The ObeliskAfter the London to Portsmouth run let’s do a local ride, after all we are semi retired? Winding down apparently?
“how about an easy one"?
Having returned from a long ride via the Wey navigation All the way from London to Portsmouth enduring the ever eroding path that seemed made entirely out of a sand / grit combination due to the hottest spell on record! A local ride on tarmac seemed the order of the day, “OK” good idea I said. Forecast mixed, destination fixed, Isle of Grain here we come, never ignore your doorstep we thought.
A stones throw from where we both live the Isle of Grain is situated in the NE tip of Kent. We started at Gravesend basin, a short hop onto the canal, weather was bright and warm for September. We rode through the modern work shops and industrial area that leads to the start of the canal which was Completed back in the early 1800’s the canal served a purpose for protection for military vessels between the dockyards of Woolwich and Chatham. Now cycle path 1 and a lovely flat ride towards Higham , parallel to your right the canal and marsh and open green fields to your left, birds buzzing from bush to bush and horses grazing, lovely!
Past the Obelisk this is Located on Canal Road near the north-west corner of the canal it was erected in 1826 to replace an ancient landmark called the "Round Tree," which traditionally marked the seaward limit and legal boundary of the Port of London before being destroyed by a storm in 1825. Out of the path onto the roads passing the old pub that once served the locals over the crossroads then left, onto the road that takes you to Cooling, you could almost be anywhere in the country , Devon, Somerset, Yorkshire?
It has that feeling of a gentle time, A place that was once commonplace, unspoiled and empty, you could be the the 1950’s, the occasional rubbish dumped by the road side brought you crashing back to the mindset of our unfortunate modern world. up to Cooling village past the castle and a welcome stop for a cuppa and to put the world to rights at st James church.
Viewing the surrounding while discussing the correct shade of tea. (Which is biscuit brown ) by the way. Not digestive brown too light.
Pips GravesLovely grounds and With its Charles Dickens Connection: The churchyard inspired the opening scene of Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations, where young Pip meets the convict Magwitch. You can see "Pip's Graves"—a row of small gravestones dedicated to local children who died in infancy.
I spent a penny behind the main church building” needs must and all that (sorry), no one will see? As I looked up I see the small gargoyle looking Down, caught in the act, to make matters worse the vicar rode past on his bike (electric) glided by! It seemed to pass effortlessly perhaps powered by the Lord above?
Past the pub onto the heron way, heading towards lower stoke, nice quiet back roads with only a dog walker and a distance tractor ploughing for company, gulls and birds following behind in search for a free meal. You can see the large storage tanks for the gas storage plant in the distance, within 15 minutes or so due to a tail wind pushing us along the massive tanks were in clear sight beside us.
This is the main and only road though the national grid site so can be busy at times, speed limits and speed cameras keep drivers in check, but beware!
Interesting, and almost apocalyptic landscape surrounds you, with the knowledge that if you were to deviate from the main road to one of the side roads you’ll find that timeless part of the country side that we long for not yet gone but like everywhere it’s being nibbled away by modern development. Heading north towards the village of Grain past the chippy and the local convenient store then onto a little quiet road (Port Victoria road) there is a little track on the left that will take you to the banks of the Thames and the mouth of the Medway , here you will see GRAIN tower otherwise known as number one the Thames.
Grain TowerBuilt between 1848 and 1855 to protect the naval dockyards at Sheerness and Chatham from a feared French invasion. Modelled after coastal Martello towers, it stands as the last-built gun tower of its kind in the UK. In recent years, it was supposed to be re developed into a fancy nightclub? You can walk to the tower at low tide but the RNLA have rescued far too many trying to get back before the tide turns!
We headed for the pub a mile or so away along the coast path under a grey sky for a sit down tea,
The tea came out the same colour as the sky - grey ??
This didn’t match our chart, what’s happened to biscuit brown? We should have put a brew on ourselves. Never mind, nice stop and a lovely friendly place. Our shadows grew longer as the afternoon sun broke though the hazy clouds, by the time we reached the lake at the nature reserve there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
We diverted onto the Saxon shore path watching the ships pass by, you can follow the Saxon path all the way back to Gravesend but we decided to head back to the main path passing another fort on the way that was built to repel the French.
A short ride Back to were we stared and just over forty miles was perfect for a leisurely ride. We are partly retired after all.
Cheers to Carrying on and winding down
Gary and Mozz
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