Viking Coastal Trail

Kent

The Viking Coastal Trail is a 25-mile multi-user route around the Isle of Thanet, the point where Vikings first landed in Britain, keeping as close as is possible to the coast from Reculver, passing through Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate to reach Pegwell Bay where the Trail uses an inland loop on quiet lanes through pretty Kentish villages with ancient churches and passes Minster Abbey, one of England's oldest inhabited buildings founded in 670, to return. A downloadable leaflet is available from the website below.

The waymarked Thanet Coastal Path (20 miles and on OS mapping) is an often coincident linear route on the coastal section between the Thanet boundary near Reculver and Pegwell Bay that winds its way past sandy beaches and bays, often against a backdrop of spectacular chalk cliffs. Ramsgate and Margate are lively seaside resorts and Broadstairs has nostalgic charm. For walkers the obvious inland return is on the Saxon Shore Way but the nearest footpath link to Pegwell Bay is at Sandwich, making a much longer route: both the Trail and Path link with the Saxon Shore Way (and Wantsum Walks) at Reculver.

---

Details:

Path Type:	Paths Marked on OS mapping
Waymark:	Viking helmet with cycle logo
Attributes:	Easy Cycle Route Coastal
Start:	TR264666 - St Nicholas at Wade, Kent
Finish:	TR227693 - Reculver Tower, Thanet, Kent
Web Sites:	Visit Thanet - Viking Coastal Trail Explore Kent - Viking Coastal Trail Viking Coastal Trail Viking Coastal Trail [YouTube video]

---