Continuing with the effort to complete another series of RRtY, I was out yesterday riding the lanes, hills and valleys of Kent from Medway down to Folkstone and back again. Having ridden all those miles in Germany during May, a few things struck me on yesterday’s ride.

We have a lot of hedgerows in Kent. The landscape is varied. Road surfaces are generally quite poor. The first two are worth celebrating. The third was a literal pain in the arse. I finished the ride feeling a bit more sore after 200k than after the 2,000‑plus I did on mainland Europe. Can’t have it all, I guess. If it was a choice between smooth paved surfaces or the landscape and hedgerows, I would choose the latter.

I love riding my bike around Kent. So good to have the North Downs to explore. I don’t mind the hills one bit. I kind of like them, as it goes. I just drop down into my lowest gear and pedal slowly up them without straining myself. I go for bike rides rather than training rides.

Riding for miles on the flat does not appeal much to me. I appreciate the variety Kent has to offer on that front. The views are great. Sometimes you can see for miles, and sometimes no further than the next bend in the road or the brow of the hill you’re climbing. Bendy hedgerow‑lined country lanes are the best.

I’ve done this ride a few times now. Each time it gets tweaked a bit. I’m very happy with most of the route now. The last bit that skirts round the edge of Sittingbourne is a bit rubbish, though. To avoid that, I’ve created v4. Instead of heading into Faversham at Selling, I head through the North Downs, make my way towards Hollingbourne, drop down to the Pilgrims Way, then back to Chatham via a sharp climb up Lidsing Road at around 192 km. A sting in the tail. Overall, it adds another 200 m or so of climbing to an already hilly ride.

It seems that pretty much every ride I do around Kent works out at around 100–110 m per 10 km. Comparing that with the European rides, which averaged about 32 m per 10 km, it makes sense how I managed the 200‑plus kilometre days fully loaded without too much of a struggle. The flattest and longest day was the last: 271 km with only 275 m of elevation. I’d have done that much climbing in Kent in less than 30 km.The European kilometres make the numbers look impressive on paper, but it’s the Kent rides, with rough surfaces, short sharp climbs and bendy hedgerows, that feel like the kind of work I really enjoy.

• cycling