Herne Bay to Whitstable

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This is a great walk if you fancy a short lazy stroll followed by some of the best Seafood you’ll find on the South coast.

The route snakes around the coastline from Herne Bay, a cute but slightly faded seaside town, to Whitstable – a place so cute it looks like Cath Kidston threw up on a cupcake.

Trains go to both Herne Bay or Whitstable every 30 mins from Victoria or St Pancras, so you can do the route in either direction, but I’d recommend ending in Whitstable where you can gorge yourself on oysters and pick up some local cheeses, fish and wine in the many delis and markets.

Strava route
Google route

Station Victoria / St Pancras
Time of walk 45 Mins
Time on train 1hr 23, direct
Time end to end 2hrs 10
Cost £10

How to shorten the route

This route is already pretty short! But if you’re feeling adventurous and you managed to get up early, get of the train at Birchington on Sea. This will add another (aprox) 3hrs to the walk and give you even more reason to eat every sea creature in sight.

Places to stop

Whitstable

Is totally full of delicious seafood, so you wont struggle to find something. Of all those on offer though the Whitstable Bay Oyster Co is definitely the best (particularly for dinner or if it’s too cold for fish and chips on the beach!). If fish isn’t your thing, Samphire is great and has a good range of Vegetarian and Vegan food.

After dinner, make sure you go to the Old Neptune. A pub sat on it’s own right on the beach. It has the kind of atmosphere and live music on a Sunday that’ll make you miss you last train home.

Places to Stay

If you want to make a weekend of it, the Fisherman’s Huts in Whitstable are lovely

Fun stuff to do on route

Buy some fish for your dinner at the fish market in the Harbour, or get some cheese and local Kent wine at the Cheese Box

If you’re very lucky, you might be able to book yourself onto a tour of the Maunsell Sea Fort. A completely bonkers disused WWII sea fort just off of Whitstable.

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