How far can I get in an afternoon?

I had a problem.  The last campsite between Chatham and London was at Grain, on the tip of the isle of Grain, leaving 70+ miles to do the following day, or maybe two days.  I wasn't confident in the wind or my legs to go further today.  In the end, the decision was taken for me, as I rang the camp site but they never got back to me.  I decided to see how far I could get.

There's a nice, new riverside cycle path from Chatham to Rochester and over the Medway bridge.  Nice views of the river but you miss the town of Rochester, which is lovely and historic.  Just after Rochester I felt the need to get supplies for a possibly long afternoon, so I found a bakers in Hoo and following my instincts, bought a doughnut, a cookie and a bottle of Lucozade, all sinfully sweet, to power my legs.  It worked.

On the other side it became rather hilly as I rode back eastwards almost to Sheerness, but on the Isle of Grain, which is not an island.  As I got nearer to Grain, at the point of the not-island, it was flatter and more sparsely populated.  Grain itself has oil terminals and liquid natural gas terminals, so it's got a lot going on.  Also a power station I think.  The village of Grain itself is quite nice with great views of Sheerness and its docks, and also north across the Thames to Southend.  The wind seemed to have moderated and was blowing from the north, so it wasn't really a problem after lunch.

Grain (with actual grain in foreground)

Oil & gas terminals

Grain seaside, looking across to Southend

Apologies for the grainy photos... Grain ticked off, I turned back east, on easy roads, ticking off the miles and swigging Lucozade every five miles.  The countryside was initially nice but nothing worth stopping for pictures.   When I got to Cooling it became very pretty.  There's an old castle there - if I lived there I would call it Cooling Towers.  Ha ha - I bet nobody else has ever thought of that.  By now I'd decided to aim for Gravesend, and the last seven or so miles were alongside a disused canal, very flat and scenic.  Strangely,  none of this ride was alongside the river(s).  And it didn't rain!

Cooling Towers

Cooling Towers - west wing

Tilbury docks, across the Thames 

Church at Cliffe

Random house

Canal

It went on for miles!

Finally, I arrived in Gravesend, and celebrated with a rehydration stop before booking into the Premier Inn for a well earned shower and, I hope, sleep.  It will be nice not to have to wear my beanie hat to keep warm, as it always makes me look like a scarecrow the next day.

Gravesend

Unless I ride into the river, or my bike (or I) fall apart, its the last day tomorrow!