More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Powder blue Pashley bikes bring a vintage feel to the coastal views of Kent. Hire out one of the biking beauties from the Bike Shed Kent, which is next to Margate station and head off along the Viking coastal trail.
Enjoy the ride... is a new concept in bike hire, with bikes for all ages available to pick up from collection points in the town. Begin your tour of the Thanet coast from Margate to Birchington and beyond and in the opposite direction head to breathtaking Botany Bay.
There is a comprehensive guidance map, so you can enjoy a complete off-road experience, idyllic cliff top or beachside promenade and a route to follow at your own pace.
There are two routes to try, and have been chosen with amenities along the way no more than two miles apart, such as an ice cream at Westgate Bay, or a full pub lunch at the Botany Bay Hotel or the Captain Digby. There are also buggies for small children and junior extension bikes, as well as a fleet of Bobbin junior bikes for energetic adventurers.
For details and to book call 07775609245 or visit thebikeshedkent.co.uk/ride.
BETTESHANGER COUNTRY PARK
With its wide open spaces and nature at every corner, Betteshanger Country Park is the perfect place for biking. And it seems the secret’s out as cycle hire at the park in Deal was up by 258% this April compared to last year.
There is a fleet of more than 100 bikes to try, with a range of child carrying attachments and disability bicycles from trikes to wheelchair tandems. Cycle helmets need to be worn and can be hired for £2. You can hire a bike from 9.30am each day. To find out more about the park and cycling there visit betteshanger-park.co.uk
Here’s several birds you can kill with one stone, so to speak, as you can get out and about, while also enjoying a tasty lunch and seeing a new part of Kent.
The Barrow House pub in Egerton has teamed up with the UK Electric Bike Centre at Bloomsburys in Biddenden, to create a special new cycling route for groups this summer.
The challenging 30-mile route takes about two and a half hours in total, with a steady hill climb to conquer.
After passing the oldest wartime grass airfield, you’ll arrive in tranquil Egerton on the Greensand Ridge at the halfway point. From this picturesque hill top village, you’ll be treated to far-reaching views towards the Weald with Kent’s orchards falling away into the valley.
Reward yourself with a stop at the village pub, which serves both classic pub food and more healthy options from a fresh, modern menu. You can get a two-course lunch with a much-needed drink from £15. During your stop, take a look around the village and explore the 15th century ragstone church with its six bell beacon tower, and the round barrow, an Ancient Monument and Bronze Age burial ground, which the pub is now named after. You can park your bikes there too.
The return journey takes you through the villages of Pluckley and Smarden, which boast quaint cottages and interesting churches. For more details, go to ukelectricbiketours.co.uk and thebarrowhouse.co.uk
GET ACTiV
There’s a team of expert helpers on hand for your biking needs at ACTiV in Sandgate Road in Folkestone.
One of the largest Trek dealers in the UK, it caters for every style of cycling and has a full range of Electra bikes. ACTiV is open Mondays to Saturdays (with Sundays off for cycling!)
For details call 01303 240110 or visit activcycles.co.uk
See Bewl Water on two wheels for some fitness-friendly fun for the whole family.
You can hire a bike for children and adults, along with trailers and childseats, plus helmets. The paths around the lake are fairly flat and if you run out of puff, the water taxi has a bike carrier on board.
For the more adventurous, there’s also an off-road track and, while there are no mountains for mountain bikers, there are tracks with views to stop you in your tracks. The track length is 12.5 miles and is open, weather permitting.
If you prefer to pedal in packs, there are also mountain bike parties and children’s camps or a guided cycle tour. Book by calling 01892 893935. Bikes are available from 9am and need to be returned by 3.30pm. Visit bewlwater.co.uk for more details.
Bedgebury Pinetum
The Forestry Commission’s 2,000-acre site near Goudhurst has wooden tracks, country trails, bike hire and even showers for those super muddy days, plus more than 13kms of single-track mountain biking and 10km of family cycle track. For details visit forestry.gov.uk/bedgebury.
The pub near Faversham offers a place to park your bike, rehydrate and refresh and there’s a cycling workshop, bike hire, bike buddies to cycle with, DIY bike maintenance courses, bike jumbles and nature rides. Go to thefreewheel.pub or find it at Head Hill Road, Graveney, or call 01795 538143.
The park has activities for all ages and abilities, with its 2.9km floodlit road circuit, mountain bike trails heading into the countryside, BMXing, a multi-use games area and a cycle playground for young visitors. There’s also a skate park. For details go to cyclopark.com.
