Margate Walking Route – UK Walking Routes

Walks And Walking – Kent Walks Herne Bay To Margate Walking Route

We were staying in Broadstairs over Easter and planned a family trip to Herne Bay to try out some highly recommended Fish and Chips at Dean’s Plaice. Whilst the food was excellent we all thought £8.45 for Haddock and Chips was a bit too steep, bearing in mind you can get it at the award winning Pete’s Fish Factory in Margate for £4.95. Fish aside, Herne Bay was the start of my walking route back to Margate and as they went off in search of tea and cakes I went off in search of the Reculver Towers and Roman Fort.

It was a blustery day and the wind was blowing in my face for the whole 12 miles back to Margate. Coupled with mainly walking along sea walls it wasn’t the most exciting walk for long stretches but Reculver Towers and the Roman Fort more than compensated for a slightly dull walking route. In better weather I think this walk would have been completely different with the sun beating down on your face and a lovely sea breeze keeping you cool. I chose my Salomon Cosmic 4D GTX walking boots as I knew there was a lot of road and sea walls making it unnecessary to wear my favoured Scarpa walking boots. The Salomons are far more comfortable on these types of flat, dry walks. I also had to wear my Bear Grylls Gore-tex walking jacket which normally lives in my rucksack but needed something windproof for today as it was also freezing cold.

Walks And Walking - Kent Walks Herne Bay To Margate Walking Route - Oyster Bay Trail To Reculver

Walks And Walking - Kent Walks Herne Bay To Margate Walking Route - Reculver Towers and Roman Fort View From Herne Bay

From the memorial outside Dean’s Plaice I turned right and walked along the sea wall with Reculver in view ahead following the Oyster Bay Trail signposts to Reculver forking right at Bishopstone up the wide lane to the Oyster Bay Trail To Reculver and the Saxon Shore Way signposts. I then turned left at the next Oyster Bay Trail signpost in to Reculver Country Park continuing to follow the Oyster Bay Trail waymarkers to Reculver keeping straight ahead on to Haven Drive turning left at the bend following the Reculver Country Park signpost across the picnic area turning left at the Oyster Bay Trail signpost. I continued my walk following the Oyster Bay Trail as it opened up in to stunning views of the Kent countryside on my right hand side with Reculver Towers ahead of me.

Walks And Walking - Kent Walks Herne Bay To Margate Walking Route - The Front of Reculver Towers and Roman Fort

Walks And Walking - Kent Walks Herne Bay To Margate Walking Route - Behind Reculver Towers and Roman Fort

At Reculver Towers and Roman Fort I followed the Viking Coast Trail Roman Fort Wall signpost in front of the King Ethelbert Inn walking with the Roman Fort Walls on my left hand side to behind Reculver Towers to the Roman Fort Wall East gate signpost where I then joined the Wantsum Walk along the Northern Sea Wall to Minnis Bay.

I then walked passed the Victorian Bathing Pool on my left hand side up the parade and turned left at the signpost to Grenham Bay turning right to walk along the sea wall underneath the chalk cliffs following the Viking Coast Trail signposted to Margate climbing up the steps at the end of the sea wall at Epple Bay. I then walked left to Westgate-On-Sea keeping left back on to the sea wall at the next Viking Coast Trail signpost to Margate where I then found a black metal signpost which marks the 1000th mile post of the national Cycle network. I continued to follow the direction of this signpost along the Viking Coast Trail signpost to Westbrook Bay and another Victorian Bathing Pool on my left hand side as I reached Margate turning right at the statue before the roundabout to Margate Train Station and a good 12 miles and 3 hours and 45 minutes later.

Walks And Walking – Kent Walks – Margate Walking Route

We were staying in Broadstairs for a long weekend so decided to walk to Margate one day. We waited until the tide went out so that we could walk along the beach from Viking Bay in Broadstairs to Joss Bay and enjoy the interesting geology of the white chalk cliffs and the flint nodules that scatter the beach like dinosaur bones.

Standard walking clothes for today; walking trousers, walking boots, t-shirt and a waterproof jacket in my rucksack.

From our apartment we walked down to the gardens to see the Victorian Bathing Pool that is revealed at low tide. We continued along the pathway to pass the many bars, pubs and restaurants to where the path narrows passed the amusements and gift shops to the bright blue and well signposted Viking Coastal Trail where we turned right and headed downhill towards the beach and Bleak House.

This walk is more commonly known as the Thanet Coastal Path but it looks as though the Viking Coastal Trail is a more recent addition as a well maintained cycle route. If the tide is in then you just follow the Viking Coastal Trail by turning left uphill and then right and continue to follow the signposts until you get to Joss Bay.

Walking along the sea wall until it came to an end we walked on to the sand and seaweed strewn coastline just passed the pathway up to the road cut in to the cliff face. Along this stretch of cliff there are many supports, secret doorways, tunnels and bricked up entrances that lead in to the cliff face. It might just be me but I thought that nodule of flint sticking out of the chalk cliff looked like a screaming mans face.

Margate Walking Route the cliffs between Broadstairs and Joss Bay

Maybe the spirit of a pirate smuggler embedded in to the cliff for all eternity as penance for all of his sins… or not.

Continuing along the beach walk we entered Joss Bay, a delightful beach area and a hidden treasure (He says continuing with the pirate theme). Joss Bay gets its name from Joss Snelling, the notorious local smuggler, who was born in 1741. He lived to 96 and in his time was once introduced to Princess Victoria in 1829 as “The Famous Broadstairs Smuggler”.

We then walked up the pathway to join the road at the Viking Coastal Trail sign and in full view of the North Foreland Lighthouse behind us on the left. We turned right to follow the Viking Coastal Trail signposts on the Thanet Coastal Path and after a while we then got a great view of the Kingsgate Castle by the sign for Kingsgate Bay which was built in 1760 and is now made up of privately owned residential housing.

We then passed the Captain Digby pub which actually fits in really well with the general ambience and architecture of the area. The pathway follows the edge of the car park and then alongside the golf course with the flint tower fort then coming in to view. As we made our way up we found a pathway to our right hand side whereby you can walk between the cliff edges down to the beach which, for me, made the best photograph of the day.

Margate Walking Route Tower Fort at White Ness

The tower is at the tip of White Ness on fort hill, just outside of Botany Bay and the gateway to Margate, England’s earliest seaside resort. Botany Bay is another beauty spot which leads on to Foreness Point. A Foreness is a geological term for when sand dunes form on top of the cliff which is then covered by soil and plant life to form an interesting seam in the cliffs. Well, I think that’s what the description is but vandals had scratched some of the words out so it’s only a (poorly) educated guess that’s what it actually means.

Palm Bay is the next bay on the trail and as we walked closer and closer to the sign Mary made a joke by saying “I really want a cup of tea, if only there was a cafe nearby” which made me laugh for a good few minutes. Check out the link to the photographs at the bottom of this article!

As we settled ourselves after such hilarity we then followed the trail to Walpole Bay and the much larger Victorian Bathing Pool set in to Walpole Rocks. We then entered Margate with the Lido sign was in full view but the bathing pool below was in a dire state of repair. We then walked by the Winter Gardens, passing the Lifeboat Station and the Turner Gallery until we found Peters Fish Factory.

We stopped here for some fantastic fish and chips before heading back to follow all of the Viking Coastal Trail signposts all the way back to Broadstairs which took us a total of 4 hours and 13 miles for the whole walk.

To view all 22 of the photographs from this walk please click here: Margate Walking Route