We ride the Cantii Way - but does it live up to the hype?

In late June 2023 four of us embarked on the coastal route of Cycling UK's Cantii Way. In this episode I give an overview of the route and links to the history. Its true to say that some parts were moving and others quite haunting. The route was excellent in parts and left a lot to be desired in others. Join us on this ride to see what I mean.
This is the route I would take next time ridewithgps.co.... It removes the sandy section after Sandwich and the golf course and narrow overgrown track after Folkestone. I haven't ridden the revisions so anyone using the route does so at their own risk. This route does include the Winchelsea Loop but we didn't ride this. If you have any problems downloading a gpx from this just let me know. I recommend setting a sat nav to a lose in as possible as some tracks run closely parallel to roads and can be easily missed.
Music in order of appearance:
After You - Dan Lebowitz
As we go - The 126ers
Innocence - The 126ers
The beacon - Zacharia Hickman
For the Fallen by Kevin MacLeod
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Source: incompetech.com...
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Departure - Ghostpocalypse by Kevin MacLeod
is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. creativecommon...
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/
Windows Rolled Down - The 126ers
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[@ianb3562]

Did the cantii way last week over 3 days in good weather ( end of August, Ashford, Sandwich, New Romney). Your video is very realistic, was good to watch and brought memories back. Even as a regular cyclist I found it quite challenging over 3 days with bags especially the hilly parts near Dover, Folkestone. I did the inland section from reculver as I was running late. As you said average speed on the sea front is low in August. I did do the winchelsea loop (10 miles) which was good. I hope you had a look round Rye and centre of Canterbury as the route slightly bypasses the historic parts. I agree with the golf course section and considered doing the road route there. I went down the left of the fairway, got shouted at by the golfers, not much signage here and would be dangerous if wet. Stayed at premier inn, Travelodge as bike friendly, Ship hotel new Romney ( bike storage but by a noisy road). Overall a good mini adventure and I would recommend. I used a giant allroad bike which was perfect. A mountain bike would be hard work as most of the route is regular NCN cycle paths, quiet lanes. The off road parts can be avoided if required due to weather or lack of time.

[@Grandadgreyhair]

We rode earlier this year, we started around the Romany Marsh as mate has a farm there. Stopped at Canterbury , then kingsdown and finally New Romany. Camping cost was 40 quid, beer was substantially more😂. We loved the route for the history, views, relaxed pace, and overall interest and would definitely recommend it. It was a different challenge to our normal bikepacking routes and a pleasant change.

[@Paul_Spence1964]

Great ride Roy. well done to all that took part.

[@kevinseversonandhisvizslas8287]

Such a beautiful ride! So jealous of Britain’s richness of history. I am a Yank in South Dakota. Nothing but black top roads with rumble strips.

[@RideWithRoy]

You must come and visit. From what I’ve seen, SD has its own kind of beauty.

[@ricobass0253]

Thanks for the recce. You are absolutely right to mention the wind. I've struggled with the wind on the very exposed north coast section and the Dungeness-Rye section; much worse than any hill!

[@RideWithRoy]

It’s also a common phenomenon in the Fens. Many people are lulled into a false sense of security because it’s flat, but as you say, can be much worse than any hill.

[@ChrisyC567]

Hey Roy, Thanks for this one. I've always wanted to do this route and now you've gave me a great insight to do so.. If you do it again next year let me know. I reakon you will tailor a better way by then.😉

[@ChrisyC567]

I watched this one again and still keen.... lol. Ps: Thanks for what you do fella.. 😉👍🏻

[@jenniferbailey44]

All very interesting to watch. Lovely seaside towns. Thanks for your appraisal of the route. Useful information to know.

[@WheelersAtLarge]

Well done the RwR team. Probably give thos one a miss, looks a bit "bitty" if that makes sense. Yes when i planned this last year accommodation was the main issue. Thanks for the video👍

[@RideWithRoy]

Thank you. I was thinking about you two on the ride and bitty wasn’t quite what I would have described it as, but since you’ve said it you are spot on. Great route, but probably not your style. Although there were a few Yehaaa opportunities 😀

[@erlindaihoward6472]

Hello Roy! Thank you for sharing the video. I have been studying the routes covered in Cycling UK. My husband and I are tandem riders from Western Canada. Right now, I am leaning towards doing the Cantii because of the area it covers and probably the availability of accommodation. We want to ride slowly and have enough time to visit the towns along the way. As well, we will need luggage transfers. I have yet to find availability of this service in the area. We are in our late 70s and would like to do about 50 kms each day at the very most. If you can comment on my thoughts, it would be much appreciated.

[@RideWithRoy]

@@erlindaihoward6472 there are companies that offer ride support with transfers, but I don’t know if they cover Cantii. I’ll get back to you with some contacts.

[@RideWithRoy]

This is one of the companies offering supported rides although I have no experience of them www.cyclingforsofties.com/destinations/uk-cycling-holidays?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADDzitPN5EcoKD4PbzaaNpUwFZEVu&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkPT3uuGjiAMVOptQBh2lTzCQEAAYASAAEgIX3vD_BwE. I do know someone that used the following company and was highly impressed www.skedaddle.com/uk/classicroad/holidays/location/UK/29?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAApWHQ-vrq2D9CEH_c14bzOScFrLiW&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkPT3uuGjiAMVOptQBh2lTzCQEAAYAiAAEgJPIfD_BwE

[@FENCYCLIST]

Great video Roy I loved it last year, but that was hard as a 2 day ride. I wanted to spend more time at the Battle of Britain Memorial, but only had time for a couple of pictures.

[@RideWithRoy]

Thanks, Michael. I certainly wouldn’t want to do it in two days. I didn’t make much video at the BBM, so used stock photos to do it the justice it deserves.

[@geraldinecoupland4162]

Well done to you all. Brought back memories when we holidayed in Kent. Great editing too Roy. 👍

[@keithhowland9333]

Fabulous tour Roy, have downloaded the revised GPX file..maybe next year. Great video coverage as per, thanks again👍😊

[@colinpearce7079]

Hi Roy,great video,I like how you give all the info at the end for anyone planning to ride it👍,look forward to the next one,I’ve got a new bike on order for future adventures (Genesis Day One),atb Colin P.

[@RideWithRoy]

Thanks, Colin. New bike sounds great. Enjoy those adventures 😀

[@kevindean9613]

Thanks for sharing ,when you say that it's not for the faint hearted ,what are you comparing it to ? I did LEJOG 3 years ago mainly off road & after a long illness I'm doing this as what I thought would be a relatively gentle trip over 3 days .

[@RideWithRoy]

It’s all relative, Kevin. For someone like you it will be gentle, but for others it will be a challenge. I do have a lot of viewers who are not used to this type of ride so I wanted to manage their expectations. Some of the off-road surfaces are rough and there are some steepish climbs, but for someone with your experience it will be a walk in the the park..

[@paulbutler1602]

A friend and I did this on XC mountain bikes over 2 days recently. Thought the route was great. Regarding the golf course, instead of cutting across the fairway go around the bunker at the end of the green. Safer option and the golfers will thank you for not riding across the fairway.

[@RideWithRoy]

Good going doing it in two days. After the golf course there was a narrow overgrown track with brambles, so I would take a different route altogether. But if doing the golf course that’s good information - thanks.

[@greigs9384]

I thought Joan Flowers was making a return to the channel at 1905 😂

[@RideWithRoy]

Nicely remembered 👍

[@colinwellman9480]

That was a very enjoyable video and review of the route. I hope you all find time to do more like it in the future. Taking the 'right' bike can be difficult. Certainly wider tyres would help on the rough stuff but the drag and noise on tarmac would offset this. Any bike is good if it gets you out there. I found the BBM very moving. A chum's dad was a B of B pilot, the most unassuming man you could have met. I'm sure Wendy can dish it out as well as take the humour! Thanks for sharing your trip.

[@RideWithRoy]

Thanks, Colin. I would estimate that 70% is off road so drag wouldn’t be too bad. I appreciate the comment about the BBM section.

[@keithphillips7320]

This route is one I'm planning to do, like you on a gravel bike and staying in hotels, so this is a very useful video. Earlier this year I did another Cycling UK route, The Rebellion Way in Norfolk. It is a bit longer but rather more on roads, albeit very quiet lanes. The off-road sections were all perfectly rideable. Is this one that you and your merry band might want to do?

[@RideWithRoy]

Thanks, Keith, the RW is on the cards.

[@keithphillips7320]

I can strongly recommend Guy Kesteven's guide book for the RW - very informative.

[@brianhowe8896]

My wife was born in Margate so we have Ridden 90% of that route several times but it was great to see some of the places we hadn’t included so something to think of when next we visit. I never knew it had a name but did my own route/s on Komoot and missed out all the places you suggest missing just from the knowledge of the area and Audax routes I’ve ridden in the area.

[@bimblingabout]

That was very informative Roy, thank you. We live in Northumberland so do not tend stray that far south, yet… So this ride has been added to the ‘Must give it a go list’ 😁. I did wonder, what are you using for managing the dual conversations with Wendy? I have just spent several hours trying to expunge a load of tyre noise from out GoPro footage without my wife sounding like she was using a bake bean can microphone.

[@RideWithRoy]

Thank you! I use Boya radio mics. This is where I purchased mine and the price still looks like the lowest www.studiospares.com/boya-by-xm6-s2-wireless-microphone-for-smartphone-and-dslrs-101040.htm I do mention them in this video ‘How I make My Videos (and a nice ride in France)’ kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZy8hJSsed6ZjZI In the video I mention that the supplied dead cat wind mufflers don’t stay fixed to the mic units when cycling, so I use the supplied Lav mics plugged into the transmitter mic unit. However, Boya appear to have overcome this and, even though I’ve had them for almost two years, have agreed to send me a pair of the new dead cats free of charge, so top marks as a supplier. I record in stereo so I can remove or adjust the tracks individually. This is useful if Wendy is singing 😀 or in conversation with someone else. This system also means you don’t have to be riding close to the subject all the time to pick up their voice. Most of the sound you hear on my videos is unadjusted in the edit, so you can tell the quality is way better than the resident GoPro mic. I use DaVinci Resolve for editing, and until recently it was the free version. It has a very effective voice isolation function that can help with improving the sound you have. If you don’t already have it, you will need the Media Mod, to allow your GoPro to accept the mic Jack plug. The alternative is the Rode wireless 2 which is twice the price of the Boya but does have the advantage of recording within the mic itself, so no chance of losing sound through a faulty connection to the camera. This means you could do away with the expensive Media Mod, but it would take more work in the edit. I hope that helps but I’m more than happy to answer any other questions you have 😀

[@bimblingabout]

@@RideWithRoy Thanks for taking so much time writing your response, above and beyond the call of duty 😁. I will check out the Boya system, it sounds a little kinder on the pocket. I feel for Wendy, my singing has been known to clear any enclosed space in seconds. Until recently, I used LumaFusion for editing which suited me well, the latest version hated my pre M1 Ipad and crashed constantly. So a new computer was purchased and I’m gradually getting used to DaVinci Resolve 18.5 (still free), the AI voice filter and multi band EQ are amazing. I have just about mastered the basics of the Edit and Cut pages, now trying to get my head round colour correction and balancing the sound. This led to a side project of my wife creating a small section of music in Cubase which is about to be added to the next video on our 600 mile adventure from last year.

[@RideWithRoy]

I’m pleased to help. I’ll take a look at your next video, sounds like a great adventure. I now have the Speed Editor which, even though I’m only using half of its capability, has made a huge difference to assembling the basic edit. I expect you have worked this out already, but if you set up to edit at a lower resolution it’s easier on the PC. I do this and then change it to 4K for the render.

[@bimblingabout]

@@RideWithRoy Thanks Roy, that is a top tip. You may find the next video a bit choppy, I’m still trying to find my rhythm with resolve, especially when there have been so many technical challenges, unreadable files from one go pro, previously reliable editor crashing constantly etc. I have found that the colour quality of test exports in Resolve have been impressive, even when handling poor GoPro footage. My most interesting discovery is that the compression has reduce the final render size by half.

[@rogereheadbyrne4790]

Great Journey and Editing Roy! A Very enjoyable Watch thanks Mate!🙏💯👍

[@davidburgess741]

That's some strange routing through a golf course! Another wonderful entertaining video!

[@julianhawker7672]

What would you say the Road/offroad percentage is??? I can recommend the C-uk Cornwall route if your thinking of another outing, did it last year on a hardtail mtb and its great.

[@RideWithRoy]

I would estimate 70% off road, but the alternative I shall suggest shortly would make it about 65%, but the roads are mostly quiet. Thanks for the suggestion. It would be a good excuse to get the Hardtail out

[@philbest4565]

We’ll done all. Very informative

[@bitsandblocks7826]

Lovely video Roy & Co. Being brought up in Kent this brought back loads of memories. Might give this one a go, I couldn't find the link to gpx file in description of your suggested amendments so hopefully you can add to description at some point. Great music choices as always, especially the Battle of Britain memorial scene. Dungeness always looks best in black and white very post apocalyptic. Hope Wendy has forgiven you for calling her a "baby elephant"! Take care and look forward to the next one 👍🏻

[@RideWithRoy]

😀😀😀 as I’m sure you’ve worked out, Wendy and I know the limits. I told her I expect to get hate mail from both of her fans 😀. I’m pleased you liked the way it was put together as that makes all the time it took to get it just right worthwhile. I wanted to get this out on this wet and windy Sunday morning so hadn’t finished the alternative route, but I’ll get this done later and let you know.

[@wendysheehan2413]

Will get my own back…😀

[@RideWithRoy]

I've just added this in the description. This is the route I would take next time ridewithgps.com/routes/43404007. It removes the sandy section after Sandwich and the golf course and narrow overgrown track after Folkestone. I haven't ridden the revisions so anyone using the route does so at their own risk. This route does include the Winchelsea Loop but we didn't ride this. If you have any problems downloading a gpx from this just let me know. I recommend setting a sat nav to a lose in as possible as some tracks run closely parallel to roads and can be easily missed.

[@bitsandblocks7826]

@@wendysheehan2413 so you should! 🤣

[@bitsandblocks7826]

@@RideWithRoy Thank you Roy, have a great week. What with wind and rain not got out on the bike in 4 days i'm getting palpitations.

[@LLewis-vu9qf]

An excellent A+ video, Roy. The majority of your videos are really good, but you went over and above putting this one together. Wendy, I really empathized with you getting pulled and pushed back up onto the road. 😊 Something similar happened to me once while on a group mountain hike years ago. 😅 I think I am the one Roy mentioned who was interested in the result of your bike fit. I appreciate hearing about how you like/dislike the adjustments. It sounded as though you're pleased you had it done. I feel lucky that my trike fits me well since there are no adjustments I can make other than raising/lowering the saddle. Overall, this video was well worth the time it took to watch it. Good job, everyone. 👏

[@RideWithRoy]

Thanks you. Yes, it was you I mentioned but as I don’t know your first name I wasn’t able to make it more personal 😀 it’s interesting that you felt this one was over and above as the dynamic was different so more difficult to make it entertaining. I’m pleased to know I succeeded as far as you are concerned, it makes it all worthwhile.

[@wendysheehan2413]

Thank you - yes I had jumped over the wall to take a picture of some flowers then realised I couldn’t get back up! Thankfully Colin had the best idea - however being called a baby elephant became quite a talking point ! 😂😂😂

[@degsyuk]

Hi Roy, thanks for your video (which I enjoyed very much.) and the revised route. As I live in Kent the Cantii Way trail is on my "To-do" list and your route will make planning my adventure easier. Derrick, 👍

[@RideWithRoy]

Thanks, Derrick. If you use the changed route I’d be grateful if you’d let me know how those parts are.

[@degsyuk]

@@RideWithRoy Will do.

[@bigmancycling8104]

Great summary Roy 👍