I’ve wanted to give the loop a go for a long time, having done it sections over the years. Trying it after a long day in London possibly wasn’t the smartest choice, but I figured the lack of sleep would be good practice for an event I’ve got coming up in a few weeks.
Sticking to the original GPX start point, I set off from Wye at 07:30 on a drizzly Bank Holiday Sunday. By the time I reached Canterbury the sun was shining and temperature warming up. After stopping off at a bakery for a sugar hit, it was on towards Dover. By the time I got there, I was craving some ‘proper’ food, so deviated off the route to a supermarket, rejoining at the same point. After a quick detour to the official start/finish of the NDW on the seafront, it was time for the dreaded steps up to Western Heights.
The jog along the cliffs towards Folkestone was accompanied by sea fog rolling in, before the skies cleared as the path headed away from the sea. The final miles were beautiful, with a gorgeous sunset and views stretching for miles. I was distinctly slow, heading into the night by torchlight, but thoroughly enjoyed it.
This was the first time I’ve covered this distance solo; it definitely made for a great day out. The GPX shows my supermarket wandering and a couple of ‘damn, I’m on the wrong side of a fence’ backtracks.
For anyone else wanting to do it self-supported, there is a pub in Shepherdswell (Canterbury to Dover stretch) and another in Stowing (Dover to Wye stretch), along with a multitude of options in Canterbury and Dover.