120/124 Chatham Hill – Darland – Barnsole Road – Rainham Mark

The 120 is one of Nu-Venture's local Medway loops, a useful little service that begins and ends at Chatham Waterfront Bus Station, with the wide tidal sweep of the Medway just over the sea wall. The riverside stand at Stop B9 is the obvious starting point, and from the upper deck the eye is drawn first to the masts and cranes of Chatham Historic Dockyard upstream before the bus pulls away towards the town centre.

Climbing past The Brook, the route works its way up Chatham Hill through a streetscape of Victorian terraces, corner shops and converted chapels. Institute Road and Windmill Road slip by, the bus gaining height steadily until the older grain of Chatham gives way to the long ribbon of Watling Street running east into Gillingham. The change of borough is barely noticeable from the window, but the houses spread out a little and front gardens reappear.

The first real landmark comes at Jezreels, a junction that takes its name from the Jezreelite tower that once stood here, a vast unfinished religious folly demolished in the 1960s. The bus turns south from the main road and begins the climb into Darland, and this is where the route earns its place on a scenic list. The avenues of Leyton, Hamelin, Preston and Allison are properly leafy, lined with interwar semis and mature street trees, and on a clear day the gaps between houses open onto long views across the Medway valley towards the North Downs.

At the top of Darland the bus loops through Windyridge and Woodlands Road before dropping down Featherby Road towards Eastcourt Lane. The character shifts again here, from suburban avenues to the edge of open ground, with allotments, playing fields and the green wedge that separates Gillingham from Rainham visible from the windows.

The outbound leg terminates outside Tesco at Rainham, a practical stop for shopping that doubles as the turning point of the loop. From here the 120 retraces much of its route back through Darland, calling at the opposite side of each avenue, before rejoining Watling Street at Jezreels and rolling back down Chatham Hill. The final descent gives a fine view over the rooftops of Chatham towards the dockyard and the river, before the bus pulls back into Stop B9 at the Waterfront.

It is not a tourist route in the usual sense. It is a neighbourhood loop with a working purpose, but for anyone curious about how the Medway Towns actually fit together, the climb through Darland and the loop round Rainham Mark is a quietly rewarding ride.

The 120 is not the obvious choice for a day out, but it does open up a genuinely interesting slice of the Medway Towns when paired with the bigger sights down by the river. A relaxed plan is to start in the centre of Chatham, ride the loop through Darland to Rainham and back, then spend the afternoon on the waterfront.

Begin at Chatham Waterfront Bus Station, which sits right beside the river. Before boarding, walk five minutes along the riverside path for views across to Rochester Bridge and the castle keep on the far bank. The Pentagon Centre is just behind the bus station if you need a coffee or breakfast before setting off from Stop B9.

As the bus climbs Chatham Hill through Institute Road and Windmill Road, you pass close to the boundary of the Great Lines Heritage Park, a huge open common between Chatham and Gillingham with the Royal Engineers' memorial obelisk visible on the skyline. It is well worth a wander on the return leg if the weather is kind.

At Gillingham Jezreels the route swings into the Darland avenues. There is no obvious tourist stop here, but the streets themselves are the appeal, and the high ground around Preston Avenue gives long views south towards the North Downs. The loop then drops to Rainham Tesco, a sensible point to hop off for a quick lunch in Rainham village. The parish church of St Margaret of Antioch, with parts dating back to the 12th century, is a short walk from the High Street, and there are independent cafes and bakeries clustered nearby.

Catching the return service back to Chatham, sit on the upper deck if you can: the descent of Chatham Hill is the best view of the day, with the dockyard cranes and the river opening up ahead.

Back at the Waterfront, give the rest of the afternoon to Chatham Historic Dockyard, ten minutes away by connecting bus or a brisk walk along the river. HMS Gannet, HMS Cavalier and the Victorian Ropery are the headline attractions, and the site easily fills three or four hours. If time allows, finish with a wander round Rochester High Street, where the cathedral, castle and Dickens associations make a fine close to the day.

It is a day that mixes the everyday Medway, climbing the residential ridge above the river, with the grander heritage of Chatham and Rochester. The 120 is the unflashy thread that ties it together.