2 Chatham – Dockside Outlet Shopping Centre

The 2 is a compact but rewarding little circuit around Chatham Maritime, the perfect bus for anyone arriving at the railway station who wants to reach the Historic Dockyard, the Outlet shops or the riverside paths without hunting for a taxi. It runs as a loop, starting and finishing at the Dockside Outlet on Chatham Maritime, with stops that line up neatly with the area's main visitor draws.

Leaving Stop A at the Dockside Outlet, the bus rolls along Western Avenue past the modern apartment blocks and marina inlets of Chatham Maritime, the redeveloped naval land where cranes and warehouses have given way to waterfront housing and the leisure complex around the St George's Centre. The view from the window mixes glassy new build with quiet stretches of dock water, and the masts of yachts moored along St Mary's Island.

Within a couple of minutes the bus reaches the gates of The Historic Dockyard Chatham, one of the most complete Georgian and early Victorian dockyards anywhere in the world. The stop opposite the Main Gate puts you a few paces from the ticket office for HMS Gannet, HMS Cavalier and the submarine Ocelot. Continuing on, the route swings past Fort Amherst, its Napoleonic tunnels and grass ramparts climbing steeply above the road, before dropping down towards the centre of Chatham.

The next pair of stops serve Chatham Waterfront Bus Station and Chatham Railway Station, the practical heart of the journey for anyone connecting from a Southeastern train. From the railway stop the bus loops back the way it came, calling again at the Waterfront, Fort Amherst, the Dockyard and the St George's Centre on Chatham Maritime, before returning to the Dockside Outlet where the designer outlet stores, Odeon cinema and waterside cafes wait at the end of the run.

It is a short ride, but a useful one. For visitors it stitches together three big attractions (the Dockyard, Fort Amherst and the Outlet) with the station and bus interchange, all on a single ticket and without the steep walk up from the river.

A day out on the 2 is best built around the Historic Dockyard and the Chatham Maritime waterfront, with the bus itself acting as a useful shuttle between the station, the attractions and the shops. Start at Chatham Railway Station, where trains from London Victoria and St Pancras arrive within an easy walk of the bus stops, and pick up the 2 for the short ride round to Dockside Outlet to plan the day over coffee.

From the Dockside Outlet, the obvious first stop is The Historic Dockyard Chatham, just a couple of minutes back along the route past the St George's Centre. Allow at least half a day to wander the ropery, climb aboard the Victorian sloop HMS Gannet, the Cold War destroyer HMS Cavalier and the submarine Ocelot, and explore the No. 3 Slip covered building.

Next door, the Command of the Heights site at Fort Amherst is reached from the stop opposite the Council Offices. The Napoleonic fortifications, gun batteries and chalk tunnels honeycomb the hillside above the river and offer some of the best views back over the Medway towards Rochester Castle and Cathedral.

Hop back on the 2 down to Chatham Waterfront Bus Station for a wander along the Sun Pier and into the town centre, where the Pentagon Shopping Centre and the indoor market sit a few minutes' walk from the riverside. Lunch options range from chain cafes at the Waterfront to fish and chips on the quay.

Return on the 2 to Chatham Maritime and the St George's Centre, the lively student and leisure quarter built around the former naval church, with its bars, climbing wall and the Dickens World heritage building now reused as offices. From here it is a short stroll across the marina footbridges to the Dockside Outlet.

Finish the day with a browse around the designer outlet shops at Dockside, a meal at one of the waterside restaurants and, if the timing works, a film at the Odeon. The 2 then runs you straight back to Chatham Railway Station for the train home, completing a neat loop with no need for a car.