On my recce ride yesterday, I cut the corner avoiding Ramsgate, so the full food review will have to wait until next week.
The amended route is
here.
After leaving Whitstable, the route goes on the Crab & Winkle path to Canterbury. This is gravel (with a paved bridge over the A299), although in places it's a bit rocky. However it's fine on 23mm tyres. It drops down into Canterbury through the cycle path across the University, then we pick up another cycle path across to Fordwich. This has a good surface although it's a bit narrow but I spent some time yesterday moving away brambles & nettles. Then it's back on the roads again all the way to Sandwich, and then we go next to the A256 on the Viking Trail which is all pavement at that point, up to Ramsgate for a spot of lunch. The route then basically follows the sea wall all the way around the coast back to Reculver, although at times it leaps back onto the coast road.
The sea wall is concrete blocks so a good surface, although in places the joints in blocks gets a bit tedious with the "thuds"! Also when it goes past beach huts there are no cycling boards, so we may have to be careful on those stretches.
On the bit between Birchington and Reculver it's completely desolate but we'll also get to see the point where Thanet was orginally an island separate from the rest of Kent. In Reculver we'll have a look at their ruined church, and then it's on the roads to Herne Hill and then back on the sea wall to Whitstable.
57.5 miles in total. One big hill with some minor inclines and lots of water (hopefully in the sea).
Amended roll call
Me
Jurek
PippaG
Kats
Wowbagger
her_welshness
Auntie Helen
saoirse50
Sergeant Pluck (possible)
Edit - weather update.
Weather currently looking rather good. A ridge of high pressure sitting on top, sunshine, hot, with a
gentle (yes gentle) north-westerly wind of 10 mph.
Edit - wind a bit stronger at 15 mph and now from the north-east, but still manageble going along the sea front.
