Day 66 – Margate to Sittingbourne

 

 Date: Friday 22^nd April 2011   Distance: Miles 37.65

 

We got up at 5.15 to leave by 6 am. Arrived at Faversham at 10.30 to catch the train to Herne bay then possibly catch bus or ride to Margate because of rail works. When train came in there wasn’t space for anymore people let alone bikes so we went back to the car and drove to Margate, avoiding 5 miles of jam to the coast by following cars down a series of lanes. There were no spaces in the station car park but managed to persuade a campervan driver to readjust his vehicle so we could squeeze in at the back with our bonnet under his bike carrier. It was only £1 to park all day. We began our ride in temperatures of 22 degrees, riding alongside the sea on the promenade. The beach is sandy with plenty of room when the tides out-lots of people were swimming-amazing for April!

 

There was a little beach hut type cafe at Westgate on Sea, that produced good fish and chips but we were only ready for a sandwich. Queues stretched round the space inside and out and on the prom but everyone seemed to be affable locals and the wait wasn’t too long.

 

There were low chalk cliffs, their geology appearing as if bricked. Much of the path is old military access roads and a good riding surface, some newly tarmaced.

The cycleway took us through Reculver and picturesque ruins of St. Mary’s church. There were many people walking here. Marshland provided good hunting ground for kestrels and other hunting birds (not yet identified)
 

 

                                                                            On to Herne Bay, where it was a lot more             razzmatazz than Margate, we noticed the pier had no middle. There was a domed end out in the sea and a bit at the beach. There were all the usual seaside tourist bits.

Swalescliff led to Whitstable which has oodles of character. However the narrow streets are full of one-way systems and no cycle path. There were more people here than Whitstable could cope with but though Good Friday, shops and cafes were open. We would have lingered as it looked an interesting place but we found it too bustling.

 

We followed a cycle-way from a point in the middle of nowhere- Graveny Marshes. Sailing ships  moved in the narrow strip of water adjacent to the path on the water’s bank. Unfortunately the serenity was spoilt by the sewerage works to our side but generally it was a very pretty ride taking us through a higgly- piggly boat yard via a very narrow bridge. We found that we had missed a sign for the cycle way and it had become a footpath then river towpath which came out in Faversham past the station and cottage hospital.

 

At the other side of Faversham we took a little lane that led past gunpowder works (open to the public!) and woods full of native bluebells- gorgeous. We followed the railway line through Teynham all the way to the station at Sittingbourne. Kind staff here locked the tandem in a railing courtyard   for security and we caught the 6.05 train back to Margate( via the bus at Herne Bay because of railworks) which took well over an hour. After eating dinner at premier Inn next to the Station we made a 45 minute drive back to Sittingbourne station where we reclaimed the bike and put it in the boot arriving at Sittingboune Premier Inn( where we stayed 3 nights) at 9.30. What a long day!