Leaving the Dutch Quarter of Colchester behind, this route is soon back on country roads and passing through small villages. You will have noticed that the style of houses have changed from the flint built ones in Norfolk and Suffolk, they are now wooden with painted weatherboarding and look similar to the houses you will see later when travelling through Kent.

Taking a small detour at Maldon, you can see Thames sailing barges tied up alongside at The Hythe.
The Hythe was originally a separate hamlet serving Maldon as a port where, among other cargoes, the East Coast barges would transport hay and straw up the Thames to feed London's large number of horses. Maldon's Hythe Quay is home to the largest collection of these barges and you can often see one being restored or on the blocks by the quayside having its hull maintained. This area is where Cooks boatyard used to be and where some of Maldon's barges were originally built. It's a great place to take some photos. A link to the Wiki page for Thames barges is below.

You will notice another change too, as you get closer to London the traffic gets busier and busier and will reach its crescendo when you cross the River Thames at the Dartford Crossing using The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. The crossing is made sweeter for motorcycles as they cross the bridge free of charge, cars pay a £2.50 toll. I have included a link below for toll payments. The bridge deck is 65 metres above the Thames to accommodate ocean-going cruise liners so it can be very windy, caution is required. But if the weather is kind, the excitement of using such a magnificent bridge and the views that you get are memorable.
After crossing the bridge take the second exit labelled (1b) A225 Dartford.
Depending on your time schedule, you can ignore this exit and carry on and follow the signs for the Channel Tunnel M25 and M20. This will take 1 hour to reach the Channel Tunnel after crossing the bridge or 2 hours (+ lunch) by using the remainder of this route.

Crossing the Thames takes you into Kent, known as the 'Garden of England' because of the produce that is grown on its rich, free draining, chalky soil. Plumbs, cherries, apples, pears and strawberries, but hops grow particularly well and you will see round oast houses that are used to dry the hops before they are added to the brewing mix to make beer.

You will pass through several pretty Kent villages and I have suggested that you should stop in one for lunch, The Red Lion pub in Biddenden has been serving alcohol originally as an Inn since 1735 and was converted to such from a house that is reputedly build by a soldier who had returned from The Battle of Agincourt in the late 14th or early 15th century. The pub is traditionally decorated with swathes of hops hanging from beams.

This route ends on the approach road for the Eurotunnel which is 1 hour from the Red Lion.
Enjoy.