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Chatham dry ski slope

Winter sports in Chatham

Blog post author - Robin

Robin Hamman Freelance journalist, consultant, and university lecturer

What’s in it for you

  • Get ready for the slopes before setting off to the mountains
  • Longest dry slope toboggan run in England
  • All the equipment you need is provided on site

A day trip from London

This year, I’m hoping to be one of the 1.5 million Brits that the Ski Club of Great Britain estimates will go on a skiing holiday. I’ve got good reason to think my lucky number will come up: my partner recently obtained, through the nationality of her father, a Swiss passport and is keen to get her Swiss on. Problem is, it has been a good 25 years since I hit the slopes. At least, that was true before I visited Chatham Snowsports Centre via Thameslink.

The decision to return to skiing after a long hiatus often comes with a mix of nostalgia and apprehension. Whilst I have memories of winter holidays on the snowy mountains of Colorado, I was worried that after 25 years I’d not be able to keep up – or stand up – on the slopes.

Winter walks in Chatham

Skiing and snowboarding near London

The 200m dry slope at Chatham, the longest in the South East, offers a perfect solution, providing a controlled environment to practice, regain confidence, and restore muscle memory. Even better, it’s accessible by train, with Thameslink running direct services between London Bridge and Chatham once an hour.

For my visit, I took the 08:18 which had enough spare seats that I was able to get a row to myself. The published fare was £26.30 and the service whisked me the 45+ miles to Chatham in just over 70 minutes, passing first through the London suburbs then tracing the path of the River Medway into Kent. Along the way, I have to admit feeling a bit smug at not having to worry about getting stuck in traffic at Dartford as has happened in the past when I’ve driven this way.

When planning my day, I figured out that, to get to the snowsports centre from the station, I needed to catch the 113 bus from a stop at Waterfront Bus Station which is a short walk from the station. I’d booked my skiing session for the afternoon so that I’d have ample time to visit The Historic Dockyard in Chatham, which is just a few minutes beyond the bus station.

Winter walks in Chatham

A side trip to The Historic Dockyard

The Historic Dockyard is an 80-acre site along the river. It has massive hangar-like buildings (actually covered boat slips) where, for over 400 years, ships were built or repaired. Now these buildings contain historic displays, each with a theme: ropes, metal work, etc. There’s also an extensive collection of RNLI lifeboats from different eras.

Outside there’s a tall ship, a submarine, and a WWII era destroyer. On the day of my visit there was a film crew shooting scenes for the next season of Call the Midwife too. The highlight for me was viewing the expansive rooftop of “Slip 3” which was the largest wood supported roof in the World when it was built in the 1800s.

I kept my visit to two hours, but it’d easily be possible to spend a whole day here. Tickets to The Historic Dockyard are £28.50 for adults, £18 for children and £77 for families. If you remember to save your ticket, it’s good for free re-admission for up to a year.

Winter walks in Chatham

Off to the slopes

I returned to the bus stop and caught the 113 service (direction Wigmore) from bus platform A3. For Chatham Snowsports, you’ll ride for about ten stops, taking under 15 minutes, get off at Dukes Meadow Drive, followed by a walk of about 8 minutes.

Chatham Snowsports Centre is located at the top end of Capstone Country Park. Upon arrival and check-in, which included signing a waiver, I went through to get my “tech”. They had everything I needed, and the staff were really helpful in getting me the right size boots and recommending a suitable length of skies. Helmets and poles are available too, with everything included in the price of the ticket.

Although they do offer private lessons (£85), I went for open skiing (£26) which is basically a 90-minute slot during which you can ski or snowboard as much as you like. I’d forgotten what good exercise skiing can be - 90 minutes might not sound like much but my legs were jelly long before my time was up.

Winter walks in Chatham

After getting all my gear, I walked outside for my first view of the slope. Not only is it an impressive 200m but it also has a good incline. The fact that the hill is gently rolling also makes it surprisingly varied, just like a real mountain slope. Before approaching the ski lift, I asked one of the friendly instructors on hand how it all works. He suggested that, as a lapsed skier, I not take the lift all the way to the top until I’d regained a bit of confidence, pointing out that there are three exits on the way to the top.

With a bit of trepidation, I took the lift up to the first exit and made my way across to the slope. I looked up and down. I wish I could say it was to make sure it was safe to enter but, really, I was more concerned about anyone seeing how bad I was at this! Those concerns turned out to be unfounded. Firstly, I visited on a sunny afternoon even then, there were never any more than half a dozen others on the slope at the same time as me. Also, Chatham Snowsports Centre caters to visitors of all ages and abilities - whilst I did see a couple of accomplished skiers during my visit, I also saw some families with young children who were there for the first time.

Winter walks in Chatham

Whilst the instructor had told me that dry slopes are a bit different from snow covered slopes, it didn’t seem much different to me. As soon as I pointed my skies down the hill I started moving and soon gathered speed. One tentative snowplough turn led to another and I managed to make it down without losing control. I spent the next hour and a bit practising, going further up the slope as the afternoon progressed.

At the end of my session, I took a look at the toboggan run which is the longest in England. For many visitors this seemed to be the highlight of Chatham Snowsports. It was the mid-term and, as such, tickets (£5 for one ride, £9 for two) were sold out on the day of my visit. That said, although there was a short queue at the bottom of the ride, it didn’t look like anyone had to wait more than 5-10 minutes between turns. I’ll have to try it next time.

Winter walks in Chatham

Getting from Chatham to London

After my visit, I walked down to the bottom of Capstone Country Park and caught the 166 bus service to the Waterfront Bus Station then retraced my steps to Chatham Railway Station, with a door to door journey of about 45 minutes. I then took the 17.40 Thameslink service, which this time meant having the carriage almost entirely to myself until closer to London, arriving at London Bridge at 18.57.

Just seventy minutes from London Bridge on a direct service from Thameslink, Chatham is well worth a visit. Plan it right and you can split your day, as I did, between The Historic Dockyard and Chatham Snowsports Centre. A couple of hours is ample time at the latter - lessons run an hour, time slots for the open slope are 90 minutes, and a few goes on the toboggan would take under an hour. As for The Historic Dockyard, I’ve saved my ticket and, having only seen a small portion of the 80 acre site, am already thinking about heading back sometime when I have a whole day to explore.


About the Author

Robin Hamman is a freelance writer, photographer and consultant. He skied regularly when he was younger but hasn’t hit the slopes in around 25 years. Robin visited Chatham as a guest of Thameslink who provided travel and covered the cost of his entry to Chatham Snowsports Centre (£28).