172 The Crab and Winkle Way

Walking and Cycling around Canterbury

 By Maggy Hendry

The Crab and Winkle Way made specially for walkers and cyclists, was opened in 1999. The route is based on the old railway line that ran between Canterbury and Whitstable. The first commercial railway in southern England and the world’s first passenger railway line, it was first opened in 1830. George Stephenson’s Invicta (modelled on the more famous Rocket) was underpowered for the gradients so a number of specially designed traction engines were installed to  pull the train up the hills between the two towns on ropes. The Invicta was used on the flat but was never adequate to the job and put up for sale in 1839. No one bought it and  it was put on display in the Dane John Gardens in Canterbury where  it rusted until it was taken for restoration to the National Railway Museum in York. It can now be found in Canterbury’s Heritage Museum. The name Crab and Winkle dates back to the 1920s when the line was popular with day trippers. With the development of a good road infrastructure the line became less and less used and was closed in 1952.

But to get back to the present, the cycle track now forms part of National Cycle Route 1. It is mainly flat with a fairly steep hill at either end (nothing a moderately fit modern cyclist can’t handle). It begins and ends conveniently at Canterbury and Whitstable stations so that it is possible, if you have had too many oysters in Whitstable or stayed on after dark, to take the train back to your starting point. Situated at Canterbury West Station Canterburybikes are available from Downland Cycle Hire who will also collect and deliver bikes within a 15 mile radius by arrangement.