. Seems like a pretty nice town with loads of bookshops and a rusty Russian submarine in the bay!
I just did most of the ride today. I was inspired by jack talking on the Bicycle Touring Festival, I dusted off my Lost Lanes South and decided to take a ride.
It was a great day to be out and about while we’re in lockdown. The route starts off in a very urban and small industrial area outside of Gravesend, but soon get’s into the countryside with views over the marshlands. There are a couple of large RSPB areas you can visit on the way. If you go through Cliffe you should avoid the busier main road.
Thanks Jack for planning a great ride.
I took a bit different route from Gravesend following Saxon Shore Way. You need a CX or MTB for this… Desolate and lonely landscape, perfect for wildlife. I’d suggest not doing it in reverse, the SSW is a pain to cycle or run.
Route (took about 5 hours on small’ish MTB) here – https://runkeeper.com/user/taavi/route/4507039
Another great ride. Thanks. Gravesend promenade blocked by developments but soon got back on to the canal. I think that cycle route 18 is now 129 (why do they keep renaming them?!) but as the only one around doesn’t really matter. Cycling out to the London Stone is fine. Yes bumpy but no worse than the canal.
Instead of retracing steps from Allhallows I turned left to go through Lower & Middle Stoke, a bit of A228 then left to Stoke and North Street rejoining your route at Hoo St W.
Another enjoyable ride and this book has given me and my other half a lot of them in the last few years. Thanks Jack!
Did it on a sunny Sunday in June 2021. A few notes:
The path behind the industrial zone a mile or so in was impassable due to flooding, but there’s a easy road round to the canal path through the industrial estate by turning right.
For London Stone access you may have to climb two gates as stated above, but it’s well worth it. To avoid on the way back continue on the path West towards the holiday park and you can come off there and get back on the route by going through the park. No one seemed to mind.
Nearly got back on the train at the end of the ride, but instead had a bimble into Rochester which was well worth it. Good shops, pubs and nice walk around the castle and cathedral.
All that only 30mins from St Pancs on the fast train.
Did this route in August 2021. Enjoyed it immensly on a sunny day. A few notes:
1 – The surfaces on the section immediately out from Gravesend (by the Canal) are pretty rough. Tyres bigger than 25C would be good. Its do’able on a 25C tyre but bumpy. If this is a concern it might be an idea to start from Higham BR station which sits directly on the route. All other parts of the route are fine for 25C tyres.
2 – The A228 part of the route has been helped a bit by some new’ish cycling infrastructure. We were only on with teh traffic for about 0.5 of a mile. So not too bad.
3 – The fish n chip shop in All Hallows is recommended but cash only.
4 – A good place to finish is the Boat House pub. Just 2 minutes cycle from Strood BR station with a riverside (Medway) location and nice garden.
Happy Cycling!
Timed it right by chance to hop across Yanlet Creek onto the beach and get a decent look at the London Stone. Barely got my toes wet. Not sure if images can be posted in comments but may as well try. If it does not work just copy and follow the embedded links manually –
picture link – https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1424771#contributions-banner
Did this today. Enjoyable route. One thing to note: after a few KM you should be following a path through an industrial area but this is currently closed with a message from Kent Council dateD December 2021 that it is due to ‘unsafe tyres’ (there are piles of tyres all along the path). You can easily back up a little, take a left onto the road and follow it round to meet up with the route again after a couple of KM.
This ride appeals because it goes past two remote RSPB reserves. Did anyone try to cycle into the reserves and how did they find them?
The version that I intend to try starts at Higham, thus skipping the Gravesend bit that nobody seems to like!
Starting at Higham (Rail Station) is a good call. As has been stated by others, the bit from Gravesend is not too good and surfaces are very rough. I cant say too much about the RSPB reserves as they were both shut when I did the trip in Lockdown. However, the Cafe in the Cliffe Pools reserve has a good reputation.
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/whats-on/news/off-the-beaten-track-in-a-nature-reserve-is-this-kents-mos-281814/
Wind can be an issue on this ride as you are facing the Thames Estuary most of the time so picking your day from a weather perspective is a good idea. Also, the final leg from Upnor to Strood is not the best but the riverside Boat House pub near Strood BR station is worth a stop and makes it worthwhile.
Really enjoyed this route today, followed in reverse as part of a multi-day trip. I’d echo points above on road surface but everything is passable if not totally comfortable on road bikes. The bridge at the end of Gordon Promenade in Gravesend is currently closed, which meant a short and not unpleasant diversion around the marina.
To make this ride a little longer I would suggest cycling through Chatham and Rochester (with the possibility for a nice coffee stop in front of the cathedral), crossing the green lines heritage park, and then picking up national cycle route 1 as it skirts along the shore of the Riverside Country Park, a really fabulous landscape of marshland and decaying boats, all paths being well-surfaced. You can then pick up the train at Rainham, on the same line as Strood heading back into London.
Did this route backwards from Rochester as I was working there yesterday on my Brompton. As ever, a fascinating trip through landscapes that are the story of the region, struggling to reinvent in a post industrial world edges to towns, blustery open fields, enormous ships and ports on the horizon and wild nature. Much to see. One observation is that since Jack wrote this piece I’d say there has been a lot of development in the area so the roads were faster and busier than I expected with some terrible pot holes, but thank you for putting together a route in an area I may well have overlooked.
Really enjoyed this today.
We rode from higham so can’t comment on that stretch.
In terms of lifting your bike over gates, it’s only to see the headland, if you were on your own you could lock your bike and walk or just to see the sea.
There are only a couple of small stretches where you don’t have the option of riding on a foot/cycle path. Still I would t want to be riding with kids on those bits.
One tip, rather than stopping at Strood, definitely going another 1/2 mile over the bridge to Rochester for a coffee/cake/beer reward. Added Bonus: Rochester station has direct trains to kings cross.
We did this ride in September 2025 (a now-traditional ‘last day of summer’ lost lanes ride!). The towpath out of Gravesend must have been recently resurfaced and is now very smooth. We got fish and chips (still cash only) at Millennium Fish Bar in All Hallows, put it in panniers, headed over to the London Stone and ate sitting on the shore.
We also stopped off at the Fenn Bell Inn where they have a surprisingly good zoo (yes we spent as much time off the bikes as on them). We also finished in Rochester and had a look at the castle. A great ride even with some crazy winds, thank you Jack!