We awoke this morning to glorious weather, which was a relief as much of the day was spent outside. In the morning, however, we toured several of the medieval churches of Romney Marsh (it used to be an actual marsh - now it's just flat land). The tiny churches, such as this one in Snave, were a welcome change from the cathedrals and were all very interesting.
St. Augustine in Brookland is known for its detached bell tower and high pew boxes (pictured here).
For me, the highlight was St. Thomas à Becket in Fairfield, which is literally in the middle of a field. When it was built it could only be reached by boat, and today you have to walk through flocks of sheep to reach it.
We stopped for drinks at a neat little country pub before continuing south through the marsh towards Dungeness, a large nature reserve on the south coast. Its beaches are covered with shingle, very thin rock, and it is home to a wide variety of unusual plant species.
After a sublime fish and chip lunch Dad, Julia and I climbed the old lighthouse for a fabulous view of the reserve and beaches (and, off to the right in this picture, a large nuclear power station).
At the base of the lighthouse is the terminal station of the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Light Railway, which is supposedly the smallest public railway (meaning it’s more than just a tourist attraction) in the world. Not sure I would fit into the cars, though…
Next, we traveled a little further west to a beach along the coast which gave us all a chance to stand in the English Channel. It was very cold and windy, but really neat.
Our last stop of the day was in Rye, a charming medieval village full of Tudor-age buildings and winding cobblestone streets.
While there we climbed the tower of St. Mary’s Church for a great view of the town and surrounding countryside, and even managed to do a little antiquing. We ended the day with another delicious dinner at my aunt and uncle's house; tomorrow, it's off to Dover Castle!
GWV
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