Saxon Shore Way - Cliff End to Hastings (19/09)

The 7km section of the Saxon Shore Way between Cliff End, & Hastings is the final leg at the south-western end of this long distance footpath. With its rugged coastal scenery & panoramic views it forms one of the most beautiful  parts of the of the whole route & is definitely the most rugged. Navigation is somewhat challenging for the first half of the walk as way markers are either non-existant or confusing. Things improve once you reach Hastings Country Park where way markers are just about adequate ( even if vandalised in places). The start of the path at Cliff End is difficult to find.It is located off Chick Hill, a short distance up a driveway to 4 houses. There is no way marker on the main road & where the narrow, enclosed path leads off the right- hand side of the drive there is only a small footpath sign & this gives no indication that this is the Saxon Shore Way. There are no apparent way markers between here & Fairlight Cove but once the path reaches the cliff top you simply follow the footpath heading west. When you arrive at the settlement at Fairlight Cove there is a large sign saying that the path has been diverted along Lower Waites Lane because of coastal erosion. The initial impulse is to proceed straight ahead down a dirt track but the route actually goes to the left & then joins Lower Waites Lane, a residential road heading west through the centre of the estate. There are no signs indicating that this is Lower Waites Lane. You head west along this road (LWL) for ~ 500m until you meet Smuggler's Way at the T junction at the end. Turn left along Smuggler's Way & proceed ahead to another T junction & then turn right onto Channel Way. Head west along Channel Way. After ~ 400m proceed onto a narrow path before entering 'Fire Hills' in Hastings Country Park. Fork left after the swing gate & then you basically follow the cliff walk for ~5km to reach the end of the Saxon Shore way at East Hill, Hastings.

The photo above shows the view looking back over the beach at Pett Level.

The path heading west towards Fairlight Cove.The sandstone & clay cliffs in this area have been eroding as rapidly as 25 metres per year in the recent past & several properties in the small residential settlement at Fairlight Cove have been lost over the cliff edge. It is hoped that remedial work on the cliffs will give protection for the next 50 years at least. Erosion exposes numerous fossils , especially those of dinosaurs from the Lower Cretaceous & it is one of the few places in the world where very rare fossils of early mammals have been discovered.

As you leave the settlement at Fairlight Cove you enter the area known as 'Fire Hills' which forms part of the Hastings Country Park. The cliff tops & the upper slopes of neighbouring Warren Glen are covered in short gorse & heather vegetation which form a rare type of habitat called ' maritime heath. The name Fire Hills is believed to derive from either the presence of the gorse ('furze') or the fact that it burns so easily. Stonechats breed here & it is home to the  rare Grey Bush Cricket. Mesolithic worked flints found in a nearby field provide evidence of early human settlement in this area.

Short gorse & heather growing at Fire Hills.

The view from Fire Hills looking towards Warren & Fairlight Glens.

Conservation grazing using Belted Galloway cattle & Exmoor ponies is used to control the vegetation.

The steep path leading out of Fairlight Glen.

The approach to Ecclesbourne Glen. The path through the glen here has been officially diverted because of a recent landslip but I found that the old path, although very narrow, is quite passable with care. (Be aware though that this may not always be the case, particularly after heavy rain.)

Looking back towards Fairlight Glen.

The route through Hastings Country Park is beautifully scenic. The whole area is a 'Designated Local Nature Reserve' & much of it has SSSI status. It has also been classified as 'An Area of Archaeological Interest''. The 3 'glens',(Warren, Fairlight &  Ecclesbourne), which you cross before reaching East Hill on the eastern outskirts of Hastings are 'gills', similar to those found in many areas of the High Weald of Kent & Sussex. These steeply sided rocky valleys which are wooded and have  streams running through them are sheltered & have a microclimate favoured by mosses & liverworts. Their clayey soil is neutral or slightly acid & supports a variety of wild flowers.The woodland in both Fairlight & Ecclesbourne Glens is classified as 'ancient'.

The view of Hastings Old Town as you emerge from Ecclesbourne Glen.

Hastings Old Town nestles in the Bourne Valley on the eastern side of Hastings below East Hill.

Hastings is a popular seaside resort & home to the U.K.'s largest beach-based fishing fleet. It has a population of ~93,000. The old town, 'Old Hastings', located in the Bourne Valley between the East & West Hills, has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The Romans built a port here to ship out iron produced in the nearby Weald. It is said that Beauport Park, just to the north of the town, was the site of the 3rd largest iron ore mine in the whole of the Roman Empire. Any name resembling 'Hastings' did not appear until the 7thC. when the settlement was called 'Hastingas', a name of Jutish origin meaning 'Haesta's people'. The town flourished during the early Middle Ages & was an important member of the Cinque Ports. However, the harbour was badly damaged during the 'Great Storm' of 1287 & the town was virtually destroyed by French raids during the 14thC. These events led to an almost terminal decline until fortunes changed in the 18thC. when the fashion of sea bathing attracted members of the wealthier classes to Hastings in considerable numbers. The advent of the railways during the 19thC. led to many from the lower classes visiting as well & the town has remained popular among holidaymakers & day-trippers to this day.

Saxon Shore Way 😊, Cliff End (Pett Level) to Rye (09/09).

This is an easy walk of 5 miles over flat terrain & even though way markers are virtually non-existent it is easy to navigate. The route follows the Royal Military Canal for the first 3 kilometres & then, after a 1km stretch down busy Sea Road at Winchelsea, it passes through part of the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve before following the R. Brede into Rye at the Brede Sluice.

The cliffs at the western end of Pett Level are composed of Wealden sandstone & contain numerous fossils & dinosaur footprints from the Lower Cretaceous. A petrified forest is accessible from the beach here at low tide.

The Royal Military Canal, Pett Level. This is the most picturesque part of the walk. Much of the marshland on the seaward side of the canal is designated a  Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Of particular note are Pett Pools  which were dug during the 1940's to obtain material for sea defences.They attract many species of wildfowl & wading birds, especially during the winter & when on passage.

Looking north from the canal towards higher ground where the former coastline ran. The windmill visible on the summit is Higgs Hill Mill, Icklesham. It was built at Pett in 1781 & used to grind corn until 1920 when it was stopped because of a broken weather beam. Currently, it is the location of Sir Paul McCartney's recording studios.

The historic town of Winchelsea lies just to the north of this section of the Royal Military Canal where the SSW turns east onto Sea Road. The original town, 'Old Winchelsea', was situated several miles seaward of  here & was completely destroyed during the 'Great Storm ' of 1287. The new town, 'New Winchelsea', was built on the current site shortly afterwards. When first established, the town occupied a favourable position on a tidal inlet of the estuary of the R. Brede which provided a good harbour, & trade flourished. However, later during the 14th & 15thCs. the town suffered badly from raids by the French during the  '100 years War' & a series of plague epidemics. Silting of the harbour in the 16thC led to the town's ultimate demise.

The SSW passes Camber Castle which was built by Henry XVIII during the 16thC. to protect Winchelsea & the surrounding coast. It was formerly known as Winchelsea Castle & is situated within the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. The whole area is managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust & covers 1149 acres of a variety of habitats including saltmarsh, shingle ridges, lakes, scrub & woodland. 4,355 different species have been recorded here including 280 species of bird. It forms part of the Dungeness, Romney Marsh & Rye Bay SSSI.

A beautiful stretch of the R. Brede just before it enters Rye at the Brede Sluice.

Our destination, Rye: a beautiful & ancient town with quaint old houses & narrow, winding streets. It shares an interesting history which is similar to that of its nearby neighbour, Winchelsea. It, too, was a senior member of the Cinque Ports & suffered from raids by the French during the '100 Years War' in the 14thC. as well as epidemics of plague.It also lost its former influence & prosperity when the harbour silted up. Rye Harbour, located 2 miles downstream from the town on the R. Rother estuary is a mere shadow of its former namesake.

Saxon Shore Way (More! More! More!), Hamstreet to Appledore (03/09)

This is an easy walk of just over 5 miles. It passes through gently undulating countryside with panoramic views over Romney Marsh to the south. There are clear way markers along the entire route.

I started this walk in Hamstreet which is not actually a parish in its own right but falls within the parishes of both Orlestone & Warehorne. Up until the middle of the 19thC. it was only a small hamlet called Ham (from the Old English 'hamm' , meaning 'hemmed in by water') but the coming of the railway in 1851 led to its rapid expansion. The addition of the suffix 'street' to its name came after the railway station was built.

The route out of Hamstreet follows a fairly busy road for a short distance before joining a footpath across pleasant farmland to Warehorne.

St. Matthews parish Church, Warehorne. Parts of the church date from the 13thC. but most of it is much later. It is said to be linked to the nearby Woolpack Inn by a tunnel built by smugglers. The church tower was damaged by lightning in 1777 & it has been rebuilt in brick. The ancient ash tree in the foreground in the photo is over 500 years old & has a girth of 6.41m. Unfortunately, parts of the tree are infected with ash die-back disease.

The path traverses a wide valley between Warehorne & Kenardington & crosses over the Horsemarsh Sewer via a small footbridge.

Common fumitory growing in a one of the large arable fields. It is the favoured food of the rapidly declining turtle dove.

After climbing the gentle slope out of the valley, the path enters the churchyard of St. Mary the Virgin, Kenardington. A Saxon Fort occupied this site in previous times & after it was destroyed by Danish raiders in 892 AD a wooden church was built here. The current church dates from the 12thC. It was badly damaged by the French who carried out attacks in this area during the Hundred Years War and later, in 1559, a lightning strike during a violent storm led to a major fire which caused further extensive damage. The building has now been largely restored. The church's location some distance from the village is probably related to quarantine measures during the plague epidemics of  the Middle Ages. The churchyard is well tended & makes a pleasant spot to take a break during the walk. There is an abundance of bird & insect life here.

After exiting the churchyard, the path descends across mainly arable fields & then passes through the extensive Gusbourne vineyards. Chardonnay, pinot noir & pinot meunier grapes are grown here. The location of the various varieties is shown by different coloured roses planted at the end of each row. Thus, a white rose signifies chardonnay vines, a red rose, pinot noir & a pink rose, pinot meunier. After leaving the vineyard the path crosses a couple of grassy meadows before entering Appledore village.

Toad in the hole

I came across this small toad when I was working in the garden this morning.

I think I inadvertently introduced a couple of toads which happened to be in a load of horse manure I obtained ~6 years ago. They must have bred in next door's pond.

The marshes with a sinister past (Chetney, Kent)

Chetney is a peninsula situated at the eastern end of the Medway Estuary & is separated from the Isle of Sheppey by the Swale. It is a low marshy area which is largely given over to rough grazing for ponies & cattle. Intersected by dykes, with several fresh water pools in its southern half & bordered by extensive estuarine mud flats, it is extremely attractive to  birds, particularly wildfowl & waders. These along with a large rabbit population attract several species of raptor. Chetney is a particularly good place to spot peregrine, kestrel, merlin, buzzard, rough-legged buzzard, marsh harrier, hen harrier, barn owl & short-eared owl.

Bedlam's Bottom with its old abandoned barges is an area of extensive mudflats situated on Chetney's western flank. Many birds congregate here to feed at low tide. Avocet, black-tailed godwit, knot, dunlin, redshank, turnstone, curlew & grey plover can be seen here regularly in good numbers.

Several of these fresh water pools are found in the southern half of Chetney. Wildfowl congregate here to drink & preen, particulary at high tide. Species include pintail, wigeon, teal, tufted duck, pochard, mallard , brent goose, greylag goose, shelduck & mute swan.

Ponies visit the pools to drink.

Marsh frogs abound in these dykes & they in turn attract many grass snakes.

The many rabbit warrens attract raptors, particularly buzzards & marsh harriers.

The northern part of Chetney has no public footpaths so is not accessible to the general public. Large flocks of lapwings,golden plovers, brent geese & mute swans congregate here.  The Thames port container terminal located on the Isle of Grain can be seen in the distance.

The pen below contains young partridges awaiting release onto the marshes. Chetney is managed as a private shoot & during the winter months shooting parties are often seen here. Although I don't agree with shooting as a sport , I have to admit that the way Chetney is managed does benefit much of the wildlife. The area is closely monitored & rogue shooters, people straying off the public footpaths & dog walkers who allow their pets off the lead to harass birds are quickly identified & admonished. Any foxes straying into the area are shot. All of this greatly benefits ground nesting birds , particularly lapwings & redshanks.

One of the several notices displayed around the area.

Chetney Hill is a low grassy island of 29 acres just separated from the west coast of the Chetney peninsula by a narrow tidal channel. There is a short stone causeway linking the two. During the early 19thC it was the chosen site for the construction of a 'lazaret' or isolation  hospital where people suffering from contagious diseases could be housed. Previously, ships moored in nearby creeks had been used for this purpose. Work started on the construction of the lazaret in 1801 but the marshy ground was found to be totally unsuitable for building & the project was abandoned less than 10 years later resulting in a loss of ~£200,000.

Looking west down the narrow tidal channel that separates mainland Chetney from Chetney Hill. Stangate Creek which was one of the main areas where isolation ships were moored goes off to the right. It is a good place to spot different grebe species during the winter months.

Deadman's Island lies off the northern tip of Chetney & is an important nesting site for  birds, including waders, terns, & gulls. However, the area has quite a sinister past. 200 years ago, it was used as a burial ground for the remains of men & boys who had died of contagious diseases whilst aboard floating prison hulks moored off the Isle of Sheppey. Coastal erosion is now leading to parts of the convicts' skeletons being exposed along the shoreline.

Also, a tragic event occurred here in 1290 when a sea captain abandoned his jewish passengers on a mud bank near Deadman's Island & left them to drown in the waters of the incoming tide. This happened during a time when the king had ordered the mass deportation of jews from England.