Finding the Faesten Dic

About this Event

The idea that Londoners should be kept out of Kent dates back to long before the current Coronavirus crisis. It was 1500 years ago that a dyke called the Faesten Dic was built to keep Roman Londoners out of Saxon Kent (see Finding the Faesten Dic ). It is one of the best preserved ancient earthworks in the South East.

It is located in Joyden's Wood (which may be muddy!) and this is a ride to find it.

We will have no choice but to venture into a Tier 1 area to find the Summerhill Road entrance to the wood, but as there are no cafes there, it won't make any difference.

We meet at the Southwark Needle at 9.30am and start by cycling to Cutty Sark Gardens, where you can also join this ride at 10am. Bring lights in case.

The Faesten Dic is in Joyden’s Wood, a Woodland Trust site that is sandwiched between the A2 and A20, near Bexley. It is an embankment along the Anglo-Saxon border between Kent and Surrey which is thought to have been constructed around the 8th century (or possibly even earlier). We will ride out through Sidcup and then cycle through Joyden's Wood. We then stop off at Hall Place for a refreshment break and then return to Cutty Sark Gardens via Danson Park and Falconwood.

This is the route for the ride: Southwark Needle to Faesten Dic Route. www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1Eus0wdefN_tqIMpn8q8hPAIh4KG4J1vs&usp=sharing