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Ralph Cox•Follow
Ride
September 29, 2022

Corner to Corner, Final Day 60: Gillingham to Haven House then Epping

https://www.cycling4charity.org.uk Great route, though stops for glass, checks and removal from tyres slowed us to 7.9mph. This was on the cycle paths beside roads largely from Watling Street by Chapter Road out of Stroud to the Thames. The Giant's rear tyre today needed regular pumping up. Unexpected and wonderful reception at Haven House. In the 60 days of Corner to Corner, Lorraine and Ralph cycled 2890.2 miles / 4651.3 km and climbed 140386ft / 42790m.
Distance
59.3 mi
Elev Gain
2,631 ft
Time
7h 2m
Rochester Castle - 12th C tower. 2019 tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5wcGOb5hUw &. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochester_Castle
Dartford Crossing - seen from Watling Street, just past what I now see is Bluewater, which for much of the way is out of sight. Further back, there was a cycle path beside Watling Street /A296. Closer to London past Bluewater, the road becomes B2500. We didn't cross this as we would be in a car/van, going at its speed not ours. So little pop for viewing or photos.
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Peter Burke's "Assembly", 2005 commission from Futurecity as part of Royal Arsenal's regeneration. https://futurecity.co.uk/portfolio/assembly/
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One of two side-by-side early 19th century Royal Dockyard graving/dry docks - used for ship construction and maintenance. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1212422?section=official-list-entry & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolwich_Dockyard
@13.22. MV Royal Iris - former ferry, launched 1950, operated 1951-1991, laid up here since 2002. & Thames Barrier. Docklands business area in background. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Royal_Iris
Thames-Side Studios claims to "operate the UK's largest site for artist and maker spaces". https://www.thames-sidestudios.co.uk
Thames Barrier. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_Barrier
Upstream from beside the Thames Barrier Information Centre. No Historic England entry for the jetty. On the north shore is now residential Silvertown, and visible beyond is London Docklands including Canary Wharf, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Docklands
IFS Cloud Cable Car, formerly Emirate Air Line, operational since June 2012. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_cable_car
@13.44: Viewed from the northerly tip of Greenwich Peninsula: London Docklands, including right to left: Barclays Bank (opened 2005) in front of taller HSBC (2002), then Canary Wharf (1991), then Citi (bank, 2002), various then the taller and round Herzog and de Meuron One Park Drive (2022). My favourite: shiny blue Dollar Bay (2017). Tall round one is Arena aka Baltimore Tower (2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_and_structures_in_London & https://www.herzogdemeuron.com/projects/404-one-park-drive/ & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXvmQ5ZoIcc
To note: avoid this bit of the Thames Path by Trinity Laban's Faculty of Music - likely many pedestrians. Go via the internal road through the campus instead.
I had been anxious that we arrive back at haven House by 17.00 and it started to look dicey, so I abandoned the route created for my norm. Lorraine noted we were off course. I knew Susan would be there, so texted ahead, but we were both taken aback by our reception: CEO and her staff at the entrances and our wonderful friends and family by the house.
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