"IF SOMEONE was asking me where to cycle in Sevenoaks, I would tell them to go to Margate" is the stark truth according to one of the county's leading cycling experts.

David Young is the South East regional co-ordinator for Sustrans, a sustainable transport charity which has created hundreds of cycling routes across the country.

He said: "West Kent is not as well served in terms of the National Cycling Network as East Kent."

Explaining why he would send cyclists to Margate, Mr Young said the town has seven-and-a-half miles of traffic-free paths to Reculver just 50m from the train station.

In fact, the disparity between the two sections of the county is so huge, Mr Young said West Kent can only boast 20 miles of cycle routes, while East Kent provides a whopping 199 miles.

"It's fair to say when you look at East Kent there were some people who took the time out to survey potential routes and networks," he explained. "The original members of Spokes (an East Kent cycling campaign group) spent a long time campaigning for those routes to go in and 35 years down the line we can see the difference that made."

He added: "There are opportunities if the local council and community have an appetite for it and are prepared to push for it.

"Any effort in terms of the (Sevenoaks) district council is to be encouraged."

Take a closer look at Thanet, just part of East Kent, and one can see the difference cycling campaigners and local authorities have made.

A popular cycling course in the district is the Viking Coastal Trail – a 27-mile, almost circular route which runs from the coast at Reculver, back to St Nicholas-at-Wade.

Although cycling was already very popular in the Thanet area, the success of its cycling provision has been a long and expensive process.

Mr Young said: "The public wants to see routes built that are safer and useable and enjoyable.

"We have been going 30 years and we are still filling in gaps in the network. It does happen, but it doesn't happen overnight."

Thanet District Council's community and public transport office Stuart Smith said of the Viking trail: "It's a very popular leisure attraction which forms part of the National route to Dover and it has cafes and pubs and things like that along it."

Having counters on the route, which can clock how many people the trail attracts, Mr Smith said: "On a really busy summer Sunday you can get up to 400 bikes on that trail. Canterbury Christchurch University did a study in 2003 and the result was the Viking Coastal Trail earned £300,000 per year for the local economy."

Mr Smith added the council looked for opportunities from developers in order to create more cycle paths and also worked closely with Kent Highway Services to improve and expand its network.