For as long as I can remember I have gazedacross the wide expanse of the ThamesEstuary at it; the low hills and green fieldsbeckoning, the lights of Whitstable twinklingat twilight just beyond Sheppey’s easternedge, and on clear days the twin towers of

Reculver’s ancient church visible in the far distance.I even cut my teeth on that view. As a lad we lived on

Southend seafront, and while looking out across theThames one day I slipped and chipped my front teeth onthe pebbledashed window ledge.

Essex born and bred I may be, but Kent, and particu-larly its coast, has always filled me with fascination.And, OK, envy. Whenever winter brings snow off the

North Sea, the clouds always seem to skirt my little cor-ner of East Anglia and dump their load on Kent, piling ithigh on fields and roads while all we get is sleety orsnowy drizzle – what we call snizzle. Conversely, insummer, the sea breezes keep us cool while over in Kentthey bask in tropical heat.

My first visits were back in the days of the paddlesteamers from Southend Pier, which took day trippers toHerne Bay, Ramsgate and Margate. On school trips Isailed across to the Medway, marvelling at Rochester’scastle.

The Medway towns still draw me back. Urban sprawlmay have grown around Chatham, Gillingham andRochester, but there are still hidden gems to discover.

March/April 2010 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine 57

on your doorstep � maritime kent

CoastalsirenThe beguiling charm of Kent’s coast has long held Peter Ellegard under its spell, despite living allhis life across theThames in Essex. It’s an affair of the heart, he readily admits

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� Rochester’scathedral and castle

On a recent visit south of the Dartford Crossing (whyisn’t it the Thurrock Crossing?) I spent a delightfulevening exploring the pretty village of Upnor. It is onlyjust downstream from Chatham across the Medway as itsweeps round in a huge arc, but it felt a world away as Isat with my pint in a pub garden by the sea wall andwatched the warm sunset glow light up the mooredboats bobbing on the river.

FortressAt the bottom of the cobbled High Street is UpnorCastle, a well-preserved Elizabethan artillery fortresswhich is open fromApril to October. Its guns failed tostop the Dutch sailing up the Medway in 1667 andattacking the British fleet at anchor off Chatham.With its 113ft (34m) high keep, the tallest in

England, Rochester Castle is even more impressive. Itsgardens and moat area host events throughout the year,including open-air concerts. Both castles are run byEnglish Heritage (www.english-heritage.org.uk), asis Temple Manor, a 13th century Knights Templar housein nearby Strood. Rochester Cathedral is England’s sec-ond-oldest, with 1,400 years of history.No longer a working naval port, Chatham’s maritime

heritage is preserved in the Historic Dockyard(www.thedockyard.co.uk), which marked its 25thanniversary in 2009. Set in 80 acres of Georgian andVictorian architecture, costumed guides help brings its400 years of maritime history alive for visitors.Attractions include the three-masted sloop, HMS

Gannet, built downriver at Sheerness in 1878, as well asa submarine and the destroyer, HMS Cavalier, which isberthed where Nelson’s flagship, HMSVictory, wasbuilt. You can also see how rope was made, watch steamengines and sail on venerable paddle steamer KingswearCastle (www.kingswearcastle.co.uk), which operatesMedway cruises and even occasionally visits Southend.Shopaholics have bags of choice at the Dockside

Outlet Centre (www.docksideshopping.co.uk) atChatham Maritime, next to the dockyard, with morethan 40 brand-name shops offering discounts.Charles Dickens spent part of his childhood in

Chatham and the last 13 years of his life living nearRochester, and he is celebrated at Dickens World(www.dickensworld.co.uk), also alongside the dock-yard. This indoor complex is based around the life,books and times of Dickens, taking visitors on a journeyback to the streets, sounds and smells of the 19th centu-ry. More Dickens history can be seen at the freeGuildhall Museum in Rochester(www.medway.gov.uk/tourism).

OystersHop across to market town Faversham to tour Britain’soldest brewer, Shepherd Neame, which has been brew-ing since 1698 (www.shepherd-neame.co.uk). Youcan go sailing for a day on the veteran, 1892-builtThames Barge, Greta (www.greta1892.co.uk), fromFaversham.Whitstable, on the North Kent coast, is famous for its

oysters (it has the country’s largest commercial hatch-

58 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine March/April 2010

Coastal gatewayCanterbury has always been the principal gateway to the Kent coast and pilgrimshave flocked to its ornate cathedral ever since Archbishop Thomas Becket wasmurdered there in 1170.Today it is tourists who come in pilgrimage, for its 12thcentury spire and stained glass, and the tomb of the Black Prince. CanterburyCathedral (www.canterbury-cathedral.org) is a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site,along with St Augustine’s Abbey and St Martin’s Church.Step back to medieval Canterbury and join Geoffrey Chaucer’s pilgrims on theirjourney from London at the Canterbury Tales attraction(www.canterburytales.org.uk).Take a guided walk or self-guided tour of the city’s maze of side streets, visiting theoldest Franciscan building in Britain – Greyfriars – and ruined Norman castleamong other treasures, or take a boat tour on the River Stour.Just outside the city is Howletts (www.totallywild.net), a 90-acre animal parkwith gorillas, elephants, tigers, bison and rare monkeys.

on your doorstep � maritime kent

� View ofCanterburyCathedral

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March/April 2010 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine 59

on your doorstep � maritime kent

ery) and you can sample them on the beachfront at theWhitstable Oyster Fishery Company(www.oysterfishery.co.uk). On balmy summer days,nothing beats a picnic on the beach looking across toEssex followed by a promenade stroll and a pint at theOld Neptune pub (www.theoldneptune.co.uk) or alocal brew from a seafront kiosk. Buy fresh oysters andfish at the harbourside fish market and browse the workof local artists at the next-door harbour market.You can also walk or cycle the Crab &Winkle Way;

it traces the route of the world’s first regular steam pas-senger railway, which linked Whitstable Harbour withCanterbury between 1830 and 1952 and was engineeredby George Stephenson and his son, Robert.Beyond Herne Bay and Reculver lies Thanet, the

sticky-out corner of Kent that takes in the county’s threetop seaside resorts – Margate, Broadstairs andRamsgate. Between them, they offer 15 sandy beachesand bays, 10 of the beaches holding the European BlueFlag award, as well as the longest continuous stretch ofchalk cliffs and the only Royal Harbour (at Ramsgate) inBritain. Explore quaint streets, hunt out boutique bar-gains and laze over coffee at seafront cafes.

Roman invasionJust south of Ramsgate is one of Britain’s most impor-tant, yet unsung, historic sites. Almost 100 years afterJulius Caesar’s first expeditions to Britain in 55 and54BC, the Romans invaded in AD43 on the orders ofemperor Claudius.They landed at a site called Rutupiae (now

Richborough), on the Wantsum Channel which then cutthe Isle of Thanet from the rest of Kent and linked to the

� St Margaret’s Bay

� Oysters atWhitstable harbour

� Whitstable beach

� HMS Gannet at the Historic Dockyard, Chatham

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Thames Estuary at Reculver. Forts were built at both.Two miles from the sea today, Richborough was thegateway to the new Roman province of Britannia andwas the starting point of Watling Street. It became abusy town and port, built around a massive triumphalarch clad in white marble which was erected in AD85.But by AD275 the town had been cleared and the archpulled down to incorporate into the walls of the fort,and by the early 5th century troops were no longer sta-tioned there.

Today, the thick fort walls, foundations and ditchesare all that remains of this once-vital link in the RomanEmpire. It is managed by English Heritage.

Sandwich also owes its existence to the WantsumChannel, which created the natural harbour that helpedit become a major port, notably between the 11th and13th centuries. It was one of the five Cinque Ports,along with Dover, Romney, Hythe and Hastings. Theywielded power and wealth third only to the Crown andthe Church. Sandwich later became a weaving centreand market town. Its rich heritage includes remnants ofthe Old TownWall, Fisher Gate and its Elizabethan-eraGuildhall. A stroll through its narrow, medieval streetsyields delights such as Holy Ghost Alley.You can alsotake a cruise from the quay.

White cliffsNearby Royal St George’s Golf Course is oneof England’s premier courses and hosts TheOpen for the 14th time in 2011. Also close byis the Rare Species Conservation Centre(www.rarespeciesconservationcentre.org),home to a unique collection of rare and endan-gered animals.

Deal and Walmer castles were built byHenry VIII in the shape of a Tudor rose, as wasSandown Castle north of Deal – now all butgone. Visit Dover Castle and explore secretwartime tunnels deep in the cliffs below. Allthe castles are English Heritage. This part ofthe Kent coast is White Cliffs Country(www.whitecliffscountry.org.uk), andDover’s famous cliffs offer wonderful walks onthe National Trust-managed clifftop chalkgrasslands. St Margaret’s Bay, where NoelCoward and Ian Fleming both lived, hides an

enchanting little treasure at the foot of the toweringcliffs. Watch the ferries bustling in and out of Dover asyou feast on exquisite local food at the Coastguard pubrestaurant (www.thecoastguard.co.uk). But leavespace for the cheese platter .

Beyond Dover lies Folkestone, Hythe and Lympne,where the Port Lympne Wild Animal Park(www.totallywild.net) has the largest herd ofcaptive-bred black rhinos outside Africa.

Then there is the flat expanse of Romney Marsh,best enjoyed from the miniature carriages on theRomney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway(www.rhdr.org.uk). It runs to Dungeness, where youcan climb the Grade II-listed Old Lighthouse(www.dungenesslighthouse.com) for glorious viewsof the Channel and countryside.

I’m not sure what it is about this coastal siren thatkeeps drawing me back, but I know one thing; fromwhere I sit, the grass is definitely greener over inKent.

60 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine March/April 2010

maritime kent facts

Getting thereRail: Southeastern trains serve the Medwaytowns, north and east Kent coasts from London.High-speed trains also now link Medway withLondon’s St Pancras International station.www.southeasternrailway.co.ukRoad:The Kent coast has easy access via the M2/A2and M20 motorways. National Express coaches run fromLondonVictoria to the region. www.nationalexpress.com

Getting aroundA car is easiest way for getting around, but you can explore theMedway area on Arriva’s Medway Mainline bus services with the ArrivaInner Medway Ticket allowing you to hop on and off at various places.Tickets can be bought from bus drivers or at the MedwayVisitorInformation Centre in Rochester. www.medwaymainline.co.uk

AccommodationKent’s coast has accommodation to fit everybudget, from luxury hotels to seaside B&Bs andself-catering. Get a real local flavour by staying in apub. Just outside Sandwich in the pretty village ofWorth is the St Crispin Inn, a traditional 15thcentury pub offering four-star B&B accommodation insix rooms and home-cooked food.www.stcrispininn.com

EventsThere are many festivals and other events around Kent’s coastal region.Rochester (www.medway.gov.uk) stages an annual Sweeps Festival(May 1-3 this year), celebrating chimney sweeps’ traditional May Dayholiday, and an annual Dickens Festival (June 4-6).The Sandwich Festival(www.sandwichfestival.org.uk) is a week of cultural, music, sportyand fun events in August (2010 dates tba).

InformationFind out more information on Maritime Kent fromVisit Kent(www.visitkent.co.uk).

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� RichboroughFort ruins

� Broadstairs

� Sandwich

� St Margaret’sBay

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