Walks you can reach from Thanet Parkway by train
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Margate to Broadstairs (Kent)
15 minutes direct from Thanet Parkway.
Beginner-friendly: Just keep the sea on your left and follow it to Broadstairs.
Coastal: almost all along the coast.
Broadstairs (2h45 in)
Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)
1 lunch spot: the Captain Digby (1h30 in)
5 end-of-walk rewards: the Tartar Frigate, the Neptune's Hall, Siam Kitchen, the Magnet Micropub, or the Prince Albert
Warnings: Very popular and busy.
Adapted from: Railwalks.
Chilham to Canterbury (Kent)
30 minutes direct from Thanet Parkway.
Highly recommended
Chilham (15m in)
Canterbury Cathedral (2h45 in)
Canterbury (2h45 in)
Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)
2 lunch spots: Chilham (30m in) — the Chilham Square, or the Star Inn
5 end-of-walk rewards: the Monument, the Unicorn Inn, the West Gate Inn, the Carpenters Arms, or the Old Buttermarket
Warnings: A fifth urban.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Charing to Chilham (Kent)
30 minutes direct from Thanet Parkway.
Highly recommended
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
Canterbury (4h15 in)
Chilham (4h15 in)
Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
2 lunch spots: the Flying Horse (1h45 in), or Perry Court Tea Room (2h15 in)
3 end-of-walk rewards: the Chilham Square, the White Horse, Chilham, or the Woolpack Inn, Chilham
Warnings: Penultimate section of the Pilgrim's Way to Canterbury.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Ramsgate to Margate (Kent)
5 minutes direct from Thanet Parkway.
Recommended: Low chalk cliffs, sandy bays and coves, cliff-top grassland, seaside promenades and historic coastal towns.
Coastal: nine tenths along the coast.
Margate (4h30 in)
Broadstairs (1h45 in)
Kingsgate Bay: A chalk-cliff cove on the Thanet coast near Broadstairs, framed by a natural sea arch (2h45 in).
Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
2 lunch spots: the Royal Victoria Pavilion (45m in), or Forts Café (1h45 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Mechanical Elephant, or the Cinque Ports
Warnings: Very popular and busy. Check tide timings.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walks: the Saturday Walkers Club and Walking Post (inc. GPX).
Faversham to Canterbury (Kent)
15 minutes direct from Thanet Parkway.
Recommended: Really beautiful woodland segments and occasional idyllic countryside vistas. The first segment, closest to Faversham, isn't great due to a busy road, but very quiet beyond that. Quiet and isolated.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Faversham: Very picturesque medieval market town with many interesting shops and historic sites.
Canterbury Cathedral (5h in)
Canterbury (5h in)
Time: 7h (5h walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)
Lunch: No lunch venues en route. There's a playground with picnic tables at Chartham Hatch that makes a good stop for a packed lunch.
7 end-of-walk rewards: the Black Griffin, the Lady Luck, the Old Weaver Restaurant, Marlowe's, the Drapers Arms, the Old Buttermarket, or the Shakespeare
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: Slow Ways.
Canterbury Circular via Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve (Kent)
15 minutes direct from Thanet Parkway.
Flat Kent countryside, arable fields, woods, ancient villages, oast houses, polytunnel farms and riverside.
Time: 7h (5h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Chilham Circular via Chilham (Kent)
30 minutes direct from Thanet Parkway.
Downland escarpment, upland fields, woods, bluebell woods, country estate and a hilltop village.
Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Chartham to Canterbury (Kent)
30 minutes direct from Thanet Parkway.
Apple orchards, a chalk stream and a cathedral, along the River Stour and the North Downs Way past No Man's Orchard into Canterbury.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
No Man's Orchard: A community orchard of mature fruit trees alongside the North Downs Way.
Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Orchard paths can be muddy; busy road section on the A28.
Walk details: Walking Post (tips, photos and local insights).
Sandling to Wye (Kent)
30 minutes direct from Thanet Parkway.
North Downs escarpment ridge, open downland, woods, sloping fields and fine views over Kent coast.
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Wye Circular via Crown Memorial (Kent)
30 minutes direct from Thanet Parkway.
North Downs escarpments, chalk downland, beech and chestnut woods, open fields, riverbank along Great Stour, churchyard and farmland.
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Pluckley to Ashford International (Kent)
30 minutes direct from Thanet Parkway.
Pastures, orchards, woods, commons, bogs, parkland estate and riverside parks into a town centre.
Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Whitstable to Canterbury (Kent)
15 minutes direct from Thanet Parkway.
Recommended: Mostly tarmac or hard-packed gravel, largely traffic-free and following the Crab and Winkle Way cycle path with a few steps and good bridges over the road. A delightful final stretch alongside the Great Stour through Westgate Gardens into Canterbury. Follows the Crab and Winkle Way; services at Blean can be reached via alternative routes. There is a seat at a church en route for a rest or picnic.
Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.
Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: One road crossing near the Canterbury end needs more care.
Walk details: Slow Ways.