Main Walk: 19½ km (12.1 miles).
Short Walk, omitting Oare Marshes: 14½ km (9.0 miles). Difficulty 2 out of 10.
The walk starts with a loop around Ham Marshes, an isolated area between two creeks. After a lunch stop in either Hollowshore or Oare, the walk continues through Oare Gunpowder Works Country Park, where remains of that industry can be seen amongst woodland and wetland. Its Visitor Centre (open 10–4) tells its story and details the local wildlife.
Then, a quiet country lane leads you to the hamlet of Luddenham, and its impressive medieval church. Here, you have a choice of endings, short or long. The longer one takes you round Oare Marshes Nature Reserve. Both endings go back through Oare and Faversham.
There are plenty of opportunities for bird-watching so bring your bins.
Faversham is an attractive market town with many historic buildings. Print out this history trail to find a few.
Lunch
The first pub encountered is the remote Shipwright's Arms (01795-590088) in Hollowshore. This old-fashioned pub does not take bookings and caters mainly to birders and walkers on the coast path, with a limited menu: burgers, jacket potatoes, sandwiches, etc. From what I remember, it has an encouraging range of beer and cider.
Twenty minutes further, there are two pubs and a café in the village of Oare. The Castle (01795-533674) is a traditional pub where it would be advisable to book. Ditto for the more upmarket Three Mariners (01795-533633). Lighter fare is available at The Cafe by the Creek (01795-537985)
Tea
There are many possible refreshment places in Faversham. Three near the central Market Place are The Refinery at 122 West Street (a coffee shop and bar, open to 4) and, on Court Street, Café Guild at #48 (01795-590077; open to 5) and Havishams Caffè at #47 (01795-591571 open to 4). Nearby is Faversham's oldest surviving pub, the Bear with its quaint old corridor.
Other pubs include a Wetherspoon's, the Leading Light (01795-535075) and, near the station, the Railway Hotel (01795-501550).
Trains
I'm suggesting the cheaper, slower option from Victoria, the 10:05 arriving at 11:18
You could get the 10:20 from St Pancras (10:27 Stratford Int.) arrives Faversham 11:26. Faster but costs more. You’ll have to walk faster or take the shorter marsh route if they haven’t waited for you.
Trains return at xx:00 to St Pancras and xx:37 and 44 to Victoria. You need a Highspeed ticket or supplement for St Pancras.
Directions here
T=swc.420
2 comments:
If you're returning to Victoria the xx:37 & xx:44 arrive in Faversham together. The xx:44 (from Dover & Canterbury) is much slower but on this sunny August Sunday it might be less crowded than the xx:37 (from Ramsgate & Margate).
Southeastern have also put on two extra fast services to Victoria, at 18:08 & 19:08.
At leats n=11 today. 9 at the appointed time and 2 catching up. There were also rumours of a 12th doing the walk in reverse. The day w=started-cloudy-got-sunny The group soon split. Some doing the long marsh loop and some the not-so-long marsh loop. The latter were soon ensconced in the Shipwrights Arms, where they enjoyed what they got and drank beer. Kindly benefactors plied Mr Tiger with cider and chips till he could take no more. The other group went on and were never seen again. Except, that is, for one spotted on the train back. Under interrogation, it was revealed that the other group didn’t stop at any of the pubs but stopped for a picnic in the gunpowder works.
Anyway, that is where we were heading, only a bit later, winding our way through the leats (what they call the water channels - at leats I learnt something today) finding out about gunpowder. Then it was off to Luddenham church, narrowly avoiding being mowed down by a skittish horse and its buggy. 2 of our group went round Oare Marsh and the rest didn’t. I presume the picnickers went round too. Some of the back group reconvened in the 3 Mariners where we thrilled to the marsh group’s tales of seals, avocets and egrets. Then it was back to the station and home.
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