To Canterbury

June 15, 2022

I chose more modestly this morning and was able to eat all the selections set before me: muesli, bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, OJ, and an abundance of coffee. We enjoyed chatting over our meal with Sharon, who has warmed up to us considerably since we first arrived. It’s almost startling how different the texture of our days has suddenly become since we arrived here, with extended conversations and ad hoc encounters becoming a common occurrence rather than a rare event. I think we’re going to like this very much.

Today’s ride to Canterbury looks to be very easy with one large exception: Castle Hill. Our inn stands right at the base of the hill and the road begins steeply climbing right at our door. We use the sidewalk at first because the road is narrow and winding and carries some traffic; and because it’s hard to start climbing on a narrow sidewalk we begin by pushing until we come to a place we can easily start biking.

We don’t come to such a spot for over half a mile, by which time we’ve gained about 350 feet in elevation pushing up a steady 10-13% slope. Stupidity makes the work go harder as we branch off by mistake and find ourselves laboring up an even steeper lane to the castle that ends in a long staircase and we have to turn back and drop down to the road before climbing again.

Finally we reach a false summit, hop on the bikes, descend a short bit and then start climbing again but at a more manageable grade this time.

Doesn’t look like much of a climb, doesn’t it? It’s not! We’re walking back down from our wrong turn, clutching the brakes.

On the right road again, so at least this climbing counts. Along the way we pass the Gate House and a phone booth. I’m surprised to find these phone booths still around - we’ve seen a half dozen now, and they at least look functional but maybe they’re just left in iconic places like this for show.

A look back at Dover Castle from its east side.

For the next five miles we gradually descend, dropping just inland from where we walked along the cliffs the day we arrived, but they’re invisible from here. To see them you really have to get out on foot or take to the water somehow. Even without the cliffs it’s a beautiful ride though: we’re passing through another AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), the Kent Downs. It’s a fine ride, especially after we pass Saint Margaret’s and descend the rest of the way to the coast on Oldstairs Road, a narrow lane that’s scarcely a path and fortunately doesn’t actually have any old stairs. Scarcely any cars either, though we do pass one coming our way, a small vehicle that just fits between the overgrown hedgerows on either side and stops to wait until we squeeze by.

The South Foreland Lighthouse, the one we walked to on our hike. From here you wouldn’t suspect that there’s a sheer 500’ drop just beyond these fields.

In the Kent AONB, looking across the Freedown. Common land! What an appealing, romantic idea.

We reach the beach at Oldstairs Bay (I wonder what the history is behind this name) and then hug the shoreline for the next five miles as we slowly cycle along a long, flat beach. The path is lined with benches for people to sit and stare at the views, and of course filled with walkers and cyclists. It’s a delightful several miles, and surprisingly social as we’re stopped a few times by folks that just want to chat. We’re going to need to start figuring in some chatter time when we estimate how long our rides will take, it looks like.

This peaceful ride eventually brings us to Deal, a surprisingly once-important place that is now a very attractive coastal resort that looks like it would be a beautiful town to base yourself in for a few days. Centuries ago it was the busiest port in England, sitting at a strategic point at the border between the English Channel and the North Sea. If we ever come back to this part of England I’m sure we’d stay here instead of Dover next time.

Along the English Channel still, biking toward Deal.

Don’t come to England this summer. It’s crazy with tourists.

In Deal. It took a few minutes to get this shot because we had to wait for a couple on Bromptons to move out of the frame once we were done chatting with them. I guess I could have just included them, come to think of it.

From Deal we left the shore and headed inland for the remaining miles to Canterbury. A quiet ride the whole way, through a broad arable terrain largely planted in corn. Interspersed with a few small villages with interesting architecture, it deserved more time than we gave it. We’re on the meter though and pretty much bike straight through, striving to get to Canterbury early enough to complete a load of wash at the laundromat that Rachael scoped out and mapped us to on our way into town. Which is fine, of course - we’ll have many opportunities to linger through ancient English villages in the months ahead. With our suddenly more social lives now it’s important to keep ourselves fresh and presentable for those chance encounters along the way.

Short Street in Sandwich, a town worth more of a look. I should at least stopped also for a photo of No Name Street.

We’re starting to pass an occasional thatched roof house.

Here’s another, in Stodmarsh I think. Stodmarsh, a village occupied at least since Saxon times, distinguishes itself as the smallest town in England.

We’ve been on sealed roads the whole way today until the very end, saving the best for last: a mile of this, bumping along a trail so narrow our panniers almost brush up against the brambles and nettles lining both sides.

Video sound track: Another Day in Paradise, by Classic Dream Orchestra

We arrive at the coin-op laundromat just before 2:30, in plenty of time to complete the wash job before dinner. Rachael starts the wash cycle while I wait outside and watch the bikes, and then we bike the mile plus to The Millers Arms, our lodging for the next three nights. Rachael’s plan is to leave me here to check in while she bikes back to the laundromat to transfer the load and wait for the drying cycle to complete. I volunteer to do this myself, but she insists. She really wants credit for the three extra miles she’ll cover in the round trip.

The plan is executed well from my perspective as I check in, change, and return downstairs to nurse a pint until she returns. It doesn’t go quite as smoothly for Rachael though, who gets lost finding her way back to the laundromat. Garmin doesn’t handle so well routes drawn like this that double back on themselves, as it thinks we’ve already arrived at our final destination. With the aid of her phone though she eventually finds her way; and the laundry cycle goes nicely as she engages in a lengthy conversation with the woman managing the site. So once again, everybody’s happy.

A pale ale, today’s offering at The Millers Arms. Shown here because it’s important to keep a historical record for future research.

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Ride stats today: 37 miles, 1,300’; for the tour: 73 miles, 3,100’

Today's ride: 37 miles (60 km)
Total: 73 miles (117 km)

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Suzanne GibsonThis is all looking so very different from the first three months!
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Suzanne GibsonIt really is, to a degree that surprises me so far. We’ll see how it plays out in the coming months.
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1 year ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesIf you are visiting the Cathedral check out the gift shop. Steve got an Archbishop of Canterbury pen on our first visit and used it for many years until the Archbishop stopped writing.
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Steve Miller/GrampiesOoh, too late! I just got back a few hours ago.
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1 year ago

Rich FrasierCanterbury is a beautiful place. I hope you enjoy it!
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Rich FrasierIt is beautiful, and educational. Not a bad spot to pick up a bit of a British history.
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1 year ago