A wealth of attractions can be found at the Cinque Ports, providing plenty of activities to entertain you during your visit. From castles and gardens to shopping centres, Cinque Ports provides entertainment for all.

Cycle through the Cinque Port towns and explore…

Romney Marsh - various routes to enjoy including:

Folkestone to Rye, 32 miles (52km) - see unique Marsh wildlife and learn about local Marsh legends.

Sheep ahoy, Romney Marsh, 13miles (20km) - travel around Romney Marsh and discover churches, inns and the famous Romney lamb.

Chalk and Channel Way, 8 miles (13km) - lies within the Dover/ Folkestone Heritage Coast and is a designated area of national importance for its unspoilt natural beauty.

Viking Coastal Trail, 27 miles (43km) - linking Margate and Ramsgate, passing through chalk cliffs and historic villages.

Cinque Ports Circuit, total circuit approx 150 miles (241km) – circular route connecting all the 14 historic towns taking you through the beautiful surrounding countryside, wherever possible following designated cycle routes and avoiding major roads.

Walk through the beautiful countryside...

Royal Military Canal Path, 28 miles (45km) - begins near Folkestone, passes through Hythe and Rye to Cliff End, near Hastings and is a haven of wildlife and plants.

The Saxon Shore Way, 160 miles (257km) running from Gravesend to Hastings, including Faversham, Deal, Dover, Rye and Hastings. Tracing the coast as it was in Roman times and offering ‘some of the finest coastal walking’.

North Downs Way, from Farnham, Surrey to Dover. Follows the crest of the North Downs ridge across Kent and goes through Folkestone before ending near the famous White Cliffs at Dover. Dramatic chalk hills dotted with ancient beech woodlands, carpeted with grassland rich in wild flowers and native orchids, offering panoramic views.

1066 Country Walk, 31 miles (50km) following William the Conqueror’s footsteps from Pevensey to Rye via Battle and Winchelsea and joining the Saxon Shore Way with the South Downs Way including links to Hastings and Bexhill.

RSPB Nature Reserve at Dungeness - see flocks of migrating birds at this 2,000 acre site.

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve - a mosaic of habitats beside the sea with shingle, saltmarsh, sand dunes, rivers, pits, grazing marsh, reed beds and farmland.

Take to the High Seas…

Sail at Rye Harbour, Sandwich, Hythe and Ramsgate, which has and annual regatta and invigorate yourself with extreme water sports at Rye Harbour. Take a dip from the blue flag beaches at Margate and Ramsgate, recognised for accessibility and safety of the beaches, plus Hastings & St Leonards beach, which has also received a prestigious award from the Environment Agency for its cleanliness. Check out Camber Sands, a very popular sandy beach, with picturesque dunes and interesting wildlife, and frequently used for filming.

Discover Smugglers’ haunts...

Re-live the fascinating story of the notorious Kent and Sussex smugglers. Smuggling, or ‘owling’ as it was originally termed, developed around the year 1300 after customs duty was introduced on the export of wool. Fleeces were smuggled to weavers on the Continent and the famous Romney Marsh sheep provided high profits. During the 18th and 19th centuries high taxes led to a dramatic increase in illegal imports and this stretch of coastline was ideally placed as a drop off point for contraband. Many of the area’s secluded spots are steeped in the intrigue and violence of the smugglers’ activities, from the Marsh’s isolated churches (Snargate Church is believed to have been used to hide smuggled goods) to Rye’s Mermaid Inn (where the infamous Hawkhurst Gang ‘would sit and drink with loaded pistols on the table’) and Hastings’ All Saints graveyard (reputedly haunted by the ghost of a young priest who was hanged on the beach for helping local smugglers). Deal was renowned for building ‘Guinea boats’ - large, fast rowing boats used for smuggling contraband across the English Channel and capable of outpacing the customs cutters.