Walking on my own I decided to start walking not clockwise, but anti-clockwise, starting at Birchington and aiming for Herne Bay, with a view to getting to Swalecliffe railway or to Whitstable railway station. I had been a little bit ill recently and this was my first decent length walk for a while. A nice woman I’d shared a dorm with in a youth hostel suggested that I visit the ruins of St Mary’s church at Reculver.
I parked near Birchington station and asked if there was a short cut to Minnis Bay. I was told it was a long 40 minute walk, and was surprised that this was the third time in Kent people didn’t seem to think I’d be able to walk that far! Minnis Bay was lovely, a sandy seaside bay in a small town. A bunch of balloons was blowing around in the sea, too far away to reach or I would have burst them and put them in a bin.
It was a beautiful day, hot and cloudless, the sky was blue and if I squinted into the distance I could see two towers, perhaps from St Mary’s at Reculver. The first part of the path was flat, wide tarmac. The local council has wonderful signs up saying that the paths are for everyone to share, for pedestrians, dog walkers, people in wheelchairs, cyclists and people with children in buggies and everyone sharing the path seemed relaxed and happy, apart from a young boy in a rickshaw type cycle thing with his granny, who was afraid of cycling too close to the edge of the path.
I wished I’d been cycling as I dislike walking long distances on tarmac, but it was a gorgeous day and was very relaxing walking next to the sea. The ruins of St Mary’s were visible for miles, and when I’d decided I’d eat my packed lunch there, they didn’t seem to get any closer quickly.
I finally reached the ruins, took off my boots, felt the slightly damp green grass under my feet and ate my bread roll and salad. A family were lying nearby near the edge of the slight cliff, listening to the sea and lying on their backs. When I’d eaten my food I read the sign nearby and saw the ruins of a wall around a large, flat area. The sign explained that this was part of a Roman fort, built when Thanet was still an island, before the area between had become silted up and drained to join with the mainland. This explained why on my map the footpath marked “Saxon Shore Way” doesn’t follow the present coastline but instead goes inland. Marshes and a place called Plumpudding Island lie between Reculver and Birchington.
I was pleased to be on a grass path between Reculver but very disappointed to discover that if I’d walked in the opposite direction the views of St Mary’s would have been much more spectacular. There was a bit of undulation in the path, a lovely statue of oyxter catchers and I could soon see Herne Bay in the distance. This was much larger than Birchington, was a lovely place with a pier which I had to walk along. There were giant paintings of old fashioned seaside postcards, of families from many years ago enjoying their time at the seaside.
I walked to the railway station, up a residential road, stopping to check with a window cleaner that I was walking in the right direction. “It’s at the end of this road, but it’s a fair trot” he said. Was this another Kent resident doubting my ability to walk?
The journey back to Birchington-on-sea was very quick and I was relieved that I’d survived all the potential hazards I’d encountered on my walk!
Heather's Slow Seashore Strolls 