A £2million cycle route linking housing estates to disused bridleways and newly-laid paths has been dubbed Herne Bay’s answer to the Crab and Winkle Way.

There are plans to create the trail suitable for ramblers and bike-riders between the seaside town and Canterbury, about seven miles away.

Supporters of the pricey scheme, funded through contributions from housing developers, believe it could be a boon for the Bay in its bid to draw greater numbers of tourists to the coast.

And Greenhill councillor Dan Watkins says it could even be comparable to Whitstable’s historic Crab and Winkle route, which runs through to the city.

“It’d be Herne Bay’s answer to that. It won’t have the history of the Crab and Winkle, but it’ll have the same kind of beautiful green space around it,” the Conservative said.

“Original estimates show it’ll cost about £2m. It is a lot of money, but some of it is from developer contributions for housing that’s taking place in the area.

“We need it because it’s a very popular journey and could be used by people who don’t cycle much at all.

“It’s a long-term project – it won’t happen in the short-term. It’ll probably take five-plus years.”

The Crab and Winkle Way, which is yet to be fully completed, follows much of the route of an old train line that opened in 1830.

The new path will run from the housing estate at the former Herne Bay golf course, through the proposed development at Strode Farm, Blean Woods and Broad Oak, before ending near the University of Kent.

It was listed as a priority for the district in Canterbury City Council papers in 2017 but has failed to come to fruition.

However, Cllr Watkins says he and his Tory colleagues are pressing for it to be enshrined in the authority’s revised Local Plan, which will act its development blueprint through to 2040.

'Loads of cyclists across Kent and elsewhere in the country cycle the Crab and Winkle, and this would be an equivalent.'

“At the moment, no one wants to cycle down Bullockstone Road and Canterbury Road because they’re very fast routes with poor safety records,” the Tory added.

“Going through the Blean Woods will make a really attractive route. Loads of cyclists across Kent and elsewhere in the country cycle the Crab and Winkle, and this would be an equivalent.

“It’s in the current Local Plan, but was aspirational and not fully funded.

“We want to put it in the next one as funding has been identified from current developments and new housing projects.”

The Herne Bay-to-Canterbury trail will also be connected to a route through Broad Oak Road and Shalloak Hill.

It will then lead onto a section, which will start to be laid in 2022, between Vauxhall Road and the city branch of Asda.

Cyclists will then be guided towards a footbridge, erected earlier this year, joining the supermarket to a riverside route.

Local authority spokesman Rob Davies said: “The section along Broad Oak Road and Shalloak Hill is linked to developments in Sturry.

“Funding will then need to be found to link from there to the Herne Bay golf club site.

“Although no timescale has been put on its completion, it was always likely to take a number of years to come to fruition, as it relies on developer contributions becoming available, and any other funding opportunities that may arise.”

This comes as Kent County Council starts its seven-figure project to install a 3m-wide footpath and cycle route along the Old Thanet Way.

Set for completion next year, the mile-long addition will stretch from Greenhill to Chestfield.