Viking Coastal Trail
| Viking Coastal Trail | |
|---|---|
St Nicholas at Wade 51°21′15″N 1°15′07″E / 51.3541°N 1.2519°E Reculver Towers 51°19′51″N 1°18′58″E / 51.3309°N 1.3161°E | |
| Use | Cycling and Hiking, |
| Highest point | 42 m (135 ft) |
| Months | All year |
The Viking Coastal Trail is a 25-mile multi-user route around the
History
The trail was devised by a collaboration of Douglas Bush (the Thanet representative for cycling tour club Right To Cycle, the local secretary of the Thanet Cycle Forum and a member of the East Kent cycle campaign group Spokes),
Olympic athlete Kelly Holmes MBE opened the Trail, on Sunday 10 June 2001. Total cost of the trail (including design, construction and marketing) is about £500,000 divided roughly equally between Kent County Council and Thanet District Council.[2]
Route
It is largely traffic free (especially along the coast). On-road 46% - Off-road 54% .[3] The coastal route also follows (in most sections) the route of the Saxon Shore Way (long distance footpath). But the inland section of the trail is still being upgraded and improved, such as the section between the A299 Thanet Way and Reculver.[4] At Sandwich it connects to National Cycle Route 1 to head to Canterbury.[5]
At Reculver, the trail links to Wantsum Walk to Upstreet (following an old river route) and Oyster Bay Trail (leading to Whitstable, along the coastline).
The Trail forms the route for many charity local cycle rides, including Thanet Road Runner mountain bike duathlon, which starts as a short 2.4-mile road run from
Usage
References
- ^ a b "Saddle up to see unspoilt scenery". Isle of Thanet Gazette. Isle of Thanet: www.thisiskent.co.uk. 20 January 2002. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ a b "VIKING COASTAL TRAIL – USE AND ECONOMIC IMPACT" (PDF). thanet.gov.uk. Thanet District Council. 23 March 2004. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ "The Viking Coastal Trail". www.kent.gov.uk. Kent County Council. 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ "Users of our Oyster Bay Trail can now extend their rides to the East from Reculver". www.canterbury.gov.uk. Canterbury City Council. 8 March 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ "Explore Thanet" (PDF). Kent County Council. Explore Kent. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2013.