9.40 train from Victoria (9.57 Bromley South) to Birchington, arriving 11.15
It is also possible to get the 9.20 Southeastern high speed train from St Pancras to Birchington, arriving 10.54, but for once the high speed train has no time advantage (at least on the outward journey) and costs extra.
Buy a day return to Birchington
This may seem a long way to go for a short walk (though you can extend it to Whitstable if you feel you must), but actually this is a day out packed with interest.
Apart from a brief stretch after lunch there is no mud, and you could probably get away with trainers.
In the first section, along the sea wall to Reculver, there are usually oodles of overwintering birds to see, including brent geese, who come all the way here from Siberia, oystercatchers, ringed plovers, and lots of those knot/dunlin/sanderling type birds that run back and forwards comically in groups. The tide will be rising during the day, peaking at 15.25, so that should gradually drive the birds back towards the shore.
At lunchtime you get to the dramatic remains of Reculver church and Roman fort, and just beyond is the King Ethelbert Inn, an unpretentious Kentish pub with good value food (which is served until 5pm). Nearby is a seafront cafe - the HatHats Coffee Company, where any food consumption will be watched with interest by a family of enthusiastic sparrows.
Thus far directions or GPX are not really needed, but you will find they are useful in places for the walk into Herne Bay, which basically follows the top of a low escarpment/cliff all the way, but with some unexpected twists and turns en route. If using the GPX, follow the red "alternative" route to keep to the cliff top: much more interesting than the seafront promenade which is the "main" route for some reason.
Out to sea on this section you can see the Kentish Flats windfarm (the first ever built off our coasts), and possibly the much more massive London Array and Thanet Offshore windfarms further out. Also, if you are sharp-eyed, WW2 Mansell Forts.
In Herne Bay Mackari's (ignore the first one you see and go to the one in the bandstand beyond the clock tower, if it is open) is the best tea option. The Saxon Shore by the clock tower is a Weatherspoons pub.
It takes 10-15 minutes to walk from the seafront to the station (check this on Google maps). Trains back to Victoria are at 20 past the hour and take 1hr 31 minutes, while those to St Pancras, if you have paid the supplement, are at 46 past and take 1hr 22 minutes.
Trains back from Whitstable are at 27 past to Victoria and 51 past to St Pancras.
6 comments:
The weather for this walk looks set to be not quite as perfect as I hoped for when I posted this walk, but it looks like it will be dry. I still intend to do it.
I could be wrong, but my phone app suggests you could get the 46 train back and change for Victoria at Sittingbourne or Gillingham (the train from Canterbury I think) without paying a supplement
Or Faversham, yes. Thanks. That is useful to know. And you are right: the supplement does not kick in until Ebbsfleet
I wrongly put the time of the alternative St Pancras train in the walk post as 9.40, when it is in fact 9.20. Sorry, only just noticed this late on Friday evening. Corrected now. I hope this did not cause anyone any issues…
(Without this correct time, my sentence about the St Pancras train having no time advantage on the outward train also did not make sense, but no one noticed this…)
A very creditable n=15 on this walk - candidly more than I expected. Due to a mix up with trains one started from Herne Bay and met us at lunch. The rest assembled at Birchington.
How many were lured by my promises of abundant seabirds, I do not know, but to my mortification the winged critters were in less evidence than in previous years. We saw fair numbers of little turnstones running about on the shingle, the occasional oystercatcher - but where were the ringed plovers or Brent geese? Later, near Reculver, we found 200-300 of the geese at least, feeding placidly on a field. About two thirds of the flock obliged by taking to the air, only to land again on the sea, where they floated about aimlessly, chattering away. So that was nice.
There were some flickers of sun on the train out, raising hopes. But alas it was just w=grey. Windless, though, and not as cold as I feared. The view of the calm sea was rather soothing. There were faint glimpses of the windfarms and WW2 Maunsell Forts.
At Reculver we all piled into the pub. (One walker had booked for eight, as it turned out, so we were not entirely unexpected.) I think all but two sandwichers ate. The food was generously portioned - even the veggie options - but some complained of a slight lack of flavour.
In the afternoon we followed the cliff top route, still showing good group cohesion. But things fell apart when we got to the bandstand in Herne Bay. I dashed to Makcari’s, expecting most to follow, but many did not, at least not initially. Even though it was now getting dark, quite a few expressed a desire to carry on to Whitstable. In the end about ten of us had tea, some then going to Whitstable, and others maybe went to Whitstable without tea, or to the pub or straight for the train.
Four of us got the 16.46 St Pancras train, changing en route for Victoria or other places. It would be nice to know how the Whitstable walkers got on, if anyone wants to add a supplementary report.
Re: the Whistable walkers...
After teas, coffees, and cakes, four set off from Herne Bay to walk the extension to Whitstable in the twilight / enveloping darkness. The route was (mostly) paved alongside the seashore, and there was enough street and Christmas lighting to navigate. Only one small section required the use of torches.
The sea was calm, the weather eerily so, in stark contrast to that predicted for the rest of the country (I was beginning to wonder if we were in the eye of a storm). Just the odd call from an oystercatcher and the gentle lapping of waves at the shore sounded from the sea.
Christmas lights from the shoreline homes reflected onto the water too, as seen from the Saxon Shore Way. On the approach to Whitstable, we passed an exceptionally long line of beach huts and glimpses of oyster businesses.
We decided to continue with a longer loop around the town to the train station (though not the harbour) taking in Harbour St/High St. And very nice it was too, with plenty of festive fairy lights decorating the small shop and restaurant windows (just one chain pub was spotted and even that is in a former art deco cinema).
The pubs looked inviting, but we decided to get the next train (not before modest supplies for the journey were acquired). We left on the 18:27 back to Victoria where we were met by freezing rain and sleet.
In all, a serene and pleasant evening walk to cap an equally pleasant day!
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