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: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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
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.
Interactive map for this route
You can download the GPX file from the map below, simply by clicking the GPX button. Hovering over the elevation profile will show the elevation for that point along the route, in both metres and feet. It will also show the gradient.
And finally…
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