| Product: |
County of Kent in general |
| Date: |
16/07/01 (791 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Relaxing, Unusual, Varied
Disadvantages: Flat ??
You may think that I am one of the more well known female contributors sitting here in my thong and high heeled shoes, greasing the nipples....of a classic sports car, but in fact I am not, I am just going to give an opinion about an area of Kent, the Romney Marsh. I know that there is a lot more to Kent than this, but it would be impossible to get it all into an opinion, a book would be more suitable.
The Romney Marsh is a large, flat area of approximately 14 miles by 3 miles, but I am willing to be corrected on this. If I give you a little of the history of the area you will understand a little of the attraction:-
It is thought that dry land first appeared as long,low, islands or shingle ridges around the present day sites of Lydd and New Romney, the town of Romney did not have to prefix "New" added to it until the 15th century. The Romans found a great tidal estuary which they called the Limen, but even at this time the area was probably silting up and the ancient inhabitants were already trying to drain the marshes and dam the tides by embankments. Romney developed as a flourishing port and was one of the five original Cinque Ports.
The town repelled an attempted landing by William's invaders and after his victory at the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror marched to Dover via Romney in order to take vengeance on the men of Romney for the slaughter of his soldiers. The harbour however was gradually silting up. During the reign of Edward the first, in 1287, a natural disaster occured after a violent storm, the water in the Channel rose to an unprecedented height and submerged the town and destroyed the harbour at Romney. It diverted the course of the river Limen, so that Romney was no longer on the river and a new passage to the sea was opened up at Rye.
Further storms followed.
That is enough of the history lesson children, now more of the present day. The Romney Marsh itself is very pleasant to cycle or dr
ive round on the B class roads, and is famous for it's beautiful churches and hardy sheep, the sheep at present have all been shorn and remind me of goats, but that is my problem!! A particular point worth stopping off at after having surveyed the many sheep (there are black sheep in Dymchurch, a town I wiil mention later) are one of the several historic Romney Marsh pubs, a particular favourite of mine being Botolph's Bridge near Lympne. The food here is first class, as well as serving real ale, and the views from the pub are excellent across the marsh and up to Lympne Castle.
Now, a few towns worth mentioning on the marsh itself, the first being New Romney, which is a bustling town centre, and the main shopping street has all the local resident or visitor may require, however the residents do not currently agree with the building of a new Sainsbury's store on the edge of the town !! One of the attractions at the town is the one third size railway station of the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway. It is worth walking around the station to see the movement of freight etc, and also the hand operated turntables. On the station itself is the Romney Toy and Model Museum, with it's collection of toys, games and other memorabilia, but also a very large model railway system which always has about 50 trains running. Opposite the railway station is one of Romney's several pubs, the Captain Howey, which is named after the millionaire racing driver who caused the railway to be built.
Heading away from Romney in the direction of Sussex, there is at Brenzett, the Aeronautical Museum which features an impressive collection of wartime equipment for an admission fee of approximately £2.50.
Further along the road towards Rye, but still keeping in Kent (just) is the Philippine Craft Centre at Brookland, and this colourful and unique free attraction is well worth seeing.
From here one turns onto the coast road and back towards New R
omney, finding Camber with it's famous sands being a popular destination for holiday makers. Also nearby one will find the quaint village of Lydd, better known today for it's airfield, and the town also possesses an active watersports centre.
The next area of particular interest is Dungeness. Birdlovers of the feathered variety (mostly!!) come to this area to visit the massive RSPB run nature reserve, where some of the rarest feathered creatures are known to visit and live.
Dungeness is an area like no other, it is the largest shingle area in Europe, and has approximately 1,000 different varieties of plant life, though I haven't personally counted them!!
Everything in Dungeness is unusual and massive, like the nuclear power station. This has a visitor centre, and trips round the station are free, but may need to be pre-booked at busy times on 01797 321815, or Talking Pages on 0800 600 900. You will be tested for radiaion afterwards.
There is also The Old Lighthouse, where you can climb the many steps for a small fee to gain a lofty view of this unusual panorama.
Be sure to buy some fresh fish at one of the nearby houses, these fish are caught by the boats one can see on the beach.
Walking around this vast shingle area, one sees many wooden houses, these are in fact people's permanent houses and very saught after.
Before leaving Dungeness, be sure to try the fish in the Pilot Inn, this is always extremely popular, they serve two sizes, medium and large at £5.95 and £6.95, but if you were to go for the large one you would need the appetite of an elephant.
Just a couple of miles further on is Littlestone, for many years a popular relaxing resort for the upper class with it's coastal golf course and attractive buildings, it retains a charm today unmatched by many similar areas. It has shingle beaches stretching far and wide.
Further along the coast, passing through New Romney again, is Dymchurch. Thi
s has a busy but small amusement park, and a similar bustling but High Street. It has award winning large sandy beaches for the children like me.
Around the town are several Martello towers, these are round buildings built as sea defences, one has been turned into a house and another is an English Heritage Museum, currently being restored.
Every other August Dymchurch features "The Day of Syn", named after the fictional Doctor Syn books. When I last saw the festival it featured the landing of smugglers on the beach, followed by a retreat to the playing fields for recreations of battles etc, and there were groups playing in the car park of the Ocean Inn, just behind the beach. However, it rained so I had Sex On The Beach, a frozen alcoholic cocktail served in the Ocean Inn. It was fuuny seeing elderly gentlemen ask the bar maid for a Blow Job, another frozen cocktail however!! The fish served here was also very good, being fresh with no batter and well worth £6.95.
The final area of especial interest in the area is Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, see webcams on www.Howletts.net. This is a vast area containing many animals in their natural environment such as lions, elephants, bison, gorillas, lynx and so on.
There is a trailor ride around the park to see animals in areas which are inaccessible on foot and is to be highly recommended. There is also a mansion to visit, as well as seeing the magnificent animals. The entrance fee is currently under review, following problems with the local council, but is not expensive, and a £2 reduction can be obtained with vouchers from the Ocean Inn, Dymchurch. I spent a fascinating and full day there, visiting my cousins the gorillas I hear you say.
Well, I know I've only covered a small portion of Kent, but then as I say, it is an opinion, not an encyclopedia, but anyone wanting further info is welcome to contact me.
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