Cycle Routes - Ashford, Hythe, Lydd and Hamstreet

The village of Hamstreet makes a great base for cyclists because of its railway station, shops, restaurant and pub. From here, you can sample the uniquely flat nature of Romney Marsh, or explore the dense deciduous woodlands that surround the village. There is also a cycle shop in the village should you require accessories / repair.

This site makes use of hard surfaced off-road trails and quiet country lanes to provide safe routes to practical destinations such as Ashford and Tenterden.

From Hamstreet crossroads, take the B2067 towards Tenterden. You will pass beneath two bridges and climb gently for a mile, before taking a right turn onto Malthouse Lane. You will soon enter Orlestone Forest. The Weald of Kent was once completely covered with thick woodlands of this kind. A mile later, we reach the T-junction with Birchett Lane. Turn left and then right a few hundred yards later onto the hard-surfaced trail heading north.

Be warned, this route can be quite muddy in winter. After a mile there are two ninety degree bends. A quarter of a mile later, a byway exits left; do not take this - continue ahead. Shortly after this, another trail exits right - again continue straight ahead.

Cycleway 18 joins from the left at the next T-junction. Cyclists heading for Tenterden should turn left here and follow the blue signs. Our route continues ahead towards Shadoxhurst.

At the next T-junction, Ashford-bound cyclists continue ahead. (Riders wishing to do a loop back to Hamstreet can turn right to reach the crossroads by Shadoxhurst church and village pump. The original pub was located at this crossroads too. Turn right into Duck Lane and descend gently. When the lane reaches an end, turn left onto the hard-surfaced trail leading into the woods. This will bring us back onto our original route within a mile.)

Meanwhile, those heading for Ashford, should turn left by the Kings Head pub and then right onto Chart Road. The farmland soon has a prairie-like feel, and we reach a T-junction a mile later. Turn left and then right. You will go through the hamlet of Chilmington and climb the greensand hills. This ridge runs parallel with the North Downs across Kent.

At the top, turn left and then right to descend to Singleton. Go straight across the roundabout to descend to the staggered junction and continue ahead onto Bucksford Lane. A few hundred yards later, a cycleway will leave to your right to run beside Singleton Lake - a popular haunt for anglers. Follow this path to Brookfield Road. Turn right and you will notice the cycle route continuing on your left. Take the cycle path all the way to Victoria Park. For the town centre, turn left after passing the fountain to use the bridge over the railway line. For the station, continue ahead on the cycleway, crossing Beaver Road, passing beside the International Station car park and through the brick tunnel under the station itself (mind your heads!).

From Hamstreet crossroads, head south along Marsh Road, bridging the Royal Military Canal by the garden centre. This peaceful waterway was built as a line of defence against a feared invasion by Napoleon. The bends every 600 yards were intended to serve as lookout points along the ‘straights’.

Turning left, you will find a two-mile hard-surfaced trail to Ruckinge. Note, however that the second half is designated as ‘footpath’. You will reach a locked gate near a pumping station at this point. If you are able to lift your bike over, continue ahead but you are advised to walk this section. (If this is too much of a struggle, backtrack slightly and head southwards along the grassy byway. As the route progresses, you will encounter three right-angle bends - left, right and left again. You will eventually reach Lord’s Farm, where it becomes a concrete track with cattle grids. When you reach the lane, continue over the crossroads onto the lane to Bilsington to pick up the route below at Bilsington canal bridge.)

At Ruckinge Bridge turn left. You will come to a T-junction with the B2067. Turning right, you will pass the Blue Anchor pub. Ruckinge has smuggling connections, with the notorious Ransley brothers reputedly buried in the churchyard.

After a few small hills, you will reach Bilsington crossroads beside the White Horse pub. Turn right, descending past the stone obelisk built in memory of a local landowner who died in a coaching accident - Sir Richard Cosway.

Bridging the canal, head out onto the Marsh for around a mile, taking the first left turn. This lane will pass Honeywood Farm and soon reach a T-junction - turn right.

A few hundred yards later you will reach a T-junction with the Newchurch road - turn left. Shortly after this is a staggered junction - the building on the corner was once Bonnington's pub. Turn left and then right onto Lower Wall Road, which runs for four miles along the bottom of the greensand hills, upon which stands the former home of Noel Coward. You will eventually pass the Botolph’s Bridge pub and will enjoy a fine view of Lympne Castle and the remains of the Roman ‘Stutfall’ Castle further down the slope. The wooded area of the hills is spanned by Port Lympne Zoo.

Continue ahead around the sharp bends and half a mile later, we cross the canal again in West Hythe village. The hard-surfaced trail has returned and this time it’s all cycleway. Turn right and follow this for three miles into Hythe. You will notice a ‘listening ear’ dish upon the hillside. This was designed to detect incoming enemy aircraft from across the Channel in the days before RADAR. Cycleway 2 will merge from the right and continues into Hythe along the canal bank. Those wishing to return can reach Sandling station by road, climbing via Saltwood.

The canal route, however continues to Seabrook, swapping sides a couple of times. At the very end, turn right onto the A259 to find your way onto the sea-wall which can be cycled as far as Sandgate High Street. Follow the ‘Route 2’ signs off of the High Street to the right and eventually onto Lower Sandgate Road which runs along the bottom of the cliffs all the way to Folkestone Harbour, which is spanned by the UK’s steepest railway line (1 in 30 gradient). Nearest station: Folkestone Central.

This route uses roads for its full length, but it is very tranquil. Head south from the village crossroads along Marsh Road, bridging the canal. You will reach the bypass at Johnson’s Corner. There is a memorial here to commemorate a heroic American pilot who crashed in the Second World War after allowing his crew to parachute to safety. Cross the bypass onto the lane opposite, passing Ham Mill Farm.

As this lane winds prettily for three miles, it is worth remembering that this flat farmland was once completely covered by water, and that the present location of Hamstreet would have been on the coast. Just before Snargate you will reach a crossroads. Continue straight ahead and turn right around half a mile later.

You will come to a staggered junction with the B2080. The Red Lion public house is around a quarter of a mile to the left. This is a real blast from the past, with beer straight from the barrel, lamplight and a very old-fashioned feel.

Our route continues straight over the B2080 though, onto Snargate Lane, crossing the former Appledore to Lydd and New Romney branch line. At the end of the lane you will reach a T-junction with Black Lane. Turn right. You will pass fields used for growing turf, and a mile later in the field to your right, you will notice the tiny isolated church of St Thomas Beckett - well worth a visit.

You will then reach another T-junction - turn left. You will reach the A259 by the former site of a Philippine craft village. Turn right and then left to pass the Woolpack, Brookland. Follow the main course of this lane for around three miles until reaching a T-junction. Turn right, and at the next T-junction, right again into Lydd.

The tall tower of All Saints church is known locally as the ‘Cathedral of the Marsh’. By turning right onto the High Street and right again at the end, we can head towards Camber on an off-road cycleway parallel to the road. The last bit beyond Camber, heads straight for the ancient hill town across the fields. When you reach the A259, turn left, and after bearing left from the mini roundabout, take the uphill path on the right hand side to reach the town centre and stone ‘Landgate’ archway. To reach the station, go through the arch and turn left to walk with your bike along the pavement. You will eventually see the station approach on the right hand side.

The author of this site would like to see Hamstreet officially linked to the Sustans cycle network. This would mean better upkeep of the off-road sections and could be easily achieved using the hard surfaced trail via Orlestone Forest to reach route 18 and the suggested route to Hythe to reach route 2. This would include upgrading the section along the canal between Hamstreet and Ruckinge to cycleway providing a useful link between the villages. Overall, this would create a useful east-west link between the coast and the Weald.

This web page may be freely copied for use on cycle rides providing the author is credited. Simply highlight the text, then copy and paste into a word document and change the text colour to black.