TheMiner's Way Trail is a long-distance circular footpath in England, starting at Sholden, Kent. Linking up the coalfield parishes of East Kent.Including; the parishes ofDeal,Ash,Aylesham,Chillenden,Eastry,Eythorne,Elvington,Goodnestone,Nonington,Northbourne,Coldred,Staple,Tilmanstone andWingham.[1]
The trail is approximately 27 miles (43 km) in length.[2]
A link route creates two shorter walks of around 14 miles each. TheWaymark for the trail is a white circle with a Miners lamp, train and leaf.
A Cycle Trail 30 miles (48 km) also follows most of the trail, starting and finishing at Deal.Sections of the cycling route follow the existingSustransNational Cycle Network Regional Route 16 (Dover to Canterbury, viaAdisham) also and connects with Regional Route 17 (to Sandwich). Linking to theViking Coastal Trail andNational Cycle Route 1.[3]The route can be comfortably completed in a day.[1]
In 2001,Dover District Council launched the 'Coalfields Heritage Initiative Kent' (CHIK) project,[1] led byDover Museum and theWhite Cliffs Countryside Project.[4] The CHIK project's aim was to record and preserve East Kent's mining heritage. In 1890, Coal was discovered near Dover; this led to a small industry based on the mineral being set-up. Many coal mines were started, only to quickly fail, and just 4 collieries survived;Snowdown,Tilmanstone,Betteshanger andChislet. Most of the workers for these new mines came from traditional coal areas, including south Wales, the Midlands and the North East. New villages were built to house them, includingAylesham,Elvington,Hersden and Mill Hill in Deal. The last colliery, Betteshanger, closed in 1989.
The trail has then been developed following current public footpaths, bridleway and byways to link all these coalfield linked villages.Much of this arable landscape, with its many hedges and woodlands, has not changed sinceSaxon times, boasting a long and rich history. The trail also links to theNorth Downs Way (another long distance path between Canterbury and Dover) and theEast Kent Light Railway at Shepherdswell.
A guide book of the trails is available.[5]Also 9 laminated leaflets describing circular walks are available.
