how would you get across the Dartford crossing on your bike?

is there a underbridge or something?

there is a ferry at East Tilbury

Just ask

https://www.gov.uk/dartford-crossing-bike

The crossing folks take you and your bike over in a landrover or similar.

thanks people.

just seen the ferry at tilbury. a better option hopefully.

It’s like a bus stop just off the roundabout for the back entrance. You turn up, and they take you across.

Never been on the Tilbury Ferry. Thought it was foot passengers only, but maybe takes bikes too?

Further in towards town there’s the Woolwich Ferry ( and also a foot tunnel – if there’s 2 of you, race each other to see which is fastest).

I will be following ncn route 1east to the south east of London.

anyone done it?     just wondering what it is like.

It’s 14.5 miles from the Dartford Crossing to the Woolwich Tunnel!

NCN 1 is a good route, mix of segregation and small urban roads.. used loads.

We used to use it to scoot out east..

Takes you along the old towpath to Greenwich, some decent scenery along the Thames.

Tilbury ferry is small passenger but takes bikes.

You won’t see a single car from Tilbury-Gravesend Ferry until you get to the Medway (assuming you mean heading south-east of London towards Dover). It’s bang on NCN1 too (after they moved it years ago). Partly a track closed to traffic, then narrowish lanes.

Where are you heading out to Ton? Loads of interesting stuff to see East of Gravesend,if you want some guiding give me a shout .What are you riding on MTB or ?

I do Harlow in to E London of the NCR1 stretch quite often. It’s canal towpath there. It can be a bit grim after rain . If I recall correctly, it crosses the Thames via the tunnel at Greenwich/Cutty Sark.

I reckon you should start putting your planned route into a google doc or similar, and put a link up here – many of us would be happy to help you out with a bit of local knowledge.

I rode a fair bit of NCN1 earlier this year from Dartford down to Whitstable, some of it was hard going on a road bike, and I bailed onto main roads at several points.

Nice part of the world and good things to see & do.

If you are heading towards Botany Bay/Broadstairs you should check out the Viking trail.

freeagent,  once I get a rough idea of all 31 days, I will put it up on here.

been looking to see if I could do the lot by staying in YHA. quite a hard thing to sort logistically.

there’s nothing at the Tillbury side so don’t miss your ferry! there’s a pub on the Gravesend side.

yes, deffo take bikes on the Tilbury ferry. I did it err.. three years ago during a ‘lap of the M25’.

I rode a fair bit of NCN1 earlier this year from Dartford down to Whitstable, some of it was hard going on a road bike, and I bailed onto main roads at several points.

Had to have a look to see exactly where NCN1 goes east of the Medway. I’d always assumed it just went straight down the A2 (exactly where I used to ride if I went that way – normally I’d go the other – flattered they stole my local loop as a teenager and called it NCR 179 and gave it a fancy name). Once past the Historic Dockyard it looks like there are so many left and right turns that you’d run out of space in the Garmin gpx route, would have to stop every 500 yards to check which way, and double the distance to Canterbury.

been looking to see if I could do the lot by staying in YHA

some areas are devoid of YHA. none between London and Canterbury or Dover for example. but then that’s probably 1 day’s ride anyway, so no big deal.

some areas are devoid of YHA

I looked at this a while back and in some places you can use Premier Inn to fill in the gaps. They’re cheaper in some places too and let you take your bike into the room as long as it’s reasonably clean.

Pretty sure it was Premier Inn. I never actually tested it- I was looking at bail out options in case a week touring with the OH got washed out and we wanted a break from sleeping in a wet tent.

some areas are devoid of YHA. none between London and Canterbury or Dover for example. but then that’s probably 1 day’s ride anyway, so no big deal.

As above, Premier Inn and Travel Lodge fill in the gaps. Travel Lodge generally cheaper/more basic and sometimes don’t have a restaurant, but there is usually a chain-pub within walking distance.

Book early and you’ll sometimes find Travel Lodge rooms for less than £30.

I do the Dartford crossing on every m25 circumnavigation. If you are on time it’s great. Otherwise you may have a 90 minute wait. New Year’s Eve 2c and raining, arrived at 09:04. 9:00-10:30 is the key closure for my ride. Anyway the route to and from is not so bad. Essex side is lovely until about 10 miles to go. Out of Dartford it’s rolling Kent hills and villages almost immediately. You call when you get there. Going south is harder as you have to ride up effectively onto the m25 motorway (actually an A road for the bridge) via an acces slip road. Nice view though and the drivers are always friendly.

Definitely cross on the Tilbury/Gravesend ferry, it only runs Mon-Sat though.

I lived in the area until recently and only used the Dartford crossing once, I’ve used the ferry loads of times. Aim to approach Tilbury from the north through Bulphan or Horndon and Orsett, lots of fairly nice lanes through that way. Same on the south side of the river, you’ll be in the lanes as soon as you’re out of Gravesend.

If you’re carrying on through Suffolk, check the Bawdsey ferry times – I think it does run in winter, especially if you know a local…

Post up when you might be doing that stretch – Jon and I might be nearby if it’s at a weekend!