# ACH "The Way to the Sea" 200 from Greenwich 3/7/2021



## adamski (27 Feb 2021)

Now seems a good enough time to advertise a new Audax Club Hackney ride that's been in the planning during the various lockdowns.

"The Way to the Sea" is a new 200 km ride that starts in Greenwich and visits some of the coastal areas of Kent. The ride leaves Greenwich via Shooters Hill and the pretty village centre of Bexley. After ~15 km the urban sprawl of London is over. The first control will be the Tesco in Meopham before the route descends to the Hoo Peninsula. This is where Charles Dickens set some of "_Great Expectations_". This is what he said about the area: it is a "dark flat wilderness beyond the churchyard, intersected with dykes and mounds and gates, with scattered cattle feeding on it, was the marshes; and that the low leaden line beyond, was the river; and that the distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing, was the sea". Hopefully in July the sun will be out.

The ride heads all the way across the Hoo Peninsula to a control on the Isle of Grain at the Co-op. From there to the next control, in Minster it's ~6.5 km in a straight line across the Medway Estuary, but it's 50 km on the road back across the Hoo Peninsula, through historic Rochester and crossing the Swale at the Kingsferry Bridge onto the Isle of Sheppey. The Kingsferry Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge that is still in operation to allow boats to sail along the Swale. It'll be down to luck if anyone has an enforced rest at this point. The Minster control will be overlooking the sea with an ACH spread of food and goodies.

After the ACH control the ride returns to the mainland, again using the Kingsferry Bridge, and what follows is a lumpy section across the North Downs to get back to Greenwich. At times the ride is within 1 km of the M2 and yet sticks to some typically tiny Kentish lanes. After climbing over the North Downs the ride drops down to the River Medway and then climbs over the North Downs for a second time.

The final control is West Kingsdown (Co-op), after which it is a pretty easy ride back into London via picturesque Eynsford. Hopefully by July the COVID situation will be OK to allow the ride to finish at one of the riverside pubs in Greenwich.

It's definitely a ride of two parts, with the flat coastal scenery for the first 140 km, followed by a hilly section over the North Downs on the way back to London. The rewards are wonderful coastal views, big skies, visits to lesser known parts of Kent, and beautiful country lanes.

The ride is planned for Saturday 3rd July. Entries are currently planned to open in early May to avoid having to refund anyone if COVID restrictions change between now and July. 

There'll be a routesheet and .gpx file published nearer the time once the route has been finalised. For the moment here's the outline:







Here's the elevation profile






(If it doesn't load click here: https://i.ibb.co/12cKrhR/Screenshot-20210224-222522.jpg)


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## ianrauk (27 Feb 2021)

Looks good though passes by about a mile from my home on the return leg. And after the double beasts of Birling and Vigo, that will be hard to not stop


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## Ming the Merciless (27 Feb 2021)

Looks good.


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## Sharky (28 Feb 2021)

You'll be cycling through my patch. If you are riding thru Longfield, I'll cheer you on.

Good luck


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## deptfordmarmoset (28 Feb 2021)

...the pretty village centre of Bexley... Which century does the ride begin in?


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## Ming the Merciless (28 Feb 2021)

It’s funny how 200km rides can go from the no drama category to bloody hell I'm knackered and only 50km in. Fitness and endurance is a fickle thing, rarely static.


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## Chap sur le velo (28 Feb 2021)

I live in the right area and....I am interested. 

Had set my self a target of a 100mile ride this summer but ....have a holiday (avec Velo) in Llandudno booked then. If it's postponed I (hope) to be there. Will monitor this.

But I will consider joining Club. Thank you.


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## Fab Foodie (1 Mar 2021)

Mmmm I need a long training ride early July and this fits the bill perfectly...goes to find diary....

EDIT - Am free!


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## ianrauk (1 Mar 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35283793?privacy_code=Z5ZtRTm2PBUc5J7M



@Trickedem 
Can you look at this route. Let us know your thoughts of the roads out to Grain and Sheppy


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## Fab Foodie (1 Mar 2021)

@adamski - what's the parking situation/ location for the start?


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## Fab Foodie (1 Mar 2021)

ianrauk said:


> @Trickedem
> Can you look at this route. Let us know your thoughts of the roads out to Grain and Sheppy


Surely all roads leaving Grain and Sheppy are good?


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## ianrauk (1 Mar 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> Note I might not have got it quite right. I copied the screenshot by eye but the route might not be quite the same.




For sure.
Just that Tim lives that way and knows the roads well. Looking at their original map, there's a couple of not so nice roads by the looks of things.


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## Trickedem (1 Mar 2021)

I reached out to @adamski on YACF to help with some route choice through Strood. Personally I would avoid the A228 at all costs, particularly the short section downhill from Chattenden, although on a Sunday it won't be as bad. The route you have shown also goes down NCN1 Donkey Hill, which is the most ridiculously steep narrow path, so might be better to avoid.
The Isle of Grain is fantastic though and the route shown is broadly the same as that of the Medway Marvellous.


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## Tribansman (1 Mar 2021)

Sounds a fantastic ride, have pencilled in. Fingers crossed all restrictions gone by then and can 'rehydrate' on Greenwich ales at the end!


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## Ming the Merciless (1 Mar 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> Limit of 50 riders. I think some of us will inevitably be disappointed.



Pent up demand as well. Reminds me I have a 300 to organise. Originally that was going to be July. But looks like I have a wedding to go to now. So will likely move it to August.


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## Fab Foodie (1 Mar 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Pent up demand as well. Reminds me I have a 300 to organise. Originally that was going to be July. But looks like I have a wedding to go to now. So will likely move it to August.


I'm happy too ride 'unofficially' so as not to deny a proper Audaxer a space (or be put on a reserves list). Am not interested in points or brevets, just nice rides, good company and beer....


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## Tribansman (15 Jun 2021)

Yep, that's going to be my approach too. Although may abandon all but really long (1000km+) audaxes all together. 

The routes used are usually great, but got pretty used to riding on my own and find having to do the controls a faff on shorter audaxes. 

If every audax allowed verification by gpx file I'd probably do more


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## Fab Foodie (15 Jun 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> Kinda my view as well. I really can't complain as I live pretty much on the route so if I _really_ wanted to do it there's nothing stopping me. And as a bonus I wouldn't need to save my receipts!


I can never factor-in enough beer-time....


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## adamski (29 Jun 2021)

I thought I'd set this thread up so I'd get emails if there were replies. Clearly not! Sorry.

https://www.gpxeditor.co.uk/routes2/users/young.adamski+gpxeditor@gmail.com/The-Way-to-the-Sea

That's the route☝️
The approach to Strood has to be what it is because there's limited choice. But it at least avoids the main roads by jumping onto cyclepaths where needed.

We're full for this year with nine groups set to depart Greenwich between 0740 and 0900. Let's see how this goes before I decide what I'll do for next year. 

Saying that there's already a few tweaks I'd like to make to the route for next time, for example changing the Meopham control to an info around Nurstead would avoid a bit of the B260. And would be nice to have a village hall aroun Vigo Village / West Kingsdown as another sit down control, in addition to a catered control at Minister on Sea. There's not a lot that can be done around the Rochester section if the route is to visit Hoo, Isle of Grain and Isle of Sheppey. Plus there's something nice about getting to within 6 km of the next control only to have a 50 km ride around the Medway to do 😂


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## adamski (29 Jun 2021)

Tribansman said:


> If every audax allowed verification by gpx file I'd probably do more



It may happen. We're running The Way to the Sea with a possibility for AUK members to test out an app as a way to validate their ride.


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## ianrauk (29 Jun 2021)

adamski said:


> rstead would avoid a bit of the B260


Nowt wrong with the B260. I did that road with you on the way back from Whitstable FNR once.
Nice, long downhill with pretty good sightlines. Not a busy road except at school run times. Its also used on the Oasts & Coasts


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## adamski (29 Jun 2021)

Indeed, but for _The Way to the Sea _it's out to Meopham and that means riding _up_ the B260 and riders are on it for a bit longer, tho it's still not too bad. It's just I could include a few lanes (and some bonus gravel  https://goo.gl/maps/wGaQdr6VSrhDDqJM8) at no extra distance. (I only discovered this when riding out that way and works taking place on the railway bridge had totally closed the road.)


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## adamski (29 Jun 2021)

PS: I am predicting a few DNS emails so people can watch the kickball on Saturday. 
If anyone wants adding to a stand-by list let me know.


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## adamski (30 Jun 2021)

I've had emails from some people who now cannot ride, which is great and it's meant I've been able to add others who hadn't originally got onto the event. 

The ride is now full . Hopefully no one else drops out because I won't have time to add anyone else to the start list.


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