Length 163 mi (262 km) Season All year | ||
Similar |
Saxon shore way day 1 gravesend to strood
The Saxon Shore Way is a long-distance footpath in England. It starts at Gravesend, Kent, and traces the coast of South-East England as it was in Roman times (note the changed coastline around Romney Marsh) as far as Hastings, East Sussex, 163 miles (262 km) in total.
Contents
- Saxon shore way day 1 gravesend to strood
- Map of Saxon Shore Way Shorne Gravesend DA12 3HU UK
- The saxon shore way gravesend to cliffe 14 march 2016
- History
- Gravesend to Faversham
- Faversham
- Faversham to Deal
- Deal to Dover
- Dover to Rye
- Rye
- Rye to Hastings
- References
Map of Saxon Shore Way, Shorne, Gravesend DA12 3HU, UK
The saxon shore way gravesend to cliffe 14 march 2016
History
The line of the Roman fortification that the route traces includes ancient forts, modern towns, nature reserves and coastline: four Roman forts built in the fourth century lie along the route, at Reculver, Richborough, Dover and Lympne.
At Seasalter there is an internationally important area for geese, ducks, and waders. The diversity of scenery along the route includes the wide expanses of marshland bordering the Thames and Medway estuaries, the White cliffs of Dover, and panoramic views over Romney Marsh from the escarpment that marks the ancient coastline between Folkestone and Rye.
The Saxon Shore Way was originally opened in 1980, but has since been re-established, and in parts re-routed and extended. It follows the coastline of the South East as it was about 1500 years ago, long before the North Kent Marshes or the Romney Marsh came into existence, when the cliff lines to the north and south extended further into the sea and when the Wantsum Channel provided a thoroughfare for boats between the Isle of Thanet and mainland England. The Way takes its name, the Saxon Shore, from a line of fortifications built along the coastline as it was in the 3rd century AD, towards the end of the Roman period. In this time of crisis Saxon invaders came from the southern regions of modern Denmark and in response the Romans built a line of defensive forts along the coast to repel the newcomers.