Route for East Coast of Britain?

[Jon Lucas]

I have cycled the whole coast of Britain (sticking strictly to roads closest to the coast) so am happy to give any advice, and as i also live in Bath would be happy to meet up.

Some suggestions along the east coast:

Edinburgh down to Amble I would stick close to the coast, it is all lovely and the views of Bass Rock are fantastic.

Use the Shields ferry to cross the Tyne. I like the urban coast along here, but it is largely built up, though there are some rural sections in Durham.

North York Moors coast is very hilly. The Whitby to Scarborough cyclepath is definitely worth taking, if only for the coastal views from it.

If you have time, follow the Holderness coast all the way to Spurn Head, which is worth the detour, especially if the weather is fine.

Though I enjoyed all the Lincs coast, you might want to miss out the area north of Grimsby and south of Skegness (The Wash is fascinating if you have time to explore but you won't see much of the sea).

In East Anglia the Suffolk coast has some wonderfully isolated areas that are worth a detour, and all the pedestrian ferries here and in Essex will take bikes, but note that many are seasonal. In Essex I think the Burnham on Crouch ferry only goes on Saturdays, but the end of that peninsula at Bradwell on Sea is another isolated area worth exploring (a lot of private lanes here, but I had no problems using them).

The Tilbury to Gravesend ferry is the lowest crossing point on the Thames.

Enjoy!

[albal1]

I did the coast this year www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/roundbritain

Might give you some ideas?

Enjoy your trip

[mnichols]

I have cycled the whole coast of Britain (sticking strictly to roads closest to the coast) so am happy to give any advice, and as i also live in Bath would be happy to meet up.

Thanks. I might take you up on that nearer the time. This will be a 2018 trip.

[mnichols]

I did the coast this year http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/roundbritain

Might give you some ideas?

Enjoy your trip

Looks good. I''ll have a read

[mnichols]

My suggestion would be http://cycle.travel/map/journey/51209

Thanks that looks useful

[captain offensive]

Why one of these options would you recommend?

I've stuck this into cycle.travel and made a few tweaks which I think I'd be pretty happy doing myself:

http://cycle.travel/map/journey/51286

I've started you at Gravesend. I don't really know about London to there but it might be worth getting a train to Gravesend or Ebbsfleet Internation (a couple of miles further west but also on NCN1). I've actually put the start as being the ferry terminal - you could ignore London altogether on your leg around East Anglia and go direct from Tilbury to Gravesend on the foot ferry (bikes allowed).

I've just used route one as far as Whitstable. There are some nicer and not so nice bits but it should be all pretty good. Sittingbourne is bloody horrible! From Faversham it gets nice. At Whitstable just head for the seafront and find the Viking Way (local route 15) along the coast to Margate and follow it around to Sandwich. From there rejoin Route 1. Its a nice ride across dunes to Deal and then along the front before your first proper climb of this leg up onto the cliffs above Dover. After a lovely drop down past the castle, Dover itself is a bit of a hole.

The stretch from Dover to Folkestone is one area you might want to look at. You are onto NCN2 from here (which I'd suggest following most of the way from here with a few exceptions). The first bit has a climb out of Dover. Its very nice and the cycle route takes you as close to the cliff edge as you'd like to get with lots of old WWII defences if that gets your interest. However it is a rougher track. Not awful - absolutely fine on my Ridgeback tourer with 32s but its not the smoothest part of this route.

From Folkestone carry on through NCN2 through the town (takes you through a nice little park at the west end of town - v pretty though can be a lot of families running around) and into Hythe.

When you get to the Hythe station on the Romney Hythe and Dymchuch railway I'd just follow the A259 (the route linked above might not quite show this - but its a fairly quiet bit of A road and I've never had issues on it).

What you will notice if you zoom in, is a little loop back next to a circular building when you get back to the sea front after leaving Hythe (this is a fort still used by the MoD). This double back takes you up on the sea wall which you can ride along nicely (though can be a bit full of pebbles if there have been some storms). cycle.travel also shows you going inland into New Romney and then back to the sea - but you should be able to just carry on along the sea wall instead.

Ride down to Dungeness and have a good look around (its an amazing landscape) before heading back to Lydd where you rejoin NCN2.

Follow that through Rye (pretty), up Battery Hill at Fairlight which is the toughest climb on the route, through Hastings (lovely old town and then along the prom past the pier), and through Bexhill.

From the other side of Bexhill you have a couple of options which you choose when you get to a private road with a level crossing. One being to follow route Two still. However I'd go with the other which is what I've plotted. The private road is fine for bikes (I use it on my regular commute). Follow that - at Pevensey Bay you'll join route 21 into Eastbourne. Follow it until you get to the seafront and then just stay on that road (sadly you do have to use the road - not allowed on the prom once you hit the town centre). Then you start the climb to Beachy Head - follow the route I suggest to Birling Gap - this is lovely!

From East Dean to Seaford you are on a busier road with a couple of nasty climbs. This bit is not pleasant but there is no way around it from here and you are soon in Seaford and back onto quiet residential roads and then the sea front. You'll be back on NCN 2 now and its easy riding from here along to Newhaven - follow the route out of town up the final climb before Brighton. Note: Zoom in on the map to the west side of Newhaven you'll notice the route shows as off road for a bit - I'd be minded to avoid this as its very potholed. Instead rather than use the off road stretch head back to the main road - there is a segregated cycle path next to it which is much better (they might have even changed the official route 2 to use this now).

Bomb through Peacehaven (you might just stay on the main road rather than wiggle around) and down to Saltdean Lido. Look out for a cafe opposite the lido - there are some steps here which are a pain but better to take them and then have a lovely flat sea front ride all the way into Brighton Pier - otherwise you can stay on the road from Saltdean but its more up and down.

That's my suggestion anyway! I've not ridden the whole thing in one go (and there is about a 5 mile stretch through Rochester and Gillingham I confess I have never done at all) but I've done the rest of route - numerous time for for a large part of it - and think you'll enjoy (most of) it

Cheers

C.O.

[captain offensive]

My suggestion would be http://cycle.travel/map/journey/51209

Thanks that looks useful

I notice that mjr ends his route at Tilbury ferry - that lines you up perfectly with the route I suggested from Gravesend

[mnichols]

Thank you all for the very welcome advice.

I will be cogitating this over winter and then hopefully doing this in the spring or summer

[captain offensive]

Thank you all for the very welcome advice.

I will be cogitating this over winter and then hopefully doing this in the spring or summer

Feel free to give me a shout back on here closer the time if you have any questions - and if I've been out and about that way in the meantime (I'll likely have ridden a fair amount of these tracks over the next few months) I'll give you any updates

[sabrutat]

"I've got a gap from Newcastle to Hull - any recommendations?"

I've ridden from Kent to Scarborough a few times now (where I live), and from Scarborough to Edinburgh and beyond a couple of years ago. I think any east coastal route that misses out the majesty of the North Yorkshire coast, particularly between Whitby and Scarborough, is doing oneself a disservice. It's some of the prettiest stuff and lauded history to experience on our fair isle. I'd recommend sticking to route one with excursions for castles and cathedrals.

[mnichols]

This is back on the agenda for 2019. Basically I'm trying to do the East Coast, but not being pedantic about it

The rationale is that I found that I've done a big chunk of the coast of Britain (by accident rather than design), from Weymouth in the south clockwise around to Edinburgh.

The reason it's back on the agenda is that I'm going to be in Ipswich on August Bank Holiday, so I'm thinking of flying into Edinburgh and cycling there.

I've never been to the East Coast so what are the places to see and what are the places to avoid? I'm going to try and avoid the A1, so this may mean staying a bit further inland at times, and I would like to see Norfolk.

I can see lots of seaside towns that I have heard of but never visited, but which should I see and which should I avoid? Also which towns/cities should I give a wide birth?

[foxyrider]

Once you get to England you can trace the coast to the east of the A1.

As to where to avoid - well Immingham is the only place I can think of but blink and you'd miss it anyhow! Hull isn't great and Teeside is a bit grotty but I can't see how you'd sensibly avoid either.

Sounds like a good ride, some great places to see but equally some long stretches of exposed coast with nothing much to recommend it. What do you enjoy visiting etc? Can make some stop suggestions then, I have covered most of that coast at some time or other, not always by bike.

[mnichols]

I'm also looking into the London Edinburgh London Audax route though it might be too inland

[LollyKat]

If the tides are suitable it's worth making a short detour to Lindisfarne, off the Northumbrian coast.