Oyster Bay Trail & Northern Seawall

Oyster Bay Trail & Northern Seawall Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Running for 17 miles between Whitstable and Margate, this route is mostly traffic-free, with some sections along (normally) quiet roads. As a coastal route, you’re assured stunning sea views almost throughout. However, there’s a price to pay for all that: the route is very exposed and the winds can be very strong.

Recently, I found out that along the seafront part of the route, pretty much from Minnis Bay to Margate, cycling is banned between the start of June and the end of September. The alternative is on the road, and isn’t signed.

This route almost directly links with the Crab & Winkle Way, and you can combine the two for a longer adventure.

Photos by Gary Moon.

Surface

Most of the route has a sealed surface that is quite decent, mostly varying between tar or smooth concrete. In places you’re likely to encounter sand washed onto the path.

Bikes

You can use any bike along this route.

Toilets

There are toilets available in Whitstable, Herne Bay, Westgate, and in Margate.

Ratings

Safety: ⭐⭐⭐
Hilliness: ⭐⭐⭐
Refreshment stops: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Barriers: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Surface: ⭐⭐⭐

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The grading system I use is explained here.

Points of Interest

Look out for the Reculver Towers and Roman Fort roughly halfway along the route.

Routes in Kent

Barriers

There are no barriers along the route. There is a normal and wide gate, by the King Ethelbert Inn, but that’s normally left wide open.

Forecast for Oyster Bay Trail & Northern Seawall

What it looks like

OysterBay3_Velomoon
OysterBay2_Velomoon
OysterBay1_Velomoon
OysterBay_Velomoon
previous arrowprevious arrow
next arrownext arrow
Shadow

Getting there

You can either cycle to the start from Canterbury, along the Crab & Winkle Way, or you can catch the train to Whitstable station. Before taking your bike on the train, do read my Bikes On Trains guide first.

More Routes

To find more routes, click this link.


DayCycle

DayCycle routes are routes can can easily be cycled by most people in a day, or part of a day. Do have a look at all the other DayCycle routes available on WillCycle. Many contain detailed route guides, as well as embedded maps (like the one below) from which you can download the GPX file for the route.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.