FAVERSHAM - DAVINGTON - OARE - LUDDENHAM - OARE - DAVINGTON - FAVERSHAM faversham.org/walking Wild Side Wild on the the on AWalk AWalk A walk on th From the heart of a historic town and the bustle of Kent’s oldest market, to “Blue sky, golden cloud ... the quiet calm of a sea-shore path, the wide, open waters of the Thames Estuary and the plaintive cry of the distant sea bird; you’ll experience it all What a feeling of forever!” when you take A Walk on the Wild Side. Alberto Blanco The contrasts will delight you. Faversham’s Market Place is a sea of colour, lined with centuries-old, half-timbered shops and houses, presided over by the elegant Guildhall. On Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, market stalls crowd round it like chicks round a mother hen, overflowing with their wares; traders vie for attention like their predecessors down the ages. w Explore more of this historic town on your walk. You’ll discover intriguing signs of Faversham’s p distinctive past – old coaching inns where famous names from history once stayed or a signpost N leading you to a former gunpowder mill. Ducks, geese and swans throng the waters of S Stonebridge Pond and the local children compete to feed them. On the hill above, the tower of Davington Church rises between the trees: you’re looking at the oldest building in the area and all that remains of a great medieval priory. Soon, the town is far behind you. You’re strolling beside Oare Creek, with yachts lying at anchor, their mast-ropes slapping gently in the breeze. Stand on the sea-wall for a while, where the creeks meet the open estuary, under an immense and spreading sky. It’s easy to imagine the smugglers who once prowled these sparsely-populated shores under cover of ur A walk on the wild From the heart of a historic town and the bustle of Kent’s oldest market, to darkness. Today, the “Blue sky, golden cloud ... the quiet calm of a sea-shore path, the wide, open waters of the Thames and wetlands alive Estuary and the plaintive cry of the distant sea bird; you’ll experience it all sheep on the salt-m What a feeling of forever!” when you take A Walk on the Wild Side. the wash of the tid walk by the shore. Alberto Blanco The contrasts will delight you. Faversham’s Market Place is a sea of colour, lined with centuries-old, half-timbered shops and houses, presided over by the From the coastline elegant Guildhall. On Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, market stalls crowd round it like chicks landscape, past pic r round a mother hen, overflowing with their wares; traders vie for attention like their Sheep graze in the o predecessors down the ages. with its homely church standing b r Explore more of this historic town on your walk. You’ll discover intriguing signs of Faversham’s produce, much of it reared on the distinctive past – old coaching inns where famous names from history once stayed or a signpost Now, the village of Oare, with its leading you to a former gunpowder mill. Ducks, geese and swans throng the waters of Stop a while for a drink or a meal a Stonebridge Pond and the local children compete to feed them. On the hill above, the tower steps into the heart of F of Davington Church rises between the trees: you’re looking at the oldest building in the area here. Many of the ea and all that remains of a great medieval priory. Of course, there’s f Soon, the town is far behind you. You’re strolling beside Oare Creek, with yachts lying at – so why not sta anchor, their mast-ropes slapping gently in the breeze. Stand on the sea-wall for a while, guesthouses? So where the creeks meet the open estuary, under an immense and spreading sky. It’s easy to discover the delig imagine the smugglers who once prowled these sparsely-populated shores under cover of countryside for yo ve… History & heritage ve is Your walk takes you into the heart of Faversham, a place that was settled in pre-Roman A Kent times and was once a capital of the Kings of Kent. Its ancient heritage can be seen in 200 the many fine, historic buildings you will see – Davington Church, on the road between water the town centre and the village of Oare, is the oldest building in the area and is the remnant -wall of a Benedictine priory. Whilst much of the church is medieval, its stained glass is the work of wale one of the greatest 19th century stained glass artists, Thomas Willement, who is buried here. His nd is work adorns a number of local buildings. tland ering From Oare towards Harty Ferry, the walk follows the Saxon Shore Way. Harty Ferry itself stands on land ports. reclaimed in the 1860s; a ferry operated here for centuries until 1939, providing access to the Isle of Sheppey ocet, via the Isle of Harty. In Elizabethan times it provided an important link to Shurland in Eastchurch, then the W rail, home of the Warden of the Cinque Ports. and Faversham has long been associated with the explosives industry (see panel, An Explosive History), and also e the has a long history of brick making. Many of the bricks were destined for London – the railway viaduct stint, between Greenwich and London Bridge stations is built from Faversham brick. The town was surrounded whilst by vast brickfields, and at Uplees there was a smaller brick and tile works. Many of its the products were shipped out from Dan’s Dock, named after its owner, Sampson eon, Dan. Remains of the works tramway can still be seen today. Later, the owl, marshland between the site of his works and The Swale became part of two great explosives factories. At their greatest extent, they covered an area of land almost as large as that of the City of London – and it was here that the 1916 “Great Explosion” happened, which killed 108 people. fave St Mary Magdalene & St Lawrence Church, Davington FAVERSHAM - on the wild side o darkness. Today, the Oare Marshes Nature Reserve lies nearby, its pastures es and wetlands alive with rare birds, whilst farmers graze their cattle and St Mary’s Church, all sheep on the salt-marshes in the traditional way. All is calm; the only sounds Luddenham - the wash of the tide, the calls of the birds, the tread of your feet as you A haven for wildlife r, walk by the shore. he From the coastline, a long straight track leads inland across the broad ks landscape, past picture-book cottages with quirkily decorated bird-tables. ir Sheep graze in the orchards as you pass by and Luddenham Court lies ahead, with its homely church standing by the farm entrance. The butcher’s shop here sells local ’s produce, much of it reared on the marshes you have walked alongside. st Now, the village of Oare, with its welcoming pubs, is just a short stroll across the fields. of Stop a while for a drink or a meal and enjoy the open views across the creek. Or retrace your er steps into the heart of Faversham, to enjoy the fine wining and dining on offer ea here. Many of the eating places specialise in local Kentish produce. Of course, there’s far more to Faversham than you can discover on this walk – so why not stay a night or two in one of its quality hotels, pubs or guesthouses? So don’t hurry away – spend a little time with us and discover the delights of the Market Town of Kings and its surrounding countryside for yourself. AWalk on the Wild Side faversham.org/walking FAVERSHAM - DAVINGTON - OARE - LUDDENHAM Flora & fauna & Flora leaved saxifrage and English stonecrop. stonecrop. English and saxifrage leaved black spleenwort, and other small plants including rue- including plants small other and spleenwort, black colonised by lichens, mosses, ferns such as maidenhair and maidenhair as such ferns mosses, lichens, by colonised and gravestones also provide a special ‘rock-face’ habitat and are and habitat ‘rock-face’ special a provide also gravestones and predominantly free of chemicals and insecticides. The church walls church The insecticides. and chemicals of free predominantly and animal communities that have developed in an ecosystem that is that ecosystem an in developed have that communities animal and bittern and twite. and bittern Luddenham churchyard is typical of many in rural England, with rich plant rich with England, rural in many of typical is churchyard Luddenham merlin, hen harrier, short-eared owl, short-eared harrier, hen merlin, bloom in profusion. profusion. in bloom Brent goose, dunlin, curlew, wigeon, curlew, dunlin, goose, Brent fields. Many birds of prey can be seen over these areas, whilst wild flowers wild whilst areas, these over seen be can prey of birds Many fields. birds which winter here include the include here winter which birds Much of the rest of the walk takes you through grazing pastures and arable and pastures grazing through you takes walk the of rest the of Much curlew, sandpiper and whimbrel, whilst whimbrel, and sandpiper curlew, black-tailed godwit, ruff, little stint, little ruff, godwit, black-tailed migratory birds and for residents who have made this area their home. home. their area this made have who residents for and birds migratory garganey. Migrating birds include the include birds Migrating garganey. with the tidal mudflats providing a productive food source for wintering for source food productive a providing mudflats tidal the with bearded reedling, common tern and tern common reedling, bearded Sheppey – provides an excellent habitat for a wide range of coast-loving birds, coast-loving of range wide a for habitat excellent an provides – Sheppey redshank, snipe, lapwing, water rail, water lapwing, snipe, redshank, Rupert Brooke Rupert The Swale – the channel of water between the Kent mainland and the Isle of Isle the and mainland Kent the between water of channel the – Swale The Breeding species include avocet, include species Breeding continued tradition of grazing sheep and cattle on the marshes.