Today was overcast and pleasantly cool with promise to blue skies and heat late afternoon. We left at 08:30 and cycled along the Lee Navigation, the Hertford Union Canal near the Olympic Stadium and finally the Regents Canal to reach the Isle of Dogs opposite Greenwich and the stunning new developments around Limehouse, Canary Wharf and Millwall Docks. It was surreal seeing the skyscrapers ahead of us above the 18th century canals. An unexpectedly enjoyable traverse of London by bike. We reached the Greenwich foot tunnel and despite expectations and warnings that the “lift was always broken” - it wasn’t and we popped up at the Cutty Sark a few minutes later to enjoy a coffee at the Greenwich Naval College Museum.

We set off along the Thames cycle path around the Greenwich peninsula and the O2 arena and just kept on going fascinated by the housing and industry along the bank. Lunch in a cafe by some old factories. The Thames Path is slow because it is shared with pedestrians and nips in and out of buildings, wharves etc with sharp right angled corners. Great fun but not a speedy trip.

At Erith we left the river bank and plunged into a saltings nature reserve on an embankment. This was nice in principle BUT the path surface was soft sand and lumpy gravel bits, it was narrow and overgrown with brambles and weeds which continually brushed against our spokes, legs and panniers. It was slow and tricky cycling and was about 6km long. We were fed up. And then we reached the road network. Sadly, the cycle track - until the end of the day - ran alongside dual carriageways. So noisy, a bit scary and lots of awkward cycle crossings and Pelican crossings to negotiate roundabouts, flyovers, underpasses, bridges, tunnels etc. The cycle route planners have done a sterling job to negotiate the M25, the two Blackwall tunnels, the M25 bridge crossing, the M2, the high speed rail link for the Eurostar/EuroTunnel the Blue Water shopping campus and multiple dual carriageway bypasses. Beautifully signposted - so exemplary cycle route engineering. But very unpleasant nonetheless. We were grateful to arrive at the Gravesend Premier Inn for an early beer.