Active Ramsgate has launched a new guide for cyclists to travel from Ramsgate to Deal and back with the opportunity to visit some of the South East’s best examples of architecture, history and nature along the way.
Titled the Pier to Pier Cycle Trail due to the starting and finishing points being Ramsgate Pier and Deal Pier, the route is 20km one-way. With the majority on cycle friendly paths, it’s a route for all the family to enjoy, with lots of viewpoints and places to stop and rest along the way.
The new cycling guide lays out clear ‘pedal by pedal’ instructions of the route, a downloadable map, along with points of interest along the way. These include a brief history of Ramsgate Pier, an introduction to medieval Sandwich as the half-way point, and an overview of Pegwell Bay National Nature Reserve and Deal Pier. The route also takes you right past three golf courses, including Royal St George’s where the 149th Open Championships take place in July.
There are some suggestions of outdoor restaurants/cafes to visit along the way, allowing you to enjoy the continental vibe and hustle and bustle of Thanet.
Harbour Bikes, based in the arches of Ramsgate’s Royal Harbour, has a wide range of cycles to hire – or if you have brought your own, they can help with repair or service if it needs a spot of fine tuning before you head off.
The guide is free to download from the Active Ramsgate website at www.ramsgatetown.org/activeramsgate/cycling-kent-holidays which also includes details of other outdoor activities, places to stay and where to eat and drink.
Active Ramsgate has a range of inspiring themed walks, cycle routes, canoe trails, kitesurfing, paddleboarding, scuba diving, boat trips, golf, tennis, pickleball and bird watching tours created to capture the interest of locals and visitors alike.
Find out more by contacting the Project Manager, Dr Cheryl Mvula, on 01227 272078.
The scheme is an initiative set up and funded by Ramsgate Town Council.
For more information about Active Ramsgate, visit www.ramsgatetown.org/activeramsgate
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I’ll check it Charlie
Yep, looks like their website is down
This is a super ride, but it could be so much better.
It embraces the historic towns of Ramsgate Sandwich and Deal. It passes through the Pegwell Bay nature reserve and the golf links, with stunning views. It runs close to the point where St Augustine landed, the site of the Hoverport and the strange Sandwich Bay Eastate. It is well served along its whole length by cafes and toilets, with pubs and railway stations in each of the towns.
BUT
To describe the route as “cycle friendly” is an exaggeration, to say the least.
For example, between Ramsgate and Sandwich there are over a dozen places where the cycle path is crossed by a road, often simply accessing a premises or car park. At each one, bikes have to give way. At many, there are signs instructing cyclists to “dismount”. Only in a very few places (eg the Paragon) are there segregated cycle lanes; even on the wide promenades cyclists, joggers, walkers and dogs have to jostle and compete for space.
In Deal, a large “No Cycling” sign is emblazoned on the ground, and bikes are directed onto the main road, a few yards from a busy roundabout- a most dangerous situation.
Part of the route is the “Viking Trail” and other parts are national cycling network routes 15 and 1.
I think the “Cycling Superhighways” in London are exemplars of good practice.
Nevertheless, I’ve cycled the route many times both in summer and winter, and mostly enjoyed it.
But with a bit of thought and a little effort, the Pier to Pier route could be a super cycle route, too.
For those fit enough, it is worth carrying on from deal via Walmer beach and Kingsdown and then up the cycle lane to the village of St. Margarets.
I’ve often cycled to Kingsdown and had lunch at the Rising Sun. But coping with Chalk Hill on the way home was challenge enough!
I haven’t done it for a few years, as sadly neither my fitness or my bike are quite in tip-top shape though I’m working on both (taking my bike for a proper service/repair today!).
You could start by taking the train (with bike) to Sandwich (thus avoiding Chalk Hill); cycle the flat route to Deal; if exhausted, train back to Ramsgate otherwise cycle back to Sandwich and then train.
After a few trips, you’ll be as fit as Boris’ butcher’s dog!
I would’ve done that, but currently there are no through trains from Birchington where I now live to Sandwich/Deal (it’s a nightmare trying to change trains at Ramsgate, particularly as it usually involves stairs). I’m already fairly fit (I find 20-ish miles when it is flattish reasonably easy), so I’m getting there! My aim is to be able to cycle to Dover or Folkstone again, as I did regularly did before my heart attack nearly 3 years ago…