4 Days Road Trip in Kent – from Greenwich to Dover – part one

4 Days Road Trip in Kent – from Greenwich to Dover. When it comes to road trips in Britain, most locals wouldn’t think of the journey from London to Kent. Often rushing to catch a ferry at Dover, many of us travel down the M2 at high speed. A few of them running down the slope to the port as the ship was leaving. I’d made that journey many times. But, when we had the luxury of time, we avoided the motorways and did a road trip from Greenwich to Dover. It was the ideal opportunity to take in some of the hidden gems of the county of Kent.

This was a motorhome journey so a bit difficult to stay in the capital and for parking, so we stayed on the outskirts. If we’d been in a car, we could have easily found somewhere to stay.

DAY 1 – A morning in Greenwich

With just a morning in the South London royal borough, we chose to park inside Greenwich Park gates near Blackheath. The four-hour parking limit meant we had to make the most of our time here. Thankfully, you don’t have to walk far to get one of the most famous views over London.

In the foreground is Queen Anne’s Palace or The Queen’s House. Designed in the seventeenth century by Inigo Jones. it’s now part of the National Maritime Museum. Beyond is Canary Wharf and other high-rise buildings on the Isle of Dogs. Hidden by the trees is the O2 building, originally built as the Millennium Dome in 2000. Controversial at the time, but I loved visiting it at the turn of the century!

You can easily spend a few days enjoying the history and sights of Greenwich. But, with only a few hours, there’s still a lot to see.

Above the main parkland, a group of students hung around the base of the statue of General James Wolfe. Erected in 1930, it looks out over Greenwich Park and London beyond.

Apparently, the very visible holes in the side of the statue are actually bullet holes from a German Messerschmitt that flew over London in the dark days of the Second World War. (A fact passed on to me by my father who grew up a mile down the road).

Greenwich Meridian Line

You can’t visit Greenwich without heading to the Royal Observatory perched at the top of the hill. Home of the prime meridian, it is a very popular tourist spot. The Greenwich Observatory was built in 1675 after being commissioned by Charles II. Ticket prices are quite expensive but well worth the visit. It’s cheaper if you buy a ticket that covers the Observatory and Cutty Sark. Flamsteed House (below), at the top of the hill, was home to the Royal Astronomer. The observatory buildings were erected on the remains of the ruined Greenwich Castle. Given that we only had a few hours as part of our four day trip (and we wouldn’t get our moneys worth) we decided to forego a visit inside the observatory.

It’s hard to believe that Greenwich Mean Time has only been in existence since 1884. It was chosen, in the mid nineteenth century, as the point of Longtitude 0° on the earth. Apparently, ‘mean’ is the average time each day that the sun crosses the meridian at the Observatory. Check out the site above for some amazing facts about how Greenwich Mean Time became the standard time for the UK and the World. Before this, most towns in Britain had their own local time with Bristol being 13 minutes behind London! Imagine the confusion that caused.

Greenwich Park

Greenwich is up there with the best of London’s parks. As we headed down the steep path near the Observatory, beautiful parkland spread out below with criss-crossing footpaths. People walk, skate and scooter. Back in 2012, when the world watched as London hosted the fantastic Olympic Games, Greenwich, controversially, came under the spotlight as the equestrian games were held here. Not all locals wanted the park to be dug up for the horses. But, today, you’d never know that it had happened.

Passing the boating lake, we headed out of the park through impressive tall iron gates towards the river.

After wandering a few cobbled streets, searching for places where my great great grandparents lived, we strolled past the shops. Had a quick look in the renowned Greenwich marketplace. Then over busy roads down towards the water and the Cutty Sark, in its dry dock. The majestic clipper gives a glimpse into Greenwich’s past and its importance in Britain’s maritime history.

The tea clipper itself has a fascinating history. Built in 1869, the Cutty Sark carried a cargo of wine and beer to China, before returning with 650 tons of tea. Enough to quench the thirst of much of the British population. However, with the development of steam ships, this trip only lasted seven years. After that, the Cutty Sark switched to the wool trade between Britain and Australia. Eventually, after many successful years, this too was overtaken by steam. The Cutty Sark’s final resting place was Greenwich dry dock, where it has been since 1954.

Our four hour visit almost over, we had to make the steep climb back up through the park. Our motorhome waiting for us at the top.

Across Blackheath

The traffic was heavy as we left Greenwich Park, crossed Blackheath and joined Charlton Way, which led onto the A207 and Shooters Hill. (Another South London fact from my Dad but possibly now just an urban myth is that plague victims were buried beneath Blackheath and this is why it has never been built on). Not sure if it’s true? We do know that it is now famous as the starting place each year for the London Marathon.

View from Shooters Hill

An ancient road, Shooters Hill joins South London to North Kent. Over the years, the boundaries have moved as more of the metropolis has slowly crept south. Each day, millions of commuters travel to and from work, by bus and car, over Shooters Hill, down to Lewisham and beyond into the city. It’s a monotonous, noisy, busy journey where little notice is taken of the world outside car windows. How many stop and take in the view from the second highest point in London.

Severndroog Castle

A bit further on, we turned right off Shooters Hill Road into the ancient woodlands of Castle Woods home to Severndroog Castle. Hidden away, it’s hard to believe you are just a few metres away from main route into the city. Built in the eighteenth century, Severndroog Castle is the second highest point in London. At 132 metres (433 ft) you get a big view of the Capital from the top. The surrounding woods date back thousands of years, and, thankfully, have been preserved and not swallowed up by the sprawling metropolis. There’s a lovely tearoom on the ground floor serving lunch, tea and cakes.

Charlton Athletic

Back on Shooters Hill, just past the Royal Arsenal, where my Great Grandad and Grandad worked, we carried on towards Kent. The road opposite the woods leads to Charlton Athletic’s The Valley, where I spent many hours of my childhood watching from the terraces and stand.

We had pre-booked a space for the night at Abbey Wood Caravan & Motorhome Site. There are very few sites in this area. It’s probably not the most popular place for a motorhome break. We drove down Shooters Hill Road towards Welling and Kent, turned left through East Wickham and on to the very clean and impressive site.

4 Day Road Trip in Kent – from Greenwich to Dover – part two