Creek Navigation Guide

Navigation Guide

Supplies and Services

Local History

This project is being Faversham Town partly financed by the European Regional Centre Management Development Fund.

This project has been supported by: & Swale Angel Design – 01797 321380 Estuary Partnership; Swale Borough Council; Faversham Town Centre Management; Faversham Town Council; The Faversham Society.

Printed June 2001 Introduction Faversham and its Creek Faversham

The EEK Faversham and its creek lie on the north coast of town centre Albion CR To Chandler AM in south-east . The town is 10 miles from H S R E Canterbury, 55 from London and 67 nautical miles V FA from Oostende. The Corner Shop Faversham and ty Faversham is a small market town with a population Front Brentst Je of nearly 18,000, renowned for its historic buildings, its creek lie on Bridge Rd local boat and brewing industries, picturesque the north coast farmland and estuarine landscapes. ane Abbey Street ay L Qu of Kent in Lane Wes th t Str or Swale Borough Council, Faversham Town Council eet N south-east and the Medway and Swale Estuary Partnership are Court St C working together to promote Faversham Creek and England, re W sc e Guild e Church st n its surrounding countryside to local and continental S Hall t 10 miles from tre R Cross Lane e o sailors. t a Chart d Canterbury, Mills South Road Stone StreetSwimming The Front Brents Jetty on Faversham Creek has 20 Tanners Street Ea 55 from Pool st berths. All water, electricity supply, lighting and St re et security has been renewed in 2001. Faversham Creek London and Fleur de Lis oad Heritage Centre runs into the town and the berths are just five nR 67 nautical oad R minutes walk from the town centre. Berths are also d n a Saxo a o available at Iron Wharf on Faversham Creek, and miles from R m n o Ro Preston Street t Testers and Youngboats on Oare Creek. w Oostende. e N

ESSEX Station Road

Faversham THAMES Railway Station EST UARY The Mall Ramsgate

A2 London Road Faversham Dover KENT Faversham Canterbury Folkestone Oostende A251

Availability of berths at Front Brents Jetty can Calais Ashford be checked with Faversham Town Council 01795 594442/3 or email: Boulogne [email protected] Saxon Shore Way Faversham – Historic Town and Port A long-distance, signed coastal footpath runs only a few metres from the creekside moorings.

A small market town Faversham Faversham Trails may be, yet it boasts over 475 listed Three trails, with a map, which help visitors Feversham, buildings and Britain’s best- explore Faversham’s town and country. “ a large preserved medieval street; oldest brewery; oldest company and oldest Trains populous, and gunpowder mill. Provide a direct link to Canterbury (10 mins), as some say, London (1h 15mins) and Ramsgate (35mins). Intensely photogenic, Faversham a rich town: combines the charm of an historic Cycling Pubs the principle town with the bustle of a working The National Cycle Route runs within 100metres Faversham has many fine pubs. community and colourful shopping of the moorings and provides access to the coast The Albion, situated adjacent to business we centre. and town. the visitor moorings, sells found among excellent food and locally brewed The town’s certain history dates Motoring Shepherd Neame beers, and has them, was from the Roman era and it was an The M2 and A2 pass by Faversham. a beer garden. Photograph courtesy of The Faversham Times fishing for important centre when Kent was a separate Anglo-Saxon kingdom. Birdwatching Fleur de Lis Heritage Centre oysters… is a seaway bordered by saltmarsh and Open six days a week, illustrating ” Traces of a ruined abbey, the resting southern North Sea, was once busy with Thames mudflats internationally important for breeding Faversham’s 2,000-year history in place of King Stephen and Queen barges carrying goods such as gunpowder, bricks and and wintering birds. Brent geese, wigeon and colourful displays. Preston Street. Daniel Defoe, A Tour through Matilda, can be seen in Abbey Street agricultural produce to London. Some of these avocet are a few of many species seen at Oare and the Whole Island on the adjacent bank of the Creek. barges, now privately preserved, can be seen at South Swale Nature Reserves. Chart Gunpowder Mills For information on of Great Britain, Standard Quay. The oldest of their kind in the these and other 1724 The tidal creek, connecting the port world. Open Saturday, Sunday attractions in of Faversham to The Swale and the What does the area have to offer? and Bank Holidays from Easter Faversham and the Listed in this guide are just a few of the many to October, 14.00 to 17.00. Off surrounding district, facilities that Faversham and the surrounding area has South Road. visit Faversham’s to offer. More information on these and other website: attractions can be obtained from the Tourist Faversham Swimming Pools www.faversham.org Information Centre at the Fleur de Lis Heritage Indoor pool open all year round, or contact the Centre, Preston Street 01795 534542 or from outdoor pool open during the Tourist Information Swale Tourism, Sittingbourne 01795 417478. summer. Centre at the The Faversham calendar includes the Classic Car Abbey Street Fleur de Lis Rally in May, the Open House Scheme in July, the The longest preserved medieval Heritage Centre Hop Festival in August / September and the evening street in the country. 01795 534542 Carnival in October. With its unspoilt public houses and reasonably priced Access and Attractions eating-places, the town is a wonderful place to visit. Faversham Creek

38 d 17 7 r 2 2 Sea wall a 8 H 1 6 3 01 02 36 32 12 FS Faversham Mud 09 HARTY FERRY Spit 2 38 BY Sea wall 0 12 22 Mud 11 2 34 2 No2No1 22 33 G No2 R Outfall 16 No4 Sea wall R 05 s No6 n e 03 R o y WRECK G r (conspic) No8 R

03 Cottages

s 01 g

n Nagden Marshes

i

t

l

a 02

S Pylon (Safe overhead 02 clearance 25m) Power

04 16 Channel 36 Obstructions midway No10 0 Slip 09 9 between 0 salting banks 12 R 6 11 FS G Shipwrights Saltings 3 0 8 1 6 Channel 5 G 1 Normans Hill Arms 1 midway 08 11 No12 11 between R Saltings No3 19 05 salting banks 0 6 No5 G

22 12 EEK 22 51°20' CR 23 E 25 Channel about AR 26 O White 8 metres from buoy; 1 28 midway to north 1 Stones Channel Boughton 2 8 metres off bank opposite 8 Whf Mast No7 13 27 14 4 2 3 8 R 12 Nagden 29 12 Pole 3 Ham Marshes Shed 14 Stakes G

14 Channel is midway between s banks and saltings g n 12 i t l 14 a No9 S

ouseintransit 17 G 1616 16 14 R Chnl Wareh r 1 20° off 7 bank yste Obstructions

Saltings 17

hspireandO 18 No11

hurc C Obstn Sewage 1 8 Works 2 Saltings

19 2 2 Whf 27 Slip Iron Wharf 28 Boatyard SStandardtandard QuayQuay

28 Tower

Whf Church Front Brents Jetty Weston 28 Works TownTown Quay 2 9 SSwingwing bridge 34 Spire 0500 Church Metres FAVERSHAM

0°54' E

To be used in conjunction with navigational charts Information Faversham Creek Facilities London Weather Centre Weather information and forecasts Communications Booking, fees and moorings 0207 831 5986

In addition to VHF Ch 16, mariners Visiting craft, up to a length of 8 metres, can Police / Emergency services are advised to monitor VHF Ch 12 generally be accommodated at the Front Brents Jetty. 999 (Port Control London) in the The moorings are on soft mud that is exposed at low Thames estuary for details of tide. Craft are attached to the wooden jetty, which has Faversham Health Centre shipping movements and similarly access ladders. for most medical needs and enquiries. Ch 74 (Medway radio) in the 01795 562000 Medway/Swale area. Current tidal Fresh water and electricity will be available from the heights are available from these early part of the 2001 sailing season. Faversham Creek Chandlery stations. 9am-6pm (closed Tues) The jetty is secured by a self-locking gate. The Stocks: safety equipment and wide range of Kingsferry Bridge security gate code will be supplied when mooring fees nautical requirements, including charts. can be contacted on VHF Ch 10 are paid. Please note that you will be unable to return (“Y14” for Faversham Creek) to arrange a lift. to the mooring without knowing the security code. 01795 591957

Thames Coastguard Fees can be paid at the Albion public house, next to Iron Wharf Boatyard VHF Ch.16/67 the jetty, or at the Corner Shop, Church Road, Boat diesel, showers and washing machines 01255 675518 Upper Brents – the store is 100 metres south from Emergency phone 999 the jetty. The Corner Shop is open from 6:00 to 18:30 weekdays, 7:00 to 18:30 Saturday, and 8:00 to Contacts 12:00 Sunday. Medway Ports Authority The Albion 01795 596596 We hope you will enjoy your 01795 591411 visit to Faversham, but please: Faversham Town Council The Corner Shop 01795 594442 • dispose of refuse at designated 01795 532336 points. Try to use the recycling or email [email protected] Swale Tourism, Swale Borough Council facilities where possible. (Tesco 01795 417478 and Swimming Pool car parks).

Medway and Swale Estuary Partnership • please do not alight on islands in 01795 590112 the Swale and Medway, these are environmentally sensitive areas Faversham Tourist Information Centre that support internationally rare 01795 534542 birds and plants.

Information Faversham Creek Navigation Faversham Creek Creek approach • Faversham Spit waypoint 51:20.7N, 0:54.3E. • Buoys are available at Harty Ferry for boats to wait for Sailing directions the tide to enter the Creek.

1. Leaving the Faversham Spit north 3. From no.8 red can, navigation is straight down the • Channel depths of up to 2.5 metres can be found cardinal buoy to starboard, steer fairway and make a good course towards the around HW. south-west into Faversham Creek. boatyard and Shipwright’s Arms, which lie at the • Without local knowledge, passage is recommended for Keep the red can buoys well to your junction of Faversham and Oare Creeks, there being daylight only. port side as there is some a large mud bank on the starboard side at this • Ideally passage should be commenced into the Creek encroachment of the mud bank into juncture. The south-west channel leads to Oare via about 1.5 hrs before HW, depending on draught. Tides the deep water channel between Oare Creek. +01.25 Dover. buoys numbered 2 – 6. 4. At the fork, continue to port into Faversham Creek • Note should be taken of meteorological conditions 2. The starboard side of the channel is proper, leaving the pub to starboard. Follow the which may reduce the predicted tidal height for marked by a green cone no.1 starboard bank until abeam the stone sea-wall example in strong southerly winds or predominantly initially with the next marker in the revetment. Alter smartly to port until the pylon is high pressure conditions. shape of a green triangle above the fine on the port bow. This should take one to the • The use of an echo sounder is recommended. wreck. This is situated well to the next green buoy no.5 which should be gently starboard side and care must be rounded following the bank line. Proceed along the • Passage at half speed is recommended to allow for taken at this point to stay around channel guided by the Starboard hand buoys taking reserve power to back off mud flats in the event of mid channel. note of the line of the banks. inadvertent grounding. • Note that the buoy-to-buoy courses are not straight 5. Having passed green buoy no.7, one should be lines. Consider the line of the Creek banks between about 5 metres from the port bank heading towards the buoys. Nagden Cottages. Take note of the Faversham • Pass about 5 metres off the buoys. Church spire to starboard in the distance and the large rectangular warehouse building in the distant • Tides rise and fall 15 minutes earlier than at Chatham. foreground. When the two are in transit alter to • River byelaws defining the rules and regulations of starboard so as to place the red can buoy no.14 on navigation and usage have been issued by the Medway the port bow. This will take one clear of the Ports Authority and are in force. notorious Nagden Bump. Having passed the red can • Speed limit in the creek is 6 knots – speed must be no.14 (with the starboard bank close to), alter about appropriate for prevailing conditions and the safety of 30 degrees to port to clear the next green buoy others – be aware of your wash. no.11. Continue following the channel as before. • If in difficulty a pilot or tug is usually available from 6. On passing the sewage works, Iron Wharf Boatyard the Iron Wharf Boatyard 01795 536296 / 537122 will be seen ahead. Visitors’ berths are available here VHF channel 8 Iron Wharf. (rafted out) or one can proceed on for a further 800 metres to Front Brents Jetty to starboard and the Town Quay to port. It is recommended to proceed at minimum speed upstream of Iron Wharf. Navigation Faversham Creek