Thanet
The road begins in the outskirts of the Thanet town of Broadstairs, at a roundabout with the A255 where it heads westwards through the Westwood Retail Parks via "Westwood Road".
The A256 then passes 2 roundabouts with residential estates on the left before arriving at a couple of smaller roundabouts with exits to the left and right into the various retail parks. Most of these parks were built during the early 2000s. Also in Westwood, the A256 meets a large roundabout with the A254 Margate Road. Here the A256 heads south-westwards, called 'Haine Road', passing Westwood Cross shopping centre on the left (built on the former Haine Hospital site) at a roundabout with Manston Court Road (on the right). The A256 then briefly bypasses the village of Haine, along New Haine Road, constructed in early 2009, which heads southeastwards alongside Westwood Cross shopping centre, before heading southwestwards after another roundabout, and passing The Marlowe Academy. At the next roundabout, with the Euro Kent Business Park situated on the left, the A256 then rejoins its original route along Haine Road.
Here, the route of the A256 takes a more southerly direction, travelling in the direction of Sandwich. The three cooling towers of Richborough Power Station could once be seen in the distance, before they were demolished in March 2012. Further along Haine Road the A256 becomes dual carriageway for about 300 metres (0.2 miles) with its junction with the B2050 Manston Road.
Approximately 600 metres (0.4 miles) after this junction, the A256 encounters a double roundabout junction, known as the "Lord of the Manor" roundabout, named after the pub on the junction. At the first junction there are exits for the A299 (formerly A253) towards London and Canterbury, and for the (joint) A256/A299 towards Ramsgate and Dover. A railway line separates the two roundabouts and passes underneath the main dual road A256/A299, with high white concrete walls on both sides of the road. At the second roundabout there are exits for the A299 travelling towards Ramsgate and the A256, travelling southwards, towards Sandwich. It is here where the A256 becomes a primary route.
Shortly after the Lord of the Manor roundabout, the A256 Sandwich Road bends to the right, now facing a more south-westerly direction as it enters the village of Cliffsend. The majority of the built-up area of Cliffsend is on the western side of the road. The land to the south of the village is relatively flat and low-lying (just 3 metres above sea level). It previously formed the Wantsum Channel which used to separate the Isle of Thanet from mainland Kent. The famous Viking Ship 'Hugin' sits on the east side of the A256, separating the road from the sea. St Augustines Golf Club is situated next to the A256 south-west of Cliffsend. Cliffsend also forms the boundary on the A256 between Thanet District Council and Dover District Council.
Read more about this topic: A256 Road