The summit of Tumbledown Hill, between Eastwell and Westwell The summit of Tumbledown Hill, between Eastwell and Westwell. Photo: pam fray / Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Open the interactive map → Map of NCN 17 - Pilgrims Way

Official route · Sustrans

NCN 17 - Pilgrims Way

47.6 km 820 m climbing A day 29% off road Road cycling London & South East

The route runs east from Strood and Rochester through the Kent Downs, climbing steadily through Borstal and Burham before easing across the ridge past Kit's Coty and Detling.

About a third of the distance is off road. Beyond Hollingbourne the line settles into a long eastward push through Harrietsham, Lenham and Warren Street before dropping toward Charing and Westwell. The final kilometres through Kennington and Bybrook bring you into Ashford on quieter ground.

The figures

Distance47.6 km
Climbing820 m
Off road14 km, about 29% of the route
Riding timeabout 2 hours, a long day
RegionLondon & South East
Route fromSustrans

Worth knowing before you go

Settlements are close together as far as Hollingbourne, then the gaps between Lenham, Warren Street and Charing leave a stretch with fewer options. The route is tagged as road, but with a significant off-road proportion you should check your surface preference before committing a loaded bike. Navigation through the built edges of Rochester and Ashford requires attention.

Put your own dates on this and TourTrax splits it into days at your pace, finds somewhere to sleep at the end of each one, estimates what it will cost and gets you to the start without flying.

Plan this route → Download the GPX

Other route guides

NCN 17 - Pilgrims Way is an official route from Sustrans (their website).