Canal Dreams
Easy bus journey from Folkestone to West Hythe, timed to perfection to meet the breakfast offerings at Unit 1. Get in quick on a Monday morning before the local rambling group overpower the place.
Then it's decision time... To be true to the Saxon Shore Way (SSW), I would have to climb up a busy lane with no pavement to walk about a mile on the ridge, only to drop back down to the Royal Military Canal I am stood next to.
Easy navigation canal walking it is. And what a feat of engineering the Royal Military Canal is.
The Royal Military Canal was constructed between 1804 and 1809 as a defensive measure during the Napoleonic Wars, running 28 miles from Seabrook near Folkestone to Cliff End near Hastings. Built to deter and delay a feared French invasion, the canal formed a barrier along the vulnerable Romney Marsh, allowing British troops to move quickly along its northern bank while impeding enemy progress.
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| A Military Canal |
There's next to nothing to report on this leg of the SSW. I have headed inland - with the Romney Marsh below. This is an area of land reclaimed from the sea through sea walls and drainage. It looks far more interesting on the map than in real life. OS Maps showing no greenery and a maze of waterways. Occasionally, the nuclear power station at Dungeness comes into view.
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| Romney Marsh |
For the walker, it's just sheep fields and woodland. No civilisation, nowhere for refreshments and only a trail of geocaches to provide entertainment until the railway station at Hamstreet whisks me to Rye.
And what an amazing place that is!
Walk Details
Distance - 11.5 Miles
Geocaches - 22
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