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14 of us met at Cutty Sark Gardens at 9am on Saturday for the 20 mile ride to Gravesend where we'd meet others on the train arriving at 11.06am. There are big busy roads all the way to Plumstead, then suburban backroads to Erith. The handy roadside loos there have been demolished, Morrissons was close by. The long empty 20's cinema has gone too. Sad. Then the even bigger A206 across the Crayford Marshes, Dartford Bridge was hidden in the mists that didn't really clear all day. Then pretty Stone village and Ingress Abbey and the short sharp hill up to the A226. I sent most of us on ahead to get to Gravesend station in time. One of us had been hit by lack of food and dehydration so a few of us waited until he'd eaten etc and cycled with him into Gravesend the back way on the lane between the quarries and onto the huge riverside. The Channel tunnel rail link is pushing through here. Huge change.

We met the others on the road by the Thames by Tilbury ferry, we hadn't been badly delayed. 6 had got the train down. 20 of us now. The ride/train combination is a good one but perhaps next time I'll emphasis the fact that the ride really begins in Gravesend and that the ride to Gravesend is a fast preamble.

Gravesend waterfront is very seasidey with Tilbury Power Station and Tilbury fort opposite and big tugs in mid-river. The way out of Gravesend eastwards is through narrow alleys by old wharves and warehouses. The coffee hut had just closed and just had cans and chocolate. The next 5 miles through the Shorne Marshes is well surfaced and for pedestrians and bikes only and runs alongside the disused 1824 canal, and the railway line. A left at Lower Higham took us into fruit farming country and huge lakes from quarry workings. Then west along a lane with lakes on each side, and under a vehicle barrier into gravel workings and a two-mile conveyor belt. There was no one but us around. At the end of the conveyor was Cliffe Fort, a Victorian sea-defense. The unique rails and slot for the 1899 wire-guided torpedoes that didn't work and were scrapped a few years later are in a sad state, but very worth seeing. So is the beached wreck.

Since the Saxon Shore path was dry, I risked it and went off road for several miles on a clay surface with loads of flints between two more lakes. Great to see a pair of little egrets in the distance....small snow white herons. (No swallows/swifts/martins yet....maybe next weekend?). After so much isolation, Cliffe village and church spire is a surprise up there on a ridge. And the first of the ""no new airport" signs. The Victoria Inn wasn't doing food till Easter, nor was the other pub. So we followed the Saxon Shore Way signs towards Cooling via a ploughed field for part of the way. Tiny Cooling has its very own private castle, a handsome church (where Great Expectations Pip met the escaped Magwitch in the mist. The 7 childens graves are still there in a touching huddle).

And then there was the Horshoe and Castle (01634 221 691). Good big village pub with garden etc. Kevin the landlord chided us for turning up out without prior warning and wanting lunch at 2.30pm. His cook couldn't serve all of us off the menu but after some debate could do chips. So we ordered £30 worth and got beers and rare keg cider and sat out in the sun. Out comes Kevin with a £5 refund...we'd eaten them out of chips. But we didn't want money, we wanted feeding. £5 of onion rings then. We said we'd phone head next time. (And he does B&B).

After lunch a couple of us headed back to Gravesend but the rest headed east along quiet little roads towards High Halstow. Someone took a fall after somehow snagging their handlebarend in someone else's trouser pocket, but no harm done. A police car appeared out of nowhere, stopped us, and told us abruptly not to ride two abreast for our own safety. He had no right to say this, we were riding safely and legally, but none of us were bothered about arguing. About 10 miles after lunch we got to Allhallows-on-Sea, and sat throwing stones on the beach, not really minding the huge caravan park.

And then we turned round and rode the 15 miles back to Gravesend station and there was the 6.06pm train home waiting for us. We'd done 35 miles on the Hoo peninsula. Flat estuary landscape with marsh, quarry and lakes. A fascinating landscape with quiet lanes and loads to explore.

Barry 07905 889 005
Gravesend and the Hoo peninsula is all on OS Explorer map 163. 1:25,000. 2.5 inches to the mile. Map 162 has Greenwich to Gravesend.

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