Day 2 of the Eastbound tour is a challenging 62-mile ride aiming for the historic city of Canterbury, Kent! (Travelsonabike2 S25 E23).
Despite starting the day with continued hip pain [00:01:00], I push on through Bexhill-on-Sea [00:02:30] and stop to admire the iconic fisherman’s huts and seafront at Hastings [00:09:29]. The real struggle begins when I turn inland towards the Kent Downs, where I face some seriously steep hills that leave me nearly in tears [00:27:10]! Along the quiet backroads, I discover a cyclist’s memorial known as “Cather’s Seat” [00:28:08]. See how the day ends after a hard-fought ride and a major supermarket diversion!
**Jump to a section:**
* **00:01:00** – Hip Pain Update (Tablets kicking in)
* **00:09:29** – Hastings: Fisherman’s Huts & Seafront
* **00:12:19** – The Start of the Steep Inland Climbs
* **00:19:14** – Entering Kent, the “Garden of England”
* **00:27:10** – Nearly in Tears on a Hill Climb
* **00:28:08** – Finding the Cyclist’s Memorial (“Cather’s Seat”)
* **00:33:39** – Arriving at Camp after 62 Miles
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Morning all. Well, it’s another lovely sunny day. Um, yeah. Well, it’s just coming up to 6:30. Um, I would have liked to have been on the road a little earlier, but hey, this is as early as I could get going. I get up in plenty of time, but yeah. It’s fine. So, yeah. So, I think today we’re heading for um bloody road and Canterbury. Oh, can’t get under these bumps. Um, no doubt it will be another hilly ride, but we shall see. As I say, I’m I was absolutely fine yesterday when I was doing it. Bloody hell, last night. I think my um tablets eventually kicked in after an hour or so. I think I wasn’t too bad then. But yeah, up until that point by me. But hey ho, such is life, right? I think we’re heading for Hastings first. Of course, years ago, I mean, when we used to come this way and perhaps we was heading for probably Cali. Yeah, it would have been Cali. blow me. We used to like our first um stop used to always be after Folkston campsite um there which I’ve stopped at um well I had stopped at quite a few times. Can’t remember the name of the place. Yeah, that always used to be my first uh stop before going to get the um uh uh France ferry to France. We’re just um coming into Beexill on Sea, which is only just down the road from the campsite. Um it says it’s the home of um British mo Oh no no no sorry the home of the birth I think it said of British motor racing. I mean don’t think there’s any motor circuit around here is there? Who knows? Oh god. Yes. Cuz of course the campsite and like most campsites is right by the um railway line. Although can’t say it really bothered me at all. I’ve certainly slept in worse campsites. Yes, I suppose we’re in East Sussex. I think I’m going to stop uh recording these um uh videos of me cycling past. Well, we’ve ended up Look, bloody hell. Caught myself again on the pedals. Yeah, we only stopped cuz the railway lines uh after the railway line the gates went down. Um I suppose one good thing is not a new cut. I think it’s just knocked on one of my old ones which oh is actually quite old. And we’re back next to the sea. Take my jacket off again soon. It’s now that sun’s getting up a bit. Oh, come on. As far as I got any blood left. The amount of times I cut myself. That is the sea. Quite calm today. See somebody on a paddle board miles out. I just seen a plaque for that um birth of the British motor racing. Apparently, it was along the um seafront. I think it said 190 2. That cafe there on the left. I’m sure when I went um around the world um because that’s it. My first night I was camped in Brighton uh cuz I didn’t leave till the afternoon. I remember stopping at that cafe to have a full English knowing that it’d be my last one for well quite a while. Morning. Yes, I’m sure it was there. How funny. We remember odd things. It’s a good view looking whether you can see or not towards Hastings. Whilst it’s nice being on a cycle path, bloody hell. Do wish they’d improve the quality of when they build them. Don’t know what was worse, those ridges on that path or this. Oh, and we’ve cut ourselves again. It’s rather boring all these cuts. Oh, hello. Incoming. Don’t blunt me. As much as I moan about the English um uh cycle path, there’s a big improvement to what there was um years ago. I mean, I remember coming to Hastings before and well, there definitely wasn’t a cycle path, that’s for sure. I’m I’m looking for um the hotel I um stopped at. I think it was called might have been the Royal Victoria or something like that. I think it was 2014 if I remember. Um I just had um the first of many operations on my um back. Yeah. Decided to come on a ride. There it is. Just coming up on the um left. Ah I remember I was red as anything when I got there. I didn’t um put any um sun cream on. I remember looking my face. I think I’ve got to take a picture just for posterity or for my memory. Oh, look. There you go. You can see it. Probably not. Well, we don’t seem to be getting very far today. Oh god, too much fing around. And I think we’ll be stopping again up the end here when we get to the um um fisherman’s huts. They’re always worth a a picture. Bloody hell. Perhaps we should have a go on the fun fair. It’s a shame we’re too early. It’s not open. Actually, I’ll film it on the way um back. Might be better. That’s it. We’ve come to the end. We’ll just turn around now. I’d like to say those cliffs are quite um impressive. I’ll just take a couple of pictures of those. Right, let’s go and have a look. Might have just said this, but they well they’re not fisherman’s huts. It’s where they used to um hang their nets to dry out. All right. Well, we finished. Well, we’ve just been to take some pictures of the um uh fishing boats. Now, we’ll get back on the road and see those flat things. But, as I say, you should see a little better um from this way. Right, let’s take some pictures. Oh, right. I think we’ve had enough of around here. Right, get going. I know we got a hill to go up now. I do remember this bit. I’m sure if you follow the cycle route, we end up going up over a quite a steep hill. Or do we stay which is over there? There we stop and have a look. Well, we didn’t go there. Never mind. But let’s have a look. It might take us a little around the houses and up hills, but it does look a more direct um route, but bound to be bloody hilly like now. I think we might be walking. Oh god. Right. Right. It’s no good. Perhaps I should have stuck with the cycle route. I think we might be having a bad night again or at least the bad end of the to the day. Oh, I say I remembered that from many years ago. Got to stop. Blime me. Um, when I put my sun cream on this morning, I sprayed it. Oh, well, not actually into my eyes, but on the eyelids, of course, now sweating running into my eyes and stinging them. Not bad view. Kent baby over there. Of course, you won’t be able to see that, but looking out to see that [Music] 3 ft. Heat. Heat. That was a nice fast ride down. past. Well, we was going over 40 m an hour at some point there. No wonder we was finding it hard. Another hill to go down. That’s a good sign. Even though you can’t see it. Level. Not very level at the moment. Oh god. might be nice. Fairly quiet road, but I wonder whether I took a wrong turn. Well, I don’t know whether we’d left it on coming after coming down those hills or not. Anyway, um we haven’t got any more hills to go down anyway, that’s for sure. cuz we’re back down at sea level. The sea’s just to the right of us. Oh, yeah. I think I left you on that pet level. I think that’s where I left you on. I And maybe it is level now. Yeah, we’re just sort of coming through. I think it’s Win Chelsea Beach. I am wondering about changing my route and maybe um stick to the coast and um head up sort of like towards uh Folkston um do and then we’ll head up there and go sort of uh buy a sandwich and that I remember that before. was quite nice around there. I shall Well, I’m going to stop soon. Hopefully, I’ll find a a shot and then I think I’ll take a a look cuz I think I’ve got a um I haven’t got to, but if I’m going to Canterbury, I think I sort of need to start heading across country soon. my um legs starting playing me up already. Although I think I saw Canterbury was only about 40 mi maybe not even that. We’ve stocked up on a few bits. We found our supermarket. That’s good. I think I might have needed to go left. Silly offers on anything, my friends. I might have to stop and have another look. Very well, are we? Holy guys. Oh, actually foot. See that? There we go into Kent, the Garden of England. I’m really suffering today. I might have to take some oramorph. I’ll give my I took some painkillers uh when we stopped uh back at the supermarket. I’ll give them another half hour. If we don’t feel any better, we’ll take that some of that hor. It’s probably well out of date and well, it’s been sitting in my bar bar bag for a couple of years. Well, no, I lie. Actually, it’s not because I’ve not been any pain, but I think on one or two of my trips, I sort of taken it just in case. But the good news is Canterbury is in Kent, so at least we’re in the right county. Now, I was thinking a while back, why did I used to always come to um Cali to get the ferry um across to the continent? I think it stems back to um when we used to drive over to France on a day trip. Spoken about that before, I think, when I was going through um Cali. Yeah, I probably never gave anywhere else much of a a thought because I knew we always used to go that way. The good news is my pain has started to settle down. So perhaps we can avoid the oramorph again. Well, you know, I said the pain had gone. It hasn’t. Going up hills hurts. Still very pleasant along here. I think we’re on um Route 11, I think I’ve seen. Heading towards um Ashford. Well, can’t complain about the roads really. Yeah, nice and quiet. Here comes the boys. Hello. Hi. Mommy. Hi. Hi. Got the second group a bit happier. Wonder if that’s the M20 25 we’re going under. Oh, it’s nice and cool in here. quite well quite pleasant coming through um Ashford. It’s all been on the cycle route like this. I don’t know who done all the signage or the laying out of this path, but they keep swapping which side is the cycle path. Oh god. Might have to stop again soon, mate. Phone seems to have gone on. Oh, found another wobbly. Take it. Oh, God knows where we are now. Hopefully it won’t be for too long though. We just sort of turned Well, changed direction. Apparently definitely got that wind behind me. Really feel it at the moment. So, we turn left there and we’ll have it back behind us. Oh, we’re in the Kent Downs. H. Great. Just seen a sign saying Canterbury 8. That’s good. So, hopefully we’ll be there within the next hour. 8 miles. Could be a long eight miles. This really isn’t good. Hopefully, it’s only this little bit and then we’ll be going downhill again. Well, let’s go. pushing up. But to be honest, it’s only a short little hill. But I mean, my Oh. Oh, we’re nearly there. Not much longer. Hopefully that’s the last of those. I don’t mind going uphill, but that was a bit too steep for me. Comes a man jogging. Stop and let you pass me. Keep coming. It’s all right. Go on. Easier for me to stop than you. Good excuse to slow down. I know the feeling. I think we’re going back on the road. Maybe. Or maybe not. Home Billy. Oh, are you still on? Oh, yeah. Wait. Come on. Oh, that was nearly in tears. Oh god. Oh, I had to quickly stop on that hill and I couldn’t get my feet off the pedals. Tiny. Well, we’re following the railway line. So, Hope. Well, it was busy. We were still following busy. It was still hilly when we was following it a minute ago. Gone. Not even sure we’re going the right way now. There’s no signal around here. Just stop. stopped and I met couple of ladies Lane and Kathy I think they said their names were just doing a walk and there was oh some bench um I think it’s Ke’s chair or something and they said I’ve got to take my picture with it so they took it for me couple of nice ladies and a nice little chat to them. Good excuse to stop, but just saw a sign. It’s Catha Cather’s seat apparently. So, those two ladies were telling me um well, she died unfortunately, but she was Oh, God. Oh, duck. She was um oh what did they say? Oh something about though she was trying to find quiet routes for cyclists or something which I think this must be one of them. Ah could have made it a bit flatter. Ah 1 hour more like 2 hours but we’re on an hour and a half at the moment. Although to be honest, probably quite good cuz when I stopped that one that Well, it was yesterday. That’s when I had the most pain once we got the tent up. Hopefully not tonight. I’ve not succumbed to the horror still. We’re still holding off. I think if I end up taking that and I know things are bad. I thought we was going up there to that gate. We wouldn’t have got through cuz I don’t know whether it was here, but I’m sure I remember this app trying to send me through a gate like that onto sure it might have been this. Very familiar. But anyway, the app tells us this way through. Not so bad. behind. Thank you. Not far to go. I hope. I don’t think so. Anyway, I think we might have to just go up a blooming. Oh, no. It might be downhill. Oh, I don’t know. We’ll see when we get to Cerrink. So, I think it’s just up the end there. I thought we’d end up there. I remember the last time when we came in seeing this river on the right. Oh, quick. Remember, don’t come back this way. Come forth. Fine. God. I think I’m going to avoid this area. Well, let’s go. Bloody hell. Where’s all these people coming from? Yeah. Ah, and we’re still going. Ah, nearly 3 hours now. Um, to be honest, I went on a diversion to get some supplies. Well, that just took a lot longer. But I think now there’s about mile and a half maybe. Sure. That’s why I saw a sign saying all well we’re finally all set up. Um what’s time it’s ah 4 hours nearly after I said we got 8 miles to go. Heyo. But as I said earlier, we had a diversion while we was in um Canterbury to the supermarket. Um 62 miles today. So yeah, it’s all right. Um I’m not in too much pain at the moment, which is quite good. Um I don’t know whether we’ll be cooking supper, though. That I think it could be Oh god, just you later. Um could be noodles or just picking again. But yeah, we got a nice little spot. We got a little bench. And there’s the tent. Yeah, can’t complain. Right, I shall get on. I better sort all my bits out properly and go and have a shower and well, I shall speak to you all in the morning. Goodbye.