Walks from Whitstable

Easy coastal walk, flat terrain, seaside villages and open shoreline.

Coastal: three quarters along the coast.

Time: 3h30–7h30

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Similar walks: Railwalks (inc. GPX) and Slow Ways (inc. GPX).

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: 3h–6h30

Warnings: One road crossing near the Canterbury end needs more care.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Easy and gorgeous walking. An almost entirely flat, step-free coastal route along paved seafront promenade and with a short grassy or dirt section around the Long Rock nature reserve at Swalecliffe. Smooth tarmac for most of its length though uneven and bumpy in places; can be busy with pedestrians. The marked route passes through Long Rock nature reserve at Swalecliffe; wheelers and cyclists are better on the paved path that curves around it. Toilets at Tankerton Beach and Hampton (Spa Esplanade).

Coastal: almost all along the coast.

Time: 2h–4h30

Lunch: Oyster cafes at Whitstable harbour; ice cream available on the Herne Bay seafront.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Flat coastal promenade and sea wall; shingle beach, beach huts, caravan-park front, residential clifftops and seaside towns.

Source: A longer variant of Birchington to Herne Bay – the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).