Whitstable walking tour with beer tastings and lunch

A guided walk round Whitstable that calls at five pubs and taprooms for beer tastings, with a light lunch along the way. The route runs along the shore and takes in the town's oyster beds, the harbour and the castle. It lasts about five hours.

It is a good way to see the town and try its local beer in one go, with the walking broken up by regular stops and lunch by the sea.

This is beer rather than wine, and five stops add up, so pace yourself. The listing is new, with no reviews yet.

Best for: beer drinkers spending a day on the north Kent coast who want a guide to show them round.

Whitstable has been known for its oysters since Roman times, and native and rock oysters still come in from the beds offshore. The harbour was built in 1832 for the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, the Crab and Winkle Line, and the Harbour Market on South Quay sells local crafts, art and food from open-air huts. Each September the town holds its oyster festival over three days.

East along the shore, Tankerton Slopes are lined with colourful beach huts, and at low tide a shingle spit called The Street runs out to sea. Whitstable Castle, built as Tankerton Tower in 1790, sits in public gardens laid out in the 1840s, which open from 8am to 6pm every day.

Direct trains reach Whitstable in about an hour and twenty minutes from London Victoria or St Pancras, so the day works without a car.

This is a beer tour, not a wine one. For Kent wine nearby, Barnsole at Staple offers free drop-in tastings from Thursday to Sunday, and Simpsons' at Barham and Domaine Evremond at Chilham are both near Canterbury; see our map of the North Downs and Canterbury vineyards.