The High Sheriff of Kent, Hugo Fenwick, cycled from Dartford to Dungeness to draw attention to the county’s attractions and the health benefits of cycling

The High Sheriff of Kent, Hugo Fenwick, cycled from Dartford to Dungeness to draw attention to the county’s attractions and the health benefits of cycling. He was joined by Brigadier Chris Claydon, Deputy Constable of Dover Castle, and the Chairman of Kent Country Land and Business Association, Nick Sandford.

Hugo Fenwick says: “It was traditional for High Sheriffs in the Middle Ages to ride the borders of their counties on horseback. I suppose this is the modern day equivalent! My fellow riders and I saddled up to promote the benefits of cycling and to highlight Kent’s wonderful countryside, coastline, heritage and rural/tourism businesses.”

The team followed Route 1 of the National Cycling Network, which skirts the Kent coast and, in many parts, is traffic-free, as well as the Viking Trail around the Thanet coastline. They started on Friday 17 October in Central Park, Dartford, and arrived at Dungeness RNLI Lifeboat Station by early Sunday afternoon, accompanied by an escort of local cadets on bikes. Friday saw them cycling from Dartford to Sittingbourne, Saturday from Sittingbourne to Dover and Sunday from Dover to Dungeness. The cycling team stopped off at key sites along the way to show their support for tourism and related businesses and to greet local civic dignitaries.

Hugo Fenwick is a keen cyclist and has already tackled two gruelling alpine cycle rides, from Zurich to Venice and Mont Ventoux. He recently participated in The Friends of Kent Churches sponsored ‘Ride and Stride’ event on behalf of his own parish church at Egerton.

Hugo adds: “If we can boost the proportion of trips made by bicycle from 3% to 10%, it could save the NHS £1 billion per year and wider health benefits of £6 billion per year, including reduced incidence of heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer. The AA also estimates that reduced congestion would save £4.3 billion per year, as well as significantly reducing carbon emissions.”