Walking the Saxon Shore Way through Medway Contents Key to maps Gradient down WALK PAGE Gradient up Tourist information centre 1 Cliffe to Cooling . 5 Car parking 2 Cooling to High Halstow . 9 Viewpoint Toilet 3 High Halstow to Hoo . 13 Refreshments 4 Hoo to Upnor . 17 Railway station Point of interest (open to the public) 5 Upnor to Strood . 21 Point of interest 6 Rochester to Gillingham . 25 Pub 7 Gillingham to Upchurch . 31 Caution Disabled route The complete walk This map shows the route of the Saxon Shore Way through Medway. The black dots indicate the starting Medway points for each of the seven walks contained in this booklet. To Gravesend Cliffe Salt Lane Cooling High Halstow Fenn Corner For those wishing to use Ordnance Survey maps, the following cover the Medway area: Landranger Map 178 and Explorer Maps 148 and 163. Hoo Marina Upnor Gillingham Rochester Otterham Quay Lane To Sittingbourne Walking the Saxon Shore Way through Medway The Countryside Access Charter Your rights of way are: And, wherever you go, please follow the Countryside Code: G Public footpaths – on foot only. These are waymarked G Be safe – plan ahead and follow any signs. in yellow. G Leave gates and property as you find them. G Bridleways – on foot, horseback and pedal cycle. G Protect plants and animals, and take your litter home. These are waymarked in blue. G Keep dogs under close control. G Byways – all traffic. These are waymarked in red. G Consider other people. G Restricted byways – unless stated, on foot, horseback, pedal cycle and non-mechanically propelled vehicles. On rights of way you can: G Take a pram, pushchair or wheelchair if practical. G Take a dog (on a lead or under close control). G Take a short diversion around an illegal obstruction or remove it sufficiently to get past. For your information: Medway Council has a duty to protect, maintain and record rights of way and any problems encountered on them should be reported to: Medway Council, Public Rights of Way Team, Frontline Services, Regeneration, Commu nity and Culture, Annex B, Civic Centre, Strood, Kent ME2 4AU Phone: 01634 333333 Email: [email protected] 2 Introduction he long distance path, known as The Saxon Shore Way, South-east Britain had traded with Europe since at least the late Tstretches from Gravesend to Hastings, some 160 miles Bronze Age, so it would have been only natural for this to have from start to finish. Originally opened in 1980, it has since continued throughout the Roman period. been in parts re-routed and extended. Where possible it uses existing Public Rights of Way and allows the walker to follow The 26 miles of the route passing through Medway have been roughly the coastline as it was around 1,500 years ago. The divided into seven sections. Six of the sections are five miles way takes its name from the line of fortifications built along the or less in length. Each section offers the walker something southern and eastern coasts by the Romans in the third century different - from the atmospheric marshland between Cliffe AD. Originally believed to have been built to protect Britain and High Halstow, the busy streets of Rochester and Chatham from marauding tribes such as the Saxons, new research has to the stunning estuary views along the riverside path from concluded that they were more than likely fortified ports. lower Gillingham I 3 WALK 1 Cliffe to Cooling DISTANCE: 6.3 miles (10.1km) • LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: Easy • MINIMUM TIME: 2.5 hours (approx) or the purpose of this guide, the Saxon Shore Way starts at tide offer a vast bird table for the hundreds of thousands of Fthe local authority boundary of Gravesham and Medway. wetland birds that use the Greater Thames Estuary. This Access to here is from the nearby RSPB car park in Salt Lane* section of shoreline also provides an opportunity to see the (see map). Follow the road back to the first junction on your important industrial activity which has changed the landscape. right (left from Cliffe village,) continuing along the public The clay quarries to your right were dug to support the footpath to the mineral railway crossing, before turning right cement industry, resulting in flooded lagoons into which again. From here the path passes between the gravel works dredged mud from the River Thames is disposed. These and onwards to the river’s edge. The mudflats exposed at low lagoons provide a valuable habitat for plants, insects and birds. Salt Lane * Parking available here or in Cliffe village see map on page 7. 75 1 WALK Cliffe to Cooling Continuing onwards, you pass the wreck of the Hans Egede (1) and arrive at Cliffe Fort (2), built in 1860. The fort is one of three built to defend the Thames. To your left are the remains of the Brennan torpedo rails used to launch the world’s first guided missile. Continue past the fort and then underneath the conveyor that is used to transport imported sand and 50,000 small snails and is thought to be more productive than gravel from the ships to the nearby works in Salt Lane. a tropical rainforest. The path now turns inland following the line of the Cliffe To your left are Cliffe Pits and Pools (3), long neglected but Creek. It is always worth peering over the sea wall to see the now owned and managed by the RSPB as a nature reserve. bird life. At low tide, birds such as redshank, dunlin and Salty by nature, the lagoons support large numbers of ringed plover can been seen feeding on the exposed mud, important breeding and wintering birds. The track below the an extremely rich source of food for wetland birds, containing chalk cliff and to the right of you is Salt Lane – no doubt a numerous insects. Each square metre of mud supports over reference to the historic manufacturing of salt in the area. 6 Cliffe to Cooling WALK 1 Continue along Pickle’s Way, which offers far reaching views Heading on towards Cooling the path takes walkers from across the North Kent Marshes. Here the ditches, which are ara ble land and on to grazed grassland. Shortly before so characteristic of the marshland landscape, can be seen. Cooling Castle is a good example of a wet pasture – a grassy, As well as providing an important habitat for plants, wet field that is grazed by cattle or sheep. The ditches here are dragonflies and water voles, the ditches act as wet fences. lined with tall crack willows, which as their name suggests, tend to collapse upon maturity. The collapsing is a means of After passing through Cliffe with its impressive church of spreading and any part of the St Helen’s (4) built around 1260, the Saxon Shore Way willow touching the ground will crosses slightly higher arable land. Here, red legged and the create new roots and growth I less common grey partridge can be found along with hares. The latter cross the open landscape at tremendous speed (up to 70km per hour) and are considerably larger than rabbits. Look for their taller, more erect ears and their running rather than hopping movement. 7 WALK 2 Cooling to High Halstow (Fenn Corner) DISTANCE: 3.6 miles (5.7km) • LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: Moderate • MINIMUM TIME: 1.5 hours (approx) ooling Castle (5) is a manor house fortified by John de CCobham in 1380. At this time in history, marauding French and Spanish soldiers were burning and pillaging coastal towns and villages. Remnants of the moat can be seen to the west and north of the castle. Its geographical context in 1380 would have been very different from today – to the north would have been extensive salt marsh and wetlands. The castle, which is sited on the higher lands, reflects this historic shoreline. Cooling Church (6) dates mainly from the 13th century and has an interesting vestry covered in shells. Its churchyard is the unassuming location of the 13 lozenged-shaped body stones made famous by Charles Dickens in Great Expectations, 9 2 WALK Cooling to High Halstow (Fenn Corner) although in the book there are only five. The graves are of It is easy to forget that, with its feeling of isolation, this area is children who probably died of marsh fever or Ague, now so close to London and Medway. Northward Hill (8) is as the known as malaria, as carried by the marsh mosquito. name suggests – on the northward side of High Halstow. Here, old oaks provide suitable conditions for nesting and Beyond Cooling the walk enters orchard country. The siting of roosting grey herons – the heronry is the largest in England. the orchards maps drier lands and offers blossom in late April Roosting alongside the herons is the once rare, little egret. and colourful fruit in September. The orchard trees are cathedral- These can be seen in increasing numbers throughout the year. like with pillars supporting a canopy roof. Bromhey Farm (7), Less than 10 years ago walkers would have been lucky to have owned by the RSPB, provides unsurpassed views across the see just one, but now up to 70 can be seen at any one time. marshes and Northward Hill. Excavations in the 1920s and While in the wood, also listen out for the familiar drumming 1930s found evidence of Iron Age and Roman pottery kilns, sound of woodpeckers. Northward Hill is the largest and oldest providing an insight into the marshes’ distant industry. RSPB nature reserve, established in 1955.