Hitchhiking from Hythe
Hitchhiking to Hythe
Recent reviews mentioning Hythe
51.12493, 1.31752
If Calais bound, Best of the bunch I reckon... Still not great. Moved up here from the roundabout at the terminal area. The traffic moves fast and comes all at once with a bunch of lorries blocking you from view for most of your potential car rides (lorries aren't able to stop here too big). A lovely Dutch family did end up stopping but it felt quite lucky. If you're going Calais definitely try get a ride from Maidstone instead nowhere in Dover is ideal for pickup! If you are gonna hitch from here, sign is essential―callsd
51.1055, 1.25637
Really not ideal, previous commenter probably be refering to concrete layby which is now closed off to traffic so there's nowhere to pull in. I got a ride to Dover at a narrow gravel layby about 500m down the road, truckers fill this up quick so it's really not great for traffic to stop at. Maybe still as effective as the spot I hitched from in Dover though ? But nowhere in Dover was solid either!―callsd
51.2649, 0.61582
Did nothing but sit at the rocks and thumb throughout the morning. Got offers for Coventry (traveller with an RV), Liverpool (truck driver) and one other slowdown, but none towards the continent until an older lady offered me a lift to Dover. Took it as it was getting boring…―Nasalodor
51.11779, 1.30693
I definitely got lucky. The sports not bad at all but idk about traffic. First car got me. I originally got picked up at Maidstone by some Belgium guys, they said they were heading across but when we got into Dover they mentioned it was 9pm that night. I jumped out and thanked them but realised I either had to go back up the m20 and find someone going for the tunnel, or I was kinda screwed. This guy just happened to be really eccentric and scooped me upIF YOU WANT THE TUNNEL MAKE SURE YOUR RIDE FROM MAIDSTONE CAN GET YOU THROUGH
―Kjmurray1230
51.26674, 0.61518
Walked around carpark with an EU and BE sign. Just friendly smile and chat to people. Found a family who said they were going back home that night and that they were Belg. I went with them BUT their ferry was for 9pm. I bailed at Dover and found someone else but MAKE SURE YOU FIND A PERSON HERE TO GET YOU ACROSS. It is 10x harder at Dover.―Kjmurray1230
51.12665, 0.89875
I got dropped off by a truck that had problems with its customs and needed to go to Dover. Luckily, there is a big traffic light crossroad with a long stop time, so cars can actually pick you up. I stood here with a sign that said "Dover" and got a lift within minutes.―martih
51.94825, -0.50127
It took me quite a while to find a truck going past London towards Dover, but with a bit of luck, you can do it easily. It's a big rest stop on both sides, so it's not hard to find a car going anywhere.―martih
51.18787, 3.10561
Ok, this is my short rant about getting to the UK. It's hard, like really hard. Stop thinking about that in your average hitchhiking times, multiple it by 10. It's like waiting for Godot, but it's the same as ever, it's not matter of change, but time and persistence. I got lucky with a Norwegian car, they told me that they are going in two days and I agreed. But it's extremely difficult and absolute majority don't want to even speak to you once they hear the word UK. Foreign license plates are your goal, but it's still going to be a massive pain. I approached UK cars without a sign and just waved my sign to anyone else. Have your passport and ETA ready and the best of luck for all of you.―martih
51.12552, 1.3197
moved here after waiting closer to the Ferry Port roundabout for a bit. Got a lift after an hour or so with someone. They'd bought the wrong ticket and had no leftover money so we paid for some of the new car ticket. c'est la vie.While on the ferry we asked for lifts to Paris, but nobody was going (nor did it seem like anyone else but our lift would have picked us up from the street - maybe lucky!), so we went to Lille to stay the night. Successfully asked someone on the street to stay at their place.
―Alifeee
51.12552, 1.3197
Most traffic passing through is crossing the channel. The bus stop allows plenty of space for stopping and you are visible from far away.Be aware that the leftmost lane (where cars will be able to access you) is normally a truck lane.
Locals I spoke to use this spot semi-regularly.
When crossing, make sure to check with your driver that he/she can add an additional passenger to their ticket. If they booked directly with the ferry company then it shouldn't be an issue. If through an agency, that will be challenging.
Also, the UK government is currently rolling out Advance Passenger Information (API) where you'd need to submit personal info. When I went, the API was done when passing through passport controls, but some boat companies are talking about turning it into a pre-submitted form. Make sure you check with the ferry company for the latest info.
―SebUltimate
51.12552, 1.3197
Great gateway-spot. I waited 15 min and a woman took me to the gas station up the hill in her Jaguar. From there I quickly found a ride to London (could've gone to Luton if I wanted)―daganzebuaatramper
51.09402, 1.10153
―Anonymous
51.12368, 1.31395
―Anonymous
51.12564, 1.31993
To France, there is a bus stop where you can try to stop the too dense traffic―Anonymous
51.09402, 1.10153
You can access the Channel Tunnel entrance from Ashford road (A20) slip-road, and hitch from there before the viaduc trying to catch the traffic from the highway as cars can safely pull over around or after the viaduc, the toll booths are still 800 yards away and there is no cctv to be used as deterrents.―Anonymous
51.12493, 1.31752
going to clais, france. if you haven't managed to get a lift before, this is most probably the place to be... next to petrol station and just before the traffic light where many people have to stop. i stood here twice (~30min/~5min) with an a4 sign stating 'Ferry?'. after having eye contact with somebody waiting at the traffic light you have to be quick to jump in or the driver of a car might also turn left into the small road... on the ferry you can ask people in order to change your lift. i never managed to do this, so i am very happy to get some tips about that...―Anonymous
51.12151, 1.311
Very good when heading to London. Cars can pull over at the bus stop.All the traffic from the ferries passes.
―Anonymous
51.09476, 1.10059
Looks like a good place to hitch the Channel, but I was caught by the Eurotunnel security after 20 minutes of waiting (about 10 cars passed). They were quite friendly, but told me the Eurotunnel compagny has an anti-hitchhiker policy, and also that they are patrolling by car all the time, and I would be sent away even if I found a car from somewhere else. I didn't try to prove they were wrong and found a car in the ferry three hours later.―Anonymous
51.12368, 1.31395
After the staff of the petrol station told me it was a private property and I had to go because I was annoying their clients, I stood for one hour near the bus stop, hoping a truck would stop, but it didn't work.―Anonymous
51.12151, 1.311
It's not that good for London. We waited one and half hour. People were driving very fast, so most of them even didn't read our sign. Also buses are complications, because they block the view of regular small cars (2 line-road). A empty coach took us to London for free, but that was kinda miracle...―LuciMK