To Rochester

June 20, 2022

We had an excellent first week in England but today, the first day of our second week, was something different and left us wondering if the honeymoon period was already over so soon. It was only a 35 mile ride today, and not a particularly difficult one at that. By the time we arrived in Rochester though we were both pretty well spent and happy to see the end of it.

So what changed? The quality of the riding conditions primarily. We had too many miles on busy, noisy arterials, stuck on sidewalks to avoid competing with the fast moving traffic on unshouldered roads. For about fifteen miles it seemed like we were navigating through towns and suburbs, stopping constantly to wait for lights or to work our way to the other side of the street where the bikeable sidewalk had shifted to. Hard on the nerves, hard on the patience.

In some ways it was our fault because we mapped our own route through the first half of the ride rather than just following Route 1 of the national cycle network. We did this because our route was probably five miles shorter, and much of this section of the cycle route was listed as unpaved.

For the last half of the ride we rejoined Cycle Route 1 and found generally much quieter conditions, but at a cost: miles of unpaved, rough surfaces that tested patience already worn thin even further. And we didn’t care much for the last few miles into Rochester either - more traffic, more sidewalk riding, more stress. Hopefully this isn’t a trend, but I’m thinking it might just reflect the fact that we’re so close to London here and we’re running into considerable urban congestion.

Still, even a subpar day has its moments:

I’ve never seen a field of flax so completely in bloom before. It’s as dramatic as lavender, especially against that sky.

From the modest high point of the day, looking north toward the mouth of the Medway.

Another beautiful little thatched roof structure. The house is pretty nice too.

I’ll stop taking oast shots soon, but I haven’t quite had my fill yet.

So what species of maple is red on the underside of its leaves? I don’t remember seeing this before.

The National Cycle Network presents us with a great variety of riding situations. This is another of those narrow paths where in spots you’re scrunching in to avoid brushing up against nettles on both sides. Not ideal.

Uh, oh. Do British horses expect apples too?

One of the prettier stretches of the ride. Rough, but at least we’re not dodging traffic.

Let’s ignore how weary and pained this poor biker looks and focus on the blue thing on the left. It’s another of those commemorative milestones, but I know more about them now. They’re called Millenium Milestones, because they were erected in 2000. And there’s an ongoing campaign to repaint them - there’s a website that locates all 1000 and identifies which need repainting in case some volunteer group wants to adopt one. This one has been redone, but others we’ve seen are in poor condition. Also, there are four designs. This version is the Fossil Tree, designed by Jon Mills. “ The post takes the form of an abstract tree with relief imagery of fossils depicting the passage of time from early primitive creatures to the ultimate demise of fossil fuel-driven technology.”. I’ll keep my eye out for the other designs in the coming weeks.

An interesting design for a barrier to restrict users of the trail, but not one we favored. After about the tenth time of dismounting, squeezing through and readjusting the mirror it gets old.

Looking across the mouth of the River Medway. At first I thought we were seeing the Thames here, but it’s just a bit further off. The two come to sea at the same spot.

Looking across the mouth of the River Medway. That’s Port Victoria across the water. The Thames is another three or four miles beyond it.

Any idea what these rusty vessels are? There are quite a few of them rusting away on the mud flats.

Video sound track: Westward Passage, by Bud Shank

And we didn’t really care for Rochester itself at first, which struck us is gritty, dirty and industrial until we turned onto Main Street at the very end and we’re surprised to find how colorful and attractive it is. It was surprising to go one block over and have the character of the place seem so different.

We stayed in our lodging until dinner, a fine Italian meal at a popular restaurant just down the street, but then went straight back to the room again afterwards. Almost too late, I looked at the map and was reminded of why I thought Rochester would be a decent overnight stay. At the other end of town, just a few blocks from the Italian restaurant, is the waterfront - Rochester is a historical port town on the River Medway. There’s a waterfront park and promenade, and above that stand Rochester Castle and Rochester Cathedral, surrounded by their parklike grounds and garden. I grabbed the camera and hustled down to the waterfront, arriving just in time before we started losing the light.

A horse chestnut, and another look at the castle.

Heart

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Ride stats today: 35 miles, 1,800’; for the tour: 187 miles, 8,900’

Today's ride: 35 miles (56 km)
Total: 187 miles (301 km)

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Steve Miller/GrampiesWe found road riding in England totally nerve fraying, and riding in London made us frantic. The NCN routes were at least safer, although the surfaces were highly variable. This was 10 or so years ago and we had hoped things had improved, but maybe not?
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2 years ago

Suzanne GibsonWhat an awful day! Hope better riding is coming up soon. But I know you two are problem solvers and will come up with a good plan to get to terrain that's more suitable for cycling if things don't improve. I've got my fingers crossed!
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Suzanne GibsonOh, it wasn’t awful by any standard. I must have made it sound worse than it was. We’ve just gotten very spoiled and like to whine.
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Steve Miller/GrampiesHopefully yesterday was an exception, but we’ll see. This is as close as we’ll get to London so we should start seeing more open country again soon. You’re right about the variability of the NCN routes though. And I doubt that it’s changed much since you were here, other than to be made poorer by the stupidity of the Brexit decision. We’re not seeing any of the signs of new cycling infrastructure investment like you see elsewhere in Western Europe.
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2 years ago

Rich FrasierHere's hoping for better days ahead. In my limited experience, the closer you are to London, the more difficult cycling is. So as you head north, I would expect things to improve. Beautiful pictures, as usual!
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2 years ago