14 minute read
Part 1 – Wye to Canterbury
Wye to Canterbury
PART ONE
Part 1:
Wye to Canterbury
Distance: 22km
150m 100m 50m 0m 0km 5km
Ascent: 271m
10km 15km 20km
Highlights
• The Wye Crown, based on the
Wye Downs overlooking the village • Chilham village and Shelly’s Tea Room • The traffic-free, picturesque
Great Stour Way trail • The beautiful, historic and bustling city of Canterbury, with its 1,400-year-old cathedral and St Augustine's Abbey ruins, a burial place for the
Anglo-Saxon kings of Kent • The Foundry Brew pub, a unique craft brewery, distillery and restaurant • Swap wheels for water and hire a punt to explore the River Stour for a unique and idyllic form of sightseeing, including haunted night-time tours
Advice
• Between the village of Chilham and the train station, use the path beside the busy A28 but stay alert for cars turning off the road and across your path, and, of course, pedestrians • Canterbury is usually very busy with vehicles and pedestrians. Please stay alert to possible dangers as you may be preoccupied with the sights • Take care as you enter Whitstable, where the trail becomes busier with people and road crossings • You may have to walk a little way along the seafront to begin
Getting there
By train, Wye has a rail station close to the river, linking the village to Canterbury to the north, and Ashford to the south. For train times, see southeasternrailway.co.uk or call 0345 322 7021.
By road, Wye is within easy access from the M20 motorway. Exit at junction 9 at Ashford, head north for five miles before turning right and heading into the valley where you cross the Great Stour River into Wye. Follow the road into the village for a free car park, shortly before the church and Co-op shop.
Navigation
You’ll have to pay a bit of attention initially to choose the right forest tracks through King’s Wood, until you join the North Downs Way National Trail into Chilham. From there you follow the Great Stour Way into Canterbury, signed as National Cycle Network (NCN) route 18.
Nature
Passing through mostly arable fields and old woodland, the terrain is teeming with insects, butterflies, beetles and dragonflies, as well as small mammals such as stoats, and larger animals such as deer. If you’re still riding at twilight, you are likely to see the fast and erratic flight of many different species of bat, darting and dancing about the sky.
Area introduction and route summary
The small medieval village of Wye, nestled in the glorious rolling hills of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, has just 2,500 residents and provides peace and tranquillity in the busy and bustling South East of England. However, it is located just 10km north-east of Ashford and within easy access off the M20 motorway. With its own train station, it provides a warm welcome to visitors and cyclists, making it the perfect location for the start of an adventure.
The village's name comes from the Old English "Wēoh" meaning idol or shrine. Wye became an important ancient communications centre because of the ford that crosses the Great Stour River, creating a gap in the North Downs. The Romans built a camp and roads connecting it to Canterbury and Hastings. By the time of the Saxons, Wye had become a royal manor. Many of the village buildings here are medieval, although most are concealed by more modern facades. Although the village is fairly quiet now, until 2009 it was the location of London University’s agricultural college, whose laboratories worked on ground-breaking developments in plant molecular and gene sequencing. It was home to students from all over the world and was even internationally famous for developing new varieties of hops.
Wye to Chilham
This first section of the route differs greatly from the second part of the ride. Situated on the edge of the North Downs escarpment and inland, there is no sight of the sea, for example. And despite the majority of the route being reasonably flat, there is an option to start the ride with some extra climbing. That might not sound too tempting, and it is optional, but with fresh legs at the beginning of your ride, we recommend riding up Coldharbour Lane onto the Wye Downs, to the east of the village. Here you will enjoy wonderful far-reaching views across the county. On this hillside is the Wye Crown, a hillside carving cut into the chalk of the North Downs above the village.
Wye Crown
The origins of the Wye Crown date back over a hundred years to the early twentieth century when Wye was home to a thriving agricultural college. Keen to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902, the college’s principal proposed carving a crown into the hillside above the village. Tommy J. Young, the college’s lecturer in surveying, used a vantage point from the fields below to guide a team of students armed with flags to mark out the symmetrical shape, taken from a crown from an 1887 florin. Once marked out, it took 35 students more than four days to move 7,000 barrow loads of turf, soil and chalk to create it.
Illuminated by 1,500 fairy lights, it was viewed by the king from nearby Eastwell Manor, and in 1937 electric lights were used for the coronation of King George VI.
Option 1: King’s Wood
This picturesque route takes you out to the west of Wye, and soon starts to climb after leaving the village, getting steeper after crossing the A28. Just as the hill starts to get steeper still and disappears off up out of view, the long-distance National Trail, the North Downs Way (NDW) ducks off the road.
However, despite the NDW path looking tempting to join when compared to the hill ahead, the narrow, rutted byway track is steep and loose, so would likely result in a difficult push uphill. Staying with the road makes the climb rideable at least, and after less than 2km, you will have scaled around 125 metres in height and be delivered to King’s Wood. This fabulous 1,500-acre forest woodland is a joy to pass through, the quiet woodlands home to a mixture of conifer and broadleaf trees, and in spring, a stunning carpet of bluebells.
North Downs Way National Trail
This path was opened in 1978 and runs from Farnham to Dover, along the Surrey Hills and Kent Downs AONB, and was a popular pilgrim route to Canterbury. Much of it is now designated as footpath but in 2019 Cycling UK worked with the National Trails and the British Horse Society to create a fully rideable version.
cyclinguk.org/northdownsway
Chestnut coppicing
There’s lots of evidence of sweet chestnut coppicing, where trees are cut to a stump called a coppice stool, which stimulates growth of several new shoots the following spring. These can be left to grow until they reach the desired size and thickness before being harvested. Historical records from Canterbury Cathedral show there were large areas of coppice grown in Kent by 1200, and the chestnut coppice industry expanded rapidly during the nineteenth century to meet a growing demand for hop poles from the brewing industry. Sweet chestnut coppice is grown on a 30-year cycle and because coppiced trees already have a well-developed root system, they readily regrow.
Fallow deer still run free in this former royal hunting forest, alongside new additions of sculptures, so keep a look out. Now managed by Forestry England and the Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership for conservation, recreation and timber production, it is open to the public throughout the year, with the Friends of King’s Wood Association holding regular events here. Following the wide forest tracks, you shortly join the more rugged byway track of the North Downs Way, or you could even stick to the smoother forest track until nearer the far end.
Cyclists are allowed to explore the hard tracks, making it ideal for gravel and family rides. Joining the rougher byway drops you out of the woods on an exhilarating track where you need to be careful of the ruts and roots. After bursting from the trees, the route joins a lovely singletrack road, weaving its way downhill into the beautiful village of Chilham. As you approach the village, beside the long brick wall of Chilham Park, some gates allow you the opportunity to peer beyond into the impressive and well-kept grounds.
The quaint little village of Chilham provides a delightful stop along your journey with a choice of refreshments in the idyllic and quintessential medieval square, either from Shelly’s Tea Rooms, which offers amazing tea, coffee and cakes, or The White Horse Inn, if you fancy something Chilham
Chilham St Mary's church
a bit stronger (local ales and ciders available) and a more substantial meal. It’s a joy to relax in the square, and all too obvious why this village is often chosen for filming shows such as Miss Marple, Poirot and Jane Austen’s Emma. Immediately off the square, behind some substantial heavy wooden gates, is Chilham Castle, although only the keep remains of the ancient building. It is now a private house, which was originally built in 1616 by Sir Dudley Digges and has received various additions and developments over time, such as a lake and woodland, planted using the help of a young elephant brought from Sri Lanka. After being lovingly restored by its current owners, it now hosts events such as horse trials, open-air performances and open garden days (on Tuesdays in the summer months). Also of note is the pretty church of St Mary, just off the village square, whose history dates back to possibly the seventh century.
Option 2: Great Stour Way
The alternative flatter route follows roads up through the valley, before heading onto traffic-free trails along the Pilgrim’s Cycle Path, which continues to follow the valley bottom, parallel to the Great Stour River and railway line. If you are on skinny tyres and prefer the smoother, easier option, this one is for you. Although, if you have the time to think over your decision, the lovely Tickled Trout is a great pub that sits beside the babbling river with a large garden and food. The South-Eastern Railway (SER) branch line was first opened in 1846 and remains a popular link between Ashford, Canterbury and Margate, with trains rattling along beside as you start to gently ascend the hill before peeling away to Catha’s Seat. This functional wooden sculpture was built specifically for cyclists, created in memory of cyclist and campaigner Catharine Keegan, who worked on the cycle route
between Ashford and Canterbury. Made of large solid oak planks, the huge chairs act as both seating and bicycle parking, to offer you an opportunity to rest, sit back and enjoy the spectacular countryside views. Continuing the gentle climb along this track, you skirt along the woods of Broadham Down, originally a small downland farm, but which was left abandoned before the Second World War. Having become overgrown with scrub, work started in the late twentieth century to convert much of it back to downland grassland, which has resulted in attracting orchids and rare insects, for which Kent has become known, back to the area. Opting for this route does, however, mean you’ll miss out on visiting Chilham on the opposite side of the valley, although dropping down the hill and doubling back to the village is always an option that will add a little over 2km each way.
Chilham to Chartham
Leaving Chilham behind you, follow a short section beside the A28, before peeling off, crossing the railway and joining quiet back roads wiggling their way to the village of Chartham. If you didn’t go via Chilham, there are further opportunities for refreshments at The Shop on the Green, a lovely little convenience store, or just off the route to the south, the friendly Artichoke pub. Its history dates back around 700 years. The pub is full of character, with old oak beams and cosy corners to enjoy some fabulous food and drink, which it has no doubt served to many travellers and workers from the nearby paper mill that which has been here since 1938. For something a little different, try visiting Chartham Vineyard, a family-owned vineyard started in 2013, with soil that matches that of the Champagne region of France. Producing award-winning white, red and sparkling wines, and with a vineyard shop open on Saturdays from 10.30am to 5.00pm, it also offers wine tastings, (pre-booked) group tours, and a free art gallery. It’s certainly worth a visit for those who enjoy their wine.
Canterbury Westgate
Chartham to Canterbury
After Chartham, your journey continues along a multi-use, traffic-free track known as the Pilgrim’s Cycle Trail, part of the NCN 18. It’s a smooth, flat trail that follows alongside the Great Stour (also known as the Kentish Stour), the second longest river in Kent, which rises from springs at the foot of the Greensand ridge in Lenham and flows 76km through Canterbury to the North Sea at Pegwell Bay, near Sandwich. This provides not only easy riding and navigation, but also a tranquil and pretty ride for around 5km through Whitehall Meadows Nature Reserve and Hambrook Marshes.
This area, after having become a gravel pit after the Second World War, has been returned to its previous marshland state by a local charity which bought the land to allow public access and to protect and encourage wildlife to the area again. Between the spring and autumn, you will mostly see grazing cattle, but there have also been more than 90 species of bird spotted in recent years. Sightings include kingfishers, herons and even the elusive snipe. With a wide variety of flowers and plants here too, the area provides a wonderful habitat for the likes of slow worms, newts, dragonflies and many others.
The trail delivers you right into the heart of the bustling city of Canterbury, but the transition from rural surroundings to urban is still beautiful and idyllic. After passing through parkland, you join Westgate Grove, a road lined with old timber buildings on one side and the river on the other, where you’ll spot well-kept and vibrant flowerbeds, and punts floating on the water. You cross the river via an ancient bridge that delivers you to the Westgate Towers, an impressive 60ft high medieval gatehouse in the old city wall, and the largest surviving city gate in England. Just inside this wall is a church and the Tower House, with the Westgate Gardens, a popular wedding venue, behind that.
Further riding
This wonderfully varied 40km loop visits no less than three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Canterbury Cathedral, the ruins of St Augustine’s Abbey and the Church of St Martin.
experience.cyclinguk.org/route/experience-canterbury-cathedral-cycle
Canterbury
Canterbury was the principal tribal capital of Cantium (Kent) with a second area of administration at Rochester which the Romans named Durobrivae Cantiacorum. Durobrivae meaning fortified crossing with a bridge. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the city gained a reputation for producing fine silk and later woollen cloth because of its proximity to its European neighbours, and garrisoned soldiers accounted for one third of the population. Although the ‘Baedeker’ air raid of 1942 destroyed a great deal of property, the city today offers much for visitors, with historic buildings and vibrant shops and cafés. Home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Canterbury Cathedral, the Church of St Martin and the ruins of St Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury’s rich history and beautiful buildings make it a popular tourist destination, which is consistently ranked as one of the most-visited cities in the United Kingdom.
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral has an impressive 1,400 years of history, dating back to when missionaries from Rome, sent by Pope Gregory the Great, arrived and converted the king of Kent to Christianity in 597 AD. The leader of the missionaries, Augustine, was given a church at Canterbury (St Martin’s) and was consecrated as archbishop. Since then, the cathedral has been the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. During the tenth century it became a formal community of Benedictine monks, which continued until the monastery was dissolved by King Henry VIII in 1540. Augustine’s original building lies beneath the floor of the nave. It was extensively rebuilt and enlarged by the Saxons, and the cathedral was rebuilt completely by the Normans in 1070 following a major fire. There have been many additions to the building over the last 900 years, but parts of the quire and some of the windows and their stained glass date from the twelfth century.
