Enjoying a stunning bike ride along the east Kent coastline is certainly one way to work off the Christmas excesses.

Here, reporter and keen cyclist Gerry Warren shares the pleasures of the 32-mile Viking Coastal Trail....

Kingsgate Bay is a picturesque spot along the route

I grew up in Ramsgate, was fishing down by the harbour on my own aged 10 and rode my bike everywhere around Thanet.

Now, some 50 years later, I still get as much enjoyment from a coastal ride, especially with the sea sparkling in the sun.

Thanet is blessed with the 32-mile Viking Coastal Trail, which forms part of Route 15 of the National Cycle Network.

It starts out at the heart of Thanet's Viking invasion - The Viking Ship ‘Hugin’ at Pegwell Bay, which is a replica of the 1949 craft which sailed from Denmark to Thanet to mark the 1,500th anniversary of the invasion of Britain.

The ride stretches around the coast, passing through Ramsgate, Broadstairs, Margate, Birchington and Reculver and then cross-country through St Nicholas and my home village of Minster. And you can ride it all or just sections of it.

The start of the Viking Coastal Trail at Pegwell Bay

Take in the sights at Dumpton Gap

It won't be the first choice of the hardcore road rider out to smash Strava times, but as a very pleasant, social day out on a bike, it takes some beating.

And I reckon a dry one in winter - especially midweek - is the best time as you're not sharing the route with the usual hordes of summer crowds.

Some of my most enjoyable rides on the Viking Trail have been on a crisp, sunny winter's day.

So it's a great choice for blowing away the excesses of Christmas.

It's largely flat too, so do-able for most on any kind of bike.

The picturesque harbourside cafes in Ramsgate

There's plenty of opportunity for the essential coffee breaks

I usually ride my hardtail mountain bike, simply because I'm not in a hurry. It deals with any mucky surfaces better and it's more fun if I want to deviate off the beaten track.

But on this particular day I was riding with friends on road bikes.

The mercury was barely above zero when we set off so we were layered up like Michelin men to keep out the cold.

This ride is a pleasure not just because of the coastal scenery but also the history and landmarks along the way. And there are plenty of pit stops to refuel with coffee and cake.

Much of the ride is beside the sea and on promenades and the sections of road are usually quiet, especially at this time of year.

The Viking Coastal Trail

The Viking Coastal Trail is well posted along the route

But you need to be aware that it's a shared route with walkers and their dogs, which is another reason to treat it as a cruise rather than a race.

To be honest, in cycling terms, it's a bimble of a ride, as the Strava data reveals. There's little need to press on, unless time is against you. With stops for coffee and lunch, it can take the best part of a day to do.

But, like every ride at a slower pace, you tend to take in the sights more.

Despite seeing it thousands of times, I never tire of the view of Ramsgate's magnificent harbour, which really is a gem of the Kent coast.

And now with its harbourside cafe culture and antique shops in the arches, it's a real destination to visit too.

The route from Reculver to St Nicholas-at Wade is a little mucky at this time of year

The Garmin tells the story - this ride is a cruise

Heading out of the town, we coast through King George VI memorial park where, in summer, its glorious Victorian Italianate glasshouse is open for tea, coffee and cakes.

The route takes us to Broadstairs, which has its own unique charm with its picture-postcard Viking Bay and Charles Dickens connections.

The sweep down from the North Foreland lighthouse to Joss Bay gets the speed up before the long flat stretch through to Margate, where you are reminded this is a shared route and you have to be more cautious of pedestrians.

You pass the landmark Turner Contemporary Gallery overlooking the harbour, then it's on to to Westbrook and Westgate via the sea wall, shorts sections of which you are obliged to dismount in during the summer.

After a short spell back on the road, you drop back down to sea level for the cruise to Minnis Bay.

The North Foreland Lighthouse is along the route

The trail goes past the Turner Contemporary

At this time of year, the high tides bring up sand, seaweed and debris onto the sea wall, which is not ideal for a carbon road bike on skinny tyres.

Minnis Bay to Reculver Country Park is a 3.7-mile flat ride along the concrete sea wall with great views left and right of countryside and coast.

And waiting for you at the visitor centre will be HatHats' great coffee and cakes.

The run back home to St Nicholas-at-Wade takes you on a lesser-known stretch of Route 15, which is narrow in parts with a surface that can get a little mucky in winter.

It runs adjacent to the coast-bound Thanet Way but can obviously be ridden in both directions, if you prefer doing the route anti-clockwise.

Stop off at Joss Bay

One of the landmarks is the Reculver Towers

The more you ride it, the more you appreciate the beauty of this part of the east Kent coastline.

It may not be Dorset's Jurassic coast but it has a unique appeal of it own.

For more detailed information, go to www.explorekent.org/activities/viking-coastal-trail.

For more ideas on days out and things to do, head to our What’s On section.