Getting out of the county
Crossings and routes out of Kent
Every other county plans a long move around motorways. Kent plans it around crossings — two international, one domestic, and a pair of parallel motorways that amount to the same decision made twice.
None of this should be visible to you. It is here because it explains why we ask where in Kent you are before we say anything about timing.
Why this page exists
Most removals firms would not bother writing it. We do because it is the single most common source of confusion on a Kent job: a customer books a long-distance move, is told the vehicle leaves earlier than they expected, and assumes we are padding the day. We are not. We are getting to Dartford at an hour when Dartford is passable.
Going north or west
The crossing decision comes first and everything else follows from it. In practice that means departure times on long-distance jobs out of Kent are sometimes early, and occasionally we will suggest routing round through London instead — which looks longer on a map and frequently is not.
Going into Europe
Here Kent has an advantage no other county has. A load from Maidstone, Ashford or Canterbury is at Folkestone or Dover without touching the M25 at all, which removes the least predictable hour of the whole journey. It is the honest reason a Kent firm is a sensible choice for a European move that starts in Kent. The four routes set out what happens on the other side.
Coming into Kent
The same logic reversed. Arriving in the county at the wrong hour costs as much as leaving it at the wrong hour, so inbound moves get the same treatment.
When it goes wrong anyway
Sometimes it does. Ports get disrupted, the crossing closes, weather intervenes. Where that happens we tell you promptly and work out the best available course with you rather than leaving you to discover it. Where a load can sensibly be held instead of sent into a queue, holding it is usually the better answer.
Crossings
Questions about getting out of Kent
- Why does the Dartford Crossing matter so much?
- Because it is the only way across the Thames east of London, and it carries far more traffic than it was built for. Every Kent move heading north or west either goes through it or takes a long way round, and that decision is made against the day, the direction and the hour. It is the single biggest variable in a long-distance job from this county.
- Do I pay extra for the crossing?
- Charges that apply to a job are set out on your written quotation before you commit. What you will not get is a surprise line added afterwards because the traffic was bad.
- Tunnel or ferry for Europe?
- Usually the tunnel for a loaded removals vehicle: the crossing is short, the vehicle stays sealed and the driver stays with it rather than leaving it on a deck. The ferry is a genuine alternative and is sometimes the better call depending on sailings and on what else is booked that day.
- What happens if the port is disrupted?
- We plan around it rather than pretending it cannot happen — this is Kent, and disruption is a normal operating condition rather than an emergency. Where a load can be held rather than sent into a queue, holding it is usually the better answer, and we will tell you when we think so.
- Does the M20 freight scheme affect my move?
- It can affect the route and the timing, not the price. When the scheme is operating the M2 becomes the sensible way down the county for a lot of jobs. It is our problem to solve, and the reason we ask where in Kent you are before saying anything about timing.
Tell us where in Kent you are
The two addresses, a rough idea of what is going, and what the approach looks like. Those three answers get you a useful reply faster than anything else.