Route planning

A very quick blog to kick things off.  We're still over 3 months away from departing these shores, but it's never too soon to start, and indeed finish, the planning.

We got together as a foursome, as it were, last week, and I think all is going to be well.  We each have our challenges to overcome if it's going to be a totally harmonious experience, but with a bit of luck those are undulations rather than high peaks on the road ahead.  Mine?  So many....remember this is for pleasure rather than being a military exercise, get the navigation sorted properly, remember not to preface every sentence with "when I did Land's End to John O'Groats" (I'm boring myself with that), for starters.

As far as navigation is concerned, the route from central London to Dover has been bothering me.  My first thoughts were to go out through south-east London, and then hug the north Kent coast through Dartford, Chatham, Gillingham through to Faversham, then hit the back roads to get to Dover.  I didn't fancy the navigation over the last 25 miles though, and elements of the route to Faversham looked a bit dull, to be frank.  I think we've got a better one now though, heading south after Dartford to pick up the A20, then staying on that through parts of the North Downs to Maidstone, Ashford, and nearly all the way to Dover.  Andy has been kind enough to stick it through bikeroutetoaster (I need to get a lesson off him - I've failed dismally to make it work for me so far), and it looks ok.

Three months feels like a long time between now and departure, but before then we've got plenty else to occupy us.  Inter alia, there'll be a trip to France to watch the Tour de France for Neil and me, a new job for Neil, summer holidays, and bike buying for Dylan.  So the time will go quickly, and the more we can get sorted quickly, the better.  It looks like we'll be having a practice outing on Monday 27th June, organisation courtesy Andy, so there's an interim target.