Nice simple one this, especially if you're in/around the south-east of England - a day out walking from Whitstable to Canterbury on Sunday, 5 August doing the pleasantly monikered Crab & Winkle Line walk which was an old railway line (http://www.crabandwinkle.org/). This is now known as a bike route but is used by walkers too – it's 7 miles end-to-end and I'll have a go at the walk before 5 August so that I don't get hopelessly lost on the event day itself.

So, as a rough itinerary:

1. 10am on the 5th of August, meet in Whitstable at Costas at 9 High Street in Whitstable - if you buy a drink or something there you can use their bathroom facilities before we set off. It's a wee bit of a hike from Whitstable station (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&tab=wl) but will get you warmed up for the 7 mile walk ahead!  For anyone driving, Whitstable is known for being expensive to park. Having said that, I found Gorrell Tank in Googlemaps and, according to the website, you only have to pay for 5 hours (£2.50) which then gives you a full 24 hours in the carpark: (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=216263156119238067620.00048b5ef6aeacc93954d&ll=51.376442,1.031771&spn=0.035896,0.048923&t=m&z=14&vpsrc=6&iwloc=00048b5f0ad94e25cbced&f=d&daddr=Gorell+Tank,+Whitstable,+CT5+1BZ+%4051.362229,1.029174). 

2. Do the Crab & Winkle Line walk – 7 miles, so to arrive in Canterbury somewhere between 12-1pm.

3. Lunch at Prezzo's in Canterbury (http://www.prezzorestaurants.co.uk/restaurant/canterbury) at 29 High Street, booked for 1.30pm.

4. An hour or two in Canterbury – plenty to see (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g186311-Canterbury_Kent_England-Vacations.html) but I'll probably go and relax in the Westgate Gardens (if it's sunny) or Tiny Tim's Tearoom (if it's not) whilst others can visit the cathedral/museums/shops/etc.

From here, anyone wishing to leave by train can use Canterbury East or Canterbury West stations (note, the stations are about a 10-15 minute walk from the city center (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&tab=wl)) or the bus terminus is right by the high street (by Fenwicks). For those wishing to stay longer or who have parked in Whitstable, we could all then take the bus (number 4) back from Canterbury to Whitstable to wander around for an hour or so (http://www.seewhitstable.com/) then go on to a pub (http://www.seewhitstable.com/Whitstable-pubs.html) for a drink before either driving or catching the train back home.

UPDATE 19/6/12:

OK, so I did the walk today, in terms of difficulty, it's quite a long way (obvs.), there are a few inclines, one of which is relatively steep, and a lot of the route is on a gravelly path so can be uneven underfoot.  A good pair of walking shoes are recommended, and I might even bring along the hiking sticks which I didn't get to use when I missed the T&L trip to the Lake District!  I've changed the meeting point in Whitstable to Costas which is open from 8.30am if anyone gets there early.

UPDATE 6/7/12:

I went into Canterbury and checked out Strada's, Pizza Express, Ask and Prezzo's and of them all, the most pleasant (and flexible) to deal with was Prezzo's and, again with a mind to keeping things simple, it's in the high street (no. 29) so it's nice and easy for everyone to find.  I'm picking up from Whitstable station just before 10am so should be in Costa's by about 10.05-10.10am.

Thank you everyone for getting back to me on your thoughts on if you can join on the day or not (or that you will let me know as soon as you know yourselves).  The list so far:

Confirmed for the walk:

Sharyn/Roserevived/RedDawn/Michelle from Dorset/Karakuri/elainemcnl/compogirl/Jenshep/ holidaypam/cup of coffee/Lotus_Blossom/funcarer/Crested_Grebe/Sheila Sewell/campbell/lisajoa - 16

Confirmed for the meal:

Sharyn/Roserevived/RedDawn/Michelle from Dorset/Karakuri/elainemcnl/compogirl/Jenshep/ holidaypam/Lotus_Blossom/cup of coffee/funcarer/Crested_Grebe/Sheila Sewell/campbell/lisajoa/LizD/Pat (non-T&L - aka my mum) - 18

I picked up a streetmap and "what to do in Canterbury" leaflet from the tourist information office, I'll scan them next week so if anyone wants a copy, just send me a PM with your email address and I'll send it over (pdf or tiff) and shall bring some spares on the day.

By the way, the walk starts off a bit residential, but after that, pretty nice!  Fingers crossed for sunshine... (though there's always the bus if the weather's dire).