London to Dover

Hi everyone,

Well the big day is finally here. Richard and I pulled up under Big Ben in the freezing cold and snow....not the best way to start.

We set off at about 6:30 am  and made super progress getting out of London. We stayed on main roads as far as Dartford before we ventured off into the country. Unfortunately the wintery conditions made those roads very difficult. Some of the hills we were climbing were covered in ice, and our wheels were spinning wildly.

After 40 miles we arrived in Maidstone and stopped for lunch. We had made really good time and were still feeling really good. We decided to change our route due to the horrible conditions and avoid the small country roads. Instead we decided to travel along the A2 straight into Dover.

The last half of this trip was not nearly as enjoyable. Getting out of Maidstone involved climbing up the longest and steepest hill ever, and then it seemed like a steady climb all the way to Dover. We got in 15 minutes later than anticipated which meant we missed our ferry and had to take a later one. Both Rich and I felt very sore, cold and tired once we finally got aboard.

We did 85.82 miles (138.1 km for my Canadian friends) in about 9 and a half hours. Our total elevation gain was 3,242 feet.

Hope tomorrow isn't nearly as tough as today.
Day 1 done!!!!!!!!!!

Good start to the day...

Icy back roads

 

Gilly re-charging 

 

Setting off again from Maidstone

 



 

 

 

Exhausted on the ferry to Calais