Canterbury to Rome Day 1 and 2
I spent a couple of days in Royal Tunbridge Wells before heading back to Canterbury.
I stayed at Neal’s Farm again. This is a great place to camp. It is a working farm only about 3 klms from the centre of the city with a licence for camping over the summer months.
South to Deal
The route down to south coast took me through Sandwich. I decided to have lunch there – a Salmon sandwich.
I then continued on to Deal. I had booked into the Kingsdown International Camping Centre which is about 4 klms from the town. It turned out to be a great place, with spectacular views over the English Channel. I decided to stay a few days. There were ongoing issues with immigrants causing the port in Calais to be periodically closed and I needed sort out some ‘administrative, stuff. This looked like a good place to do it.
Good Library
Next day, I walked into Deal along the sea front. The area is a very popular place to retire. I felt really young. It also must have one of the highest rates of dog ownership on the planet.
Deal has a really good public library.
Three Pubs
Back in Kingsdown, I decided to check out the pubs. The Zetland Arms, which is on the beach was recommended, the manager to the campsite, as the place to eat. He was right, it is very good.
I also checked out the Rising Sun (owned by the same people as the Zetland) and the Kings Heads. The latter is a traditional ‘public house’, frequented by people from the village.
To Dover
On Monday, it was time to leave for France. I headed to Dover along the coast. I have been to Dover a number of times, put not from this direction. The best place to view the ‘white cliffs’ is from on the eastern side of the town.
On the Ferry
The Dover docks are undergoing a redevelopment. There are temporary barriers all over the place. Whoever is responsible, clearly does not have the cyclists in mind. The cycle path was blocked at several points and I was forced to take the lane used by cars and trucks. This was not fun.
Calais and South
I dropped into the Tourist Centre in Calais. They provided me with a couple of maps, including one detailing the ‘velo’ (cycling) routes in the area. A good old paper map has its advantages over a google map. It is certainly better than using the Garmin.
Early Stop
I headed south towards Boulogne. I noticed a sign to campsite. The place looked good and I decided to stop.
I will head to Escalles on the coast and on to Boulogne.
Flickr Links
Garmin Links
To Dover
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/825418602
From Calais
billrider2013 