Cycling UK launches bikepacking tour of Kent: 145-mile cycle route
Cycling UK today launched its fifth route: The Cantii Way, a 145-mile (234km) bikepacking tour of Kent, starting in the village of Wye, near Ashford, as part of the charity’s EXPERIENCE project.
The route is promoted as the perfect introduction to multi-day bikepacking and cycle touring, so can be ridden in one go over 3 to 4 days. Alternatively it can be split up over several weekends as it is has regular train stations along its length.
The route GPX file is freely available https://www.cyclinguk.org/webform/cantii-way-download-gpx-file helping people access the route, and appreciate the opportunities along its length.
The charity has produced a free downloadable guide written by mountain bike guide Max Darkins www.cyclinguk.org/cantii-way
For those wondering about the name of the route, it’s named after the Cantii, an Iron Age Celtic tribe Julius Caesar encountered on his abortive conquest of England in 54 BCE. The famous Roman described the Cantii as “the most civilised” of the British tribes; it is from them that both the county of Kent and city of Canterbury derive their names.
As part of Cycling UK role in the European Regional Development Fund’s EXPERIENCE project – operating in Cornwall, Kent and Norfolk as well as three other regions in France – the charity has worked for the past two years on the Cantii Way. During its development Cycling UK has spoken with the council, Kent Downs AONB, landowners, local businesses and cyclists to link together a route that shows off the best of Kent.
“Cycling UK wanted to leave a lasting legacy this Jubilee for our patron the Queen, that wouldn’t just be fun to ride, but would also bring real benefit to the local rural economy,” comments Cycling UK Campaigns Officer, Sophie Gordon. “The people cycling through Kent’s network of paths and quiet ways will quite literally be fuelling themselves from the local shops, pubs and tea rooms they pass through, and many of these will be off the beaten track.”
Cycle tourism spending from cyclists in the UK generates £520m per year. Some 1.23 million overnight trips each year direct benefit small businesses in particular, whilst contributing £433m to the economy.
In preparation of the expected increase in cycling over the summer, the charity is already working with the hospitality and accommodation sectors in Kent. Cycling UK is providing businesses with free equipment bundles worth up to £400 and advice as part of its Cycle Friendly Places initiative.
In 2021 a pan-European ‘master plan‘ for cycling promotion was signed off for adoption at the Fifth High-Level Meeting on Transport, Health and Environment (THE PEP). The Master Plan is designed to help national and local stakeholders streamline efforts to promote cycle use.
