Southern Kent Coastline

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Eastern Kent Coastline

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Northern Kent Coastline

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M20 in Kent

The Motorway M20 often gets filled with traffic, because it is the main route between the London Orbital Motorway M25 and the Channel crossing ports.

This is not everyday ~ but it happens. .

The M20 is closed southbound between junctions eight and nine

 From the above picture which is from the BBC we see a few traffic violations taking place.


The backlog prompted the closure of the M20 between the Maidstone and Ashford turn-offs to allow for the complex operation to shift non-freight traffic off the motorway and onto the A20 to make room for the hundreds of lorries waiting to board ferries and trains for France.

If you are taking this route, it may be good also to have a back up plan if you hit traffic like this. I say this as if you have a navigator and you turn off, it will keep looking for the next opportunity to get back in the M20.

Remember the A20 was the main route before the Motorway was built. It will take you to the Channel Crossing. This is well worth remembering.

Bad weather in Folkstone

Highways Agency cameras on M20 between J12 and 13 at Folkestone show traffic chaos Credit: Highways Agency ~ Just Picture that bad weather

South-east England is also likely to see around 2cm to 5cm of snowfall overnight, with Kent and Sussex the most affected counties. Temperatures, which have remained close to freezing throughout the day, will plummet to around -2C to -5C in towns and cities and -4C to -6C in rural areas overnight, our forecaster said. BBC

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It is an interesting fact that when we get just a few inches of snow we come to a standstill. This very day in the next county, drivers were stuck in their cars overnight with just 4 inches of snow. Why is it In other countries they can keep going through much colder weather and deeper snow? Are British drivers so untrained and lack self disciplined that they cant drive in snow? If a person knows they cant drive in snow, why do they drive in it?

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Why Kent?

As we drive through Kent, entering on the M25 at Sevenoaks and through natural selection on to the M20. Bypassing Maidstone and passing through Ashford we arrive at Folkstone. Our destination is the Channel Tunnel Crossing.

From the counties point of view we have not seen anything. Sticking to the motorway that is usually full of fast moving traffic, what could we see? As the driver I am not able to see much more than the road ahead. There is much more to see.  The purpose of this blog is to open up Kent to my self, my family and anyone wanting to take advantage of the information.

When looking at the map, it is quickly seen that water surrounds half of the county. Sea mean coastlines and coast could mean beaches. There are beaches on the northern side from what on the map is shown as Herne Bay to Margate. On the eastern coast Deal also has a beach.

As Kent is known as the "Garden of England" one can expect a lot of green areas. Also from the map we see an area on the border with East Sussex that looks quite hilly.

When searching information about Gillingham (North) it is shown also to be a part of Kent although on this map it appears to be outside the the counties border.

This page will be updated the more I find out.

About Kent

Kent /ˈkɛnt/ is a county in South East England, and one of the home counties. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of Medway. Kent has a nominal border with France halfway through the Channel Tunnel, as well as a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The county also borders Greater London to the North West near the towns of Swanley and Dartford, Surrey near Westerham and East Sussex near Tunbridge Wells. Maidstone is its county town and historically Rochester and Canterbury have been accorded city status, though only the latter still holds it. 

Kent's location between London and continental Europe has led to it being in the front line of several conflicts, including the Battle of Britain during World War II. East Kent was known as Hell Fire Corner during the conflict. England has relied on the county's ports to provide warships through much of the past 800 years; the Cinque Ports in the 12th–14th centuries and Chatham Dockyard in the 16th–20th centuries were of particular importance to the country's security. France can be seen clearly in fine weather from Folkestone, and the iconic White Cliffs of Dover. 

Because of its abundance of orchards and hop gardens, Kent is traditionally known as "The Garden of England" – a name often applied when marketing the county or its produce, although other regions have tried to lay claim to the title. Large parts of Kent are within the London commuter belt. South and East Kent rely on tourism and agriculture. Coal mining has also played its part in Kent's industrial heritage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent