A big one-way day from Islington to the Kent coast: about 128 km with roughly 1,450 m of climbing, finishing by the harbour in Whitstable. It climbs onto the North Downs, follows the lanes below them through west Kent, climbs back up beyond Maidstone and then rolls down to the sea.
Where it goes
You leave central London over Blackfriars Bridge and head south over Crystal Palace, then out through Elmers End and Eden Park to West Wickham. From there a long drag takes you up onto the North Downs near Tatsfield, the highest point of the ride at about 260 m, after 35 km.
The middle of the ride runs east below the Downs, through the lanes past Chevening to Otford, Kemsing and Wrotham, then on past Trottiscliffe and West Malling to cross the River Medway at Aylesford. Beyond Detling the route climbs back onto the Downs near Hollingbourne and rolls east across the top through Doddington and past Newnham to Faversham. The last 15 km are almost flat, across the marshes past Graveney and along the coast at Seasalter into Whitstable.
The hard bits
- Crystal Palace (km 11–16): about 85 m up from Dulwich, a fair test early on.
- Onto the North Downs (km 24–35): a long, mostly gentle climb of close to 200 m from West Wickham, steepening in the last 3 km.
- Out of the Medway valley (km 79–85): around 110 m, gradual.
- The climb out of Hollingbourne (km 92–93): the steepest climb of the day, about 90 m in 1.3 km with ramps above 10%, and it comes after 90 km.
Planning
Food is easy in the first 30 km and in the towns of the middle section, but the run across the top of the Downs from Hollingbourne to Faversham is quieter, so stock up before you climb. Faversham, about 15 km from the end, has a mainline station if you need to cut the ride short. Late spring to early autumn is best: the lanes below the Downs can be muddy in winter, and you'll want the long daylight.
Weather: the finish across the marshes and through Seasalter is flat, open and right on the coast, so the wind decides how those last kilometres feel. A north-easterly blowing in off the sea will slow you right down when you're tired, but with the more usual south-westerly you often get a tailwind for much of the day. The exposed lanes on top of the Downs can also be noticeably colder and windier than the forecast for London.