The Carter Company - Coast to Capital

Kent Coast to Capital –

• 7 night gentle cycling tour
• Starts Dover – finishes London

Day One - Dover

You won't be needing your car for this trip; we pick you up from Dover Train Station or Ferry Port. We will transfer you to your cosy hotel in a nearby village which affords brilliant views from the cliffs. Relax and enjoy your surroundings!

Day Two - Dover to Sandwich

Your host will meet you after breakfast with your cycling equipment and run through your tour itinerary. Then you are off - to freewheel down into the old and charming ports of Deal and Sandwich. Cycle adjacent to the shore, take in the castles, and explore the fascinating history of these Cinque port towns. Detour if you wish to explore the old mining villages of the area. Your overnight stop is an old inn right in the middle of the lovely town of Sandwich.

10 miles (16 km) or 20 miles (32 km)

Day Three - Sandwich to Canterbury

Your route today winds its way through orchards and pretty villages. There are some charming pubs and Roman antiquities to discover along the way. You'll be amazed at the fantastic traffic-free cycle path that leads right into the heart of Canterbury, where your hotel for the next two nights awaits you.

17 miles (27 km)

Day Four - Canterbury

Take a day to explore this astounding heritage city with its magnificent cathedral, its abbey ruins and old city walls and its four museums. Enjoy too its cosmopolitan vitality - street cafes, a fledgling arts scene and specialist shops.

Day Five - Canterbury to Rodmersham

This is a fascinating ride that sets out along the old Crab and Winkle railway line to Whitstable. Enjoy the harbour there, sample its famous oysters and dip into the craft shops of its high street. For the rest of the day, you follow some of the old Saxon shore along a remote route which offers the chance to learn about the area's maritime history. Enroute is the market town of Faversham, featuring barges lined along its creek. A warm welcome awaits you at your hotel.

26 miles (41 km)

Day Six - Rodmersham to Chatham

This morning you head inland on your bicycle through charming villages and valleys, dotted with orchards and market gardens. Your route then rejoins the coast, which you pedal along until you get to Chatham and its 400 years of maritime heritage at the historic dockyard. This was once the base of the Royal Navy, where numerous famous ships were assembled. You will stay overnight in a former dockyard office, which is now home to a contemporary boutique hotel.

17 miles (27 km)

Day Seven - Chatham to London

A short train hop at the start of the day brings you to Woolwich Arsenal near Greenwich on the River Thames. Greenwich is a world heritage site which is full of interesting things to see and do. Stand astride the prime meridian line, visit the National Maritime Museum or explore the clipper ship The Cutty Sark. You then head up river and cycle traffic free along the Thames, past the historic docks which have been developed into modern city buildings. Your hotel is in the heart of London overlooking the Thames.

16 miles (26 km)

Day Eight - Depart London

Depart London at your leisure. Your cycling equipment will be collected from your hotel.