Margate to Ramsgate via Botany Bay
Highlights: Botany Bay chalk cliffs, sea swimming, cliff-top coastal views, and optional sea swimming!
📍 Start/End: St. Pancreas station - train is aprox. 1 hour 45 mins each way.
🕗 Meet: 8:45 AM at St. Pancreas 🕖 Return: aprox. 7:35 PM into London
💸 Cost: £35 (includes return train, and a Trail Therapy donation to support set up costs and community growth)
📏 Logistics
Distance: 13 km / 8 miles
Time: 4 hours walking (plus stops)
Elevation gain: ~150 m (gentle undulating hills)
🗺️ The Hike
A laid-back coastal walk tracing Kent’s dramatic northeast shoreline. Starting from the traditional seaside town of Margate, we’ll walk along the coast via the Viking Coastal Trail, passing white chalk cliffs, tidal bays, and sandy beaches. Within the first hour we’ll reach the stunning Botany Bay, one of Kent’s most photogenic spots, where towering sea stacks rise from the sand. Continue along the cliff tops to the quieter bays.
We’ll have lunch / ice cream in Broadstairs - a classic Victorian seaside town - before continuing the trail along Dumpton Gap and gentle clifftop promenades before dropping into Ramsgate, with its grand marina, historic buildings, and a big, sandy beach. We’ll finish with a cool swim at Ramsgate Main Sands and a drink in the Royal Victoria Pavilion pub before catching the train back to London.
🎒 What to Bring
- Swimwear & towel (optional but highly recommended)
- Sun protection – exposed coastal trail
- Lunch, trail snacks & water (1.5 - 2L) – cafés available in towns
- Camera – great photo ops at Botany Bay
- Comfortable walking shoes or hiking boots (no flip flops)
- Layers and waterproofs (always a good idea for british ‘summer’)
- Sense of adventure and fun friends
We’ll sort tickets and logistics — you just turn up and enjoy 😁
