Brighton to Dover
| Date: | 4th – 6th July 2022 |
| Distance | 123 Miles |
| Ascent | 3850ft |
| Lighthouses | None |
| Riders | Jane & Me |
I love Trains.
We shut the front door and made our way to Ben Ryhdding Station. Into Leeds and off to London. Lunch in Borough Market then on to Brighton. The sun was shining the seafront was a happy place. Blues skies, white cliffs and chalky water.
We had travelled most of the day so it was time to get pedalling. Through Peacehaven where the ‘Plotlands’ movement started – people built ramshackle holiday homes on cheap land. Newhaven next and two lighthouses bagged before crossing the shingle beaches into, and straight out of, Seaford!
We left a busy, steep road to take a route thro the woods, a respite from the traffic and heat. Then crisps and beer on a quintisentally English village green in East Dean before cycling down rolling green fields into Birling Gap.
It was getting late, which was good. Beachy Head was empty and we chose to cycle along the cliffs instead of the road. A natural rollercoaster ride.
Back on the road fizzing down hairpins into Eastbourne and on to our first camp.
An early start to get to Bexhill and the De La War pavilion for breakfast. A steep climb out of Hastings and through the country park. The landscape begins the become much more sparse and wild with the exception of Rye. Sparseness makes way for other worldliness as we enter shingle spit of Dungeness. We attempt to cycle around the Nuclear Power Plant but the access was closed and watched over by many cameras.
After another camp we head back to Dungeness to visit the lighthouses and Prospect Cottage, Derek Jarmans beautiful bolt hole.
The ride beyond was not so interesting until we picked up the Royal Military Canal in Hythe. Onto Folkstone for a dip in the sea and a cup of Whelks in the beautiful regenerated harbour area. Another big climb took us onto the clifftops and then a long descent into Dover.
Project Lighthouse 
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