Why this ride
From London it runs 204 km to London; allow about 3 h 15 of riding. It goes by way of Canterbury Cathedral, St. Augustine's Abbey, St. Martin's Church and back through St. Augustine's Abbey.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
London day out · St. Martin's Church
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 204 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 15
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Canterbury Cathedral → Canterbury Cathedral
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 1 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 1 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. London
London is the one place on the map where the best advice is to leave the bike at the edge. The centre around Charing Cross and Trafalgar Square is a maze of one-way streets, bus lanes, taxis and tourists, and parking is limited and expensive. The city also has a congestion charge and a low-emission zone, whose rules for motorcycles have changed over the years, so check the current conditions for your own machine before you ride in. For a start and finish, a quiet side street or a secure garage on the outskirts is a better plan.
Read the complete London write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
London is where the day begins. Next is Canterbury Cathedral.
2. Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral has been the mother church of English Christianity for fourteen hundred years, and it stands in the middle of a compact walled city in east Kent, rising out of a tangle of medieval lanes. The central tower, called Bell Harry, was finished in the late fifteenth century and can be seen for miles across the surrounding farmland, a pale spire above the orchards and hop gardens.
Read the complete Canterbury Cathedral write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Canterbury Cathedral comes up 30 km in.
3. Canterbury Cathedral
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Canterbury Cathedral write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
At least 88 km in you reach Canterbury Cathedral. Next is St. Augustine's Abbey, 30 km on.
4. St. Augustine's Abbey
Canterbury has been the centre of English Christianity for fourteen centuries, and the ruined abbey of Saint Augustine is where it began. In AD 597, Augustine, a Roman monk sent by Pope Gregory the Great, landed in Kent with a small group of companions to convert the English. King Aethelberht of Kent, whose wife Bertha was already a Christian, received them, and the king himself was baptised soon afterwards. Augustine founded a monastery outside the city walls, where he and his successors were buried, and it grew into one of the richest abbeys in England.
Read the complete St. Augustine's Abbey write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
St. Augustine's Abbey, about halfway. Next is St. Martin's Church, 30 km on.
5. St. Martin's Church
St Martin's is a small flint-and-stone church on a low hill on the eastern edge of Canterbury, and it claims to be the oldest church in continuous use in the English-speaking world. The tradition is that it was already a Christian place of worship when Augustine arrived in 597 to convert the English, because the Frankish princess Bertha, who married King Æthelberht of Kent, had a chapel here and a bishop with her. Parts of the walls contain Roman brick, and the oldest part of the building is plainly very old, though experts argue about the details. The church is part of the World Heritage Site that also includes Canterbury Cathedral and St Augustine's Abbey.
Read the complete St. Martin's Church write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
St. Martin's Church sits at 120 km, about halfway. Next is back through St. Augustine's Abbey, 30 km on.
6. back through St. Augustine's Abbey
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete St. Augustine's Abbey write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through St. Augustine's Abbey comes up 150 km in. Next is back through Canterbury Cathedral.
7. back through Canterbury Cathedral
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Canterbury Cathedral write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
180 km in you reach back through Canterbury Cathedral.
8. back through Canterbury Cathedral
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Canterbury Cathedral write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Canterbury Cathedral, late in the day. Next is London.
9. London
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete London write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 204 km.
Leg by leg
London to Canterbury Cathedral
London → Canterbury Cathedral is 119 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Canterbury Cathedral to London
back through Canterbury Cathedral → London is 119 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- London · Kent Downs and White Cliffs · 248 km
- Canterbury North Downs Ride · 198 km