Medway Estuary Archives - Remote London

Yantlet Creek: a short walk between two estuaries, the Thames & Medway

Ian Tokelove — Sun, 10 Apr 2022 20:40:07 +0000

This short walk takes us from Allhallows and the remote London Stone to the Grain Tower and the Medway Estuary.

Allhallows lies on the eastern edges of the Hoo Peninsula. It’s a small, remote village twinned with a larger holiday park, where white, static caravans reflect the ever-changing moods of the Thames Estuary.

Once there were big plans for Allhallows. It was to be a resort town, Allhallows-on-Sea, with an amusement park and swimming pool, dwarfing all other English resorts. A rail line was extended to the village, and a railway station opened in 1932. And then came the Second World War.

The resort development stalled, and now only the incongruous bulk of the British Pilot pub hints at what might have been. Recently closed, the Pilot still marks the starting spot for this walk, to explore a newly opened section of the English Coast Path.

The coast path and Thames Estuary

From the pub, a track heads east across rough pasture, then up and onto the sea wall. Across the estuary, on a good day, the windows of Southend-on Sea glint and glimmer, exchanging random semaphore signals with the marshalled ranks of holiday homes.

The Thames Estuary is four and a half miles wide here, but at low tide it seems one could walk across the wide, muddy flats all the way to Essex.

Yantlet Creek

The path quickly reaches Yantlet Creek and turns inland. This creek once bisected the Hoo Peninsula, separating the Isle of Grain from the mainland. Since at least medieval times the creek was a marine thoroughfare, allowing smaller vessels to cut between the Medway and Thames. However, the sinuous creek was subject to silting, and the channel required regular dredging. Yantlet Creek has long been lost to navigation, it’s tidal limit now stifled by sea walls and sluices.

Due to its importance as a waterway, a coastguard station once stood close to the mouth of the creek. Smuggling of untaxed goods was rife along the estuary, and it was the luckless coastguards’ job to stop the illicit trade. Their home was often a moored hulk, often shared with their families.

The hulk at Yantlet Creek was swept away in 1897 and the coastguard station moved further inland to Avery, on the edge of Allhallows. Weathered bricks and foundations can still be seen beside the creek, testimony to the lost station.

The Black Widow beacon

Since at least 1905 a maritime beacon has also guarded Yantlet Creek. This was known locally as the Black Widow, as the uppermost body resembled a round head above a long cape or skirt.

The Black Widow beacon has recently fallen, toppled by wind, erosion and age. A foundation of four stout wooden legs remain, but the Widow’s rusting metal figure now lies twisted and broken in the mud below.

The London Stone

Beyond the beacon, a remote monument rises like a phantom, a curious, weather-beaten obelisk marking a forgotten border. This is the London Stone, raised in 1856 to briefly mark the eastern boundary of the City of London Corporation’s jurisdiction over the lucrative waters of the Thames.

The London Stone is twinned with the more accessible Crow Stone at Leigh-on-Sea, across the estuary. The City lost control of these disputed waters to the Crown in 1857, but in its time, this granite pillar would have been visited and toasted by the Lord Mayor of London and his dignitaries, as they formally marked and celebrated their territorial claim over the Thames.

When the tide is low the Creek can be reduced to a jumpable stream, allowing access to the Stone. There is mud, but also firmer shell and sand. There is no official public access, but we generally have the right to roam below the high tide mark. However, it’s best not to venture too far beyond, as the area is as an active Danger Zone with a risk of unexploded ordnance.

Yantlet Creek Memorials

Look for two much smaller monuments beside the path. One commemorates a man named Geoffrey John Hammond, who drowned here in 1975. The handcrafted bronze plaque, and a later addition in honour of his wife, have both been stolen, almost erasing their memory. I’ve written more about this memorial when describing another Allhallows walk. The other stone commemorates the construction of the Thames Flood Defences, raised after the disastrous North Sea flood of 1953.

In summer, the path here is a frenzy of colourful wildflowers. On a grey winter’s day, all tones are muted, lifted only by the sight of little egret, their pure white plumage contrasting with the dull landscape and brooding sky.

The path follows the curve of the creek. A few buildings on the other side of the Creek hug the landscape. An old, unused quayside is melting back into the land and the water. Oil storage tanks squat low on the horizon.

The tidal creek is cut short by a sea wall, separating saltwater from freshwater. The new public footpath cuts across this wall, away from Allhallows Marshes and onto the Isle of Grain. Previously, the only right of way was on and into the marshes, following tracks which loop and circle around themselves.

Allhallows Marshes

Allhallows Marshes are home to the rare remnants of a Second World War Decoy site. During night-time air raids, circular cuts would be flooded with oil and ignited, to imitate burning oil tanks and hopefully draw enemy bombers away from the refinery on Grain. I’ve written more about Allhallows Marshes here.

Once on Grain, the path follows the line of another flood defence wall. To the left is the no-go military Danger Area. To the right, arable fields lead to the island’s industrial heart, much reduced but still impressive. The path joins West Lane which quickly leads into the village of Grain.

A flooded gravel pit is passed on the right. The darkly humorous ‘No Trespassing’ signs make a pleasant change from the usual ‘Keep Out’ notices which confine so many public rights of way.

The Grain Tower and Medway Estuary

Walk past the fire station, following the straight line of Chapel Road. When the houses run out, a bridleway cuts left, the road heads right and a public footpath carries straight on, towards the sea.

Follow this path to the seawall, scramble up, and you’ll find yourself overlooking the old causeway which heads out to the Grain Tower, protecting the mouth of the Medway. At low tide you can walk out to the Tower, at high tide you’d need a boat.

This isn’t a long walk, between Allhallows and the Grain Tower. Maybe 6km, allowing you to step from one estuary to another, enjoying seascapes, wilderness and history, with a distant industrial backdrop.

More information

My thanks to Liza S for joining me on this walk, undertaken in March 2022. We cheated and used cars for this one. There is no public train service to Allhallows or Grain, and Sunday bus services are limited.

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Walking the Hoo Peninsula, from Strood to Kingsnorth Power Station & back

Ian Tokelove — Sat, 10 Oct 2020 18:02:36 +0000

The landscape in front of Strood Railway Station has been swept clean, leaving a broad stretch of fenced-off flatlands awaiting redevelopment. This will be Strood Riverside, a mix of residential apartments and public spaces overlooking the Medway.

Upstream, the old river wharves have been replaced with a concrete play area and a strip of green. At the broken end of Strood Pier, a sunken barge drowns twice a day with the incoming tides. A large, slightly dilapidated submarine is floating offshore. This incongruous vessel is a Soviet Navy submarine from the Cold War, renamed the Black Widow. The submarine is currently in private hands and undergoing restoration.

Saxon Shore Way

The Saxon Shore Way follows Riverside Road east along the Medway, before climbing a narrow chalk ridge between two exhausted chalk quarries. Glimpses to the south reveal the Medway City Estate, a congestion of warehouses and light industry. Much of this was unspoilt saltmarsh until around the 1970s, when it was lost to landfill and later development.

The path drops down to the busy Berwick Way then follows the noisy A289, funnelling traffic below the Medway. The narrow footpath then pushes along the edge of a MOD training base, hemmed in by a razor-wire topped fence.

Upnor Castle

At Upper Upnor we finally escape to a quieter, gentler landscape, squeezing past the MOD base and down to the riverside. Upnor Castle blocks progress but the steep, narrow High Street is charming, with a pubs either end.

The footpath follows the castle walls east, before dropping down to the old Ordnance Works. An old rail line appears from under the wall before running into the dark undergrowth. A derelict WW2 shelter can be seen along its lost track, the bricks wrapped in bramble and ivy.

Boatyards and yacht clubs follow at Lower Upnor before the Saxon Shore Way really meets the shoreline. It’s good to feel the beach crunch underfoot. This path is tidal, so best avoided on a high spring tide. Another footpath tracks inland, a route which I’ll walk on my return.

The coast here is wooded, with occasional tracks leading up into the trees. In places, low sandy banks catch the sunlight. These are peppered with the tunnels of mining bees, hundreds of small caves, reminiscent of ancient cliff dwellings. In early October, dozens of bees were still attending their nests, too busy to be bothered by my attention.

A Second World War pillbox slants forwards onto the foreshore here, undermined by the Medway tides.

Cockham Wood Fort

The remains of Cockham Wood Fort also guard this stretch of coastline. A rare survivor from the 17^th century, the fort was built in 1669 and boasted more than 40 guns, capable of firing from two tiers. The fort was abandoned in 1818 and gradually fell prey to the theft of building materials and coastal erosion. Now, only the brickwork of the lower battery is easily accessible.

More boatyards follow, the path cutting a line through Port Werburgh. This is now a gated community, offering secure accommodation afloat or in identikit ‘luxury’ homes. The older piers at either end of the harbour are made from hulked concrete barges, re-used following the Second World War.

Ship graveyard

Leaving the boat yards behind, the path passes a cluster of wrecks, slowly decaying in the soft Medway mud. There are at least ten abandoned barges here, with other boats decaying alongside them. The saltmarsh around them is now a precious wildlife habitat. The estuary was once lined with such saltings, but only scraps remain.

Out in the Medway, Hoo Island lies long and low on the water. Fort Hoo (1871) sits at the eastern edge, guarding the estuary. There was once a causeway out to the island, of which remnants remain. Most of the island has been used for landfill, layered over lost saltmarsh.

The Hoo Stop Line

Continuing along the trail, a pill box has been partially engulfed by the sea wall. Along with a nearby anti-tank blockhouse, this was port of the Second World War Hoo Stop Line. A deep, wide ditch formed a defensive line which stretched inland. At the shoreline, concrete anti-tank blocks still lead out into the estuary mud.

Another structure, probably dating from the Second World War, can be seen half a kilometre farther on. Four u-shaped concrete brackets (one has fallen) once supported something, but nobody seems sure what.

Kingsnorth Power Station

The path continues along the river wall. The scenery inland is of reedbeds, wet grazing marsh and pylons. Ahead lies the last standing remains of Kingsnorth Power Station, the bulk of the structure having been razed to the ground. The chimney here was formerly one of the UK’s tallest structures, a fallen landmark which towered 198 metres (650 ft) in height.

The dead power station is guarded by tall, electric fences. On the seaward side, curving concrete defences rebuff storm tides. Kingsnorth Jetty stretches out into the Medway, from where huge quantities of coal were unloaded. EU clean air directives forced closure of the polluting power station, with demolition beginning in 2014. The chimney finally fell in March 2018.

The path is forced inland here, skirting the marsh. A flutter of distinctive wings drew my eye to a peregrine falcon, which rose to a pylon perch. These marvellous predators are making a comeback after years of persecution, a rare success story. At Burnt House Farm I took the path west. I did not stroke the dog.

The public right of way is quickly lost, blocked by a low mound of spoil. Thankfully, I had an OS map and was confident of my direction. As I climbed over the ridge I spotted a Devil’s coach horse beetle scrambling for cover, a bold and fearsome little carnivore.

The overgrown path heads west, between a high ridge of vegetated spoil and excavation pits. After passing the wooded edges of Abbots Pools, the rough track reconnects with the Saxon Shore Trail, which then follows Abbots Court Road. A pillbox by the road is another indicator of the old Hoo Stop Line.

St Werburgh Church

Cutting past St Werburgh Church, once can’t help noticing the massive family vault of Mr Richard Everist, dating from 1830. Everist was a yeoman farmer, a man who owned his own land, and he clearly did well from it.

The path continues along a straight, private road with permissible access. The bare fields on either side would have been boring were it not for a generous band of sunflowers, sown for wildlife rather than profit. The sunflower heads hung dark and heavy, still ripe with seed. When autumn’s migratory birds arrive from the east, these field edges will provide a welcome refuelling stop.

A narrow, fenced path through the edge of Chattenden village leads down to the welcoming, winding paths of Cockham Wood. These lead back to Lower Upnor and the Medway, from where I could retrace my steps in the fading light, back to Stood Railway Station and a return to the other world of London.

More information

The Thameslink service from London Bridge to Strood takes just over an hour. If visiting from London, note that Strood station is outside of the Oyster Card fare zone.

For a Peninsula walk on the far side of Kingsnorth Power Station see Walking the Stoke Saltings on Kent’s Hoo Peninsula

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Queenborough and Ladies Hole Point, walking an old rail line towards a saltmarsh spit

Ian Tokelove — Sun, 26 Jul 2020 16:14:16 +0000

At Queenborough, on the Isle of Sheppey, the channel of the Swale curves sharply around a spit, which is tipped with saltmarsh. This promontory is marked on maps as Ladies Hole Point, a mat of low-lying saltmarsh which has been half-swallowed by landfill. The point is bordered by an old wharf and apparently abandoned boats.

Walking out from the village of Rushenden, the upper foreshore is carpeted with broken tile, providing grip against the slippery Medway mud. Bladderwrack pops underfoot, and oyster catcher & curlew call from the tideline.

Coal Washer Wharf at Queenborough

A public footpath follows the line of an old railway, the tracks only recently lifted. This line served Coal Washer Wharf and an adjacent works, located out on Ladies Hole Point. The buildings have been demolished, their foundations now swamped in landfill, but much of the wharf survives. Coal once arrived from north-east England to be cleaned and graded here, before being sold in local towns.

At some stage, Coal Washers Wharf’s use changed from coal to shipbreaking. The wharf then served as a landing stage for old British Rail wagons and scrap rail, transported by boat. These were unloaded onto the wharf by crane, and then transported along the railway to a steel mill in Queenborough.

At the mill, the scrap was converted into reinforcing rods and wire for the construction industry. The Queenborough mill was itself scrapped and demolished in 2013, and now lies empty, awaiting redevelopment for housing.

Landfill and wildlife

Aside from the battered wharf, only a few metal gates and posts still stand on the peninsula, portals to a lost industrial past. Wildlife has reclaimed the land, adapting to the landfill. Rabbit holes puncture the hard soil, their warrens twisting between broken slabs of reenforced concrete and chunks of old brick.

The undulating layers of landfill are criss-crossed with unofficial biker trails. The dirt tracks carve looping paths though the wildflowers and scrub, culminating at the top of a large, do-or-die mound which stands proud of the surrounding landscape.

Across the Medway Estuary, on the Isle of Grain, power station chimneys and gas tanks lie low on the horizon. Leisure boats line up along the Swale, their flanks clean and white, contrasting with the rusty carcasses that lie closer to the shore.

I watched the sun drawing low, reflected in the Swale, and then slowly retraced my steps, sampling ripening blackberries from along the trail.

More information

From London, the rail station at Queenborough can be reached in about one and a half hours, with one change at Sittingbourne. From Queenborough, other footpaths can lead out to the Elmley Marshes and along the Swale, or up to the small town of Sheerness.

For walks on the Hoo Peninsula, across the Medway Estuary, see remotelondon.com/?s=hoo+peninsula

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Walking the Stoke Saltings on Kent’s Hoo Peninsula

Ian Tokelove — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 11:19:42 +0000

The Stoke Saltings are a maze of low islands, marsh, and mud, embraced in the underbelly of Kent’s Hoo Peninsula. The saltings are bracketed to the east by the Isle of Grain’s gas tanks and container port cranes. To the west, the low, wide bulk of an Amazon warehouse squats behind a battered wire fence.

A short track leads from the small village of Stoke to the saltings, where a tumbledown boatyard faces the Medway Estuary.

I headed east, treading a narrow public footpath along the estuary embankment. The view over the estuary appears timeless, the muddy channels and seamarsh dotted with the occasional, crumbling wreck.

Mud, mud, glorious mud

In truth, the local mud was an ingredient in the manufacture of Portland cement, and the saltings were well worked and much reduced during the 19^th century. The work was mostly manual, the muddies toiling at low tide to fill barges, which would then lift on the incoming tide. Old maps show footpaths leading out towards distant sheepfolds and grazing marsh on the saltings, all lost to the cement works.

The meandering river wall divides two landscapes, freshwater and salt. On the landward side, wide channels are fringed with reedbeds and chattering birdsong. Cattle graze on low lying pasture and reed bunting chirrup from swaying perches amid the reeds.

Gold Nugget Wharf

The path passes the remains of Gold Nugget Wharf, accessible at low tide. This small wharf offers treasure of a sort, in the form of broken pottery, which was dumped here to enforce the wharf’s structure. Alongside the fragments of bowl and plate sit larger brick wasters, bricks which were rejected during the manufacturing process, but which could still be used as filler.

At another lost wharf, the skeletal remains of an unknown boat nudge the foreshore. Her wooden hull has mostly rotted away, but a rust-bitten ladder still rises into the air, echoing the distant container cranes.

Walking on, I came to a small flock of greylag geese resting on the path. They honked in noisy defiance as I approached, before making an indignant exit in a flap of wingbeats, flying low to a new roosting spot.

Stoke Saltings and the Isle of Grain

The riverwall bends sharply, before heading inland towards Grain Road. The channel here is Colemouth Creek, which once joined with Yantlet Creek, which flows south from the other side of the Hoo. The Isle of Grain was once a real island, accessible only by boat.

A few small boats are tethered above the tide’s reach on the sea wall here. Scraps of litter and discarded cans indicate ease of access from the road. A rudimentary bench, burnt and blackened by a disposable barbeque, bears a small, undated memorial plaque.

I retraced my steps, beyond the boatyard and towards the Amazon warehouse. Horses graze on the landward side. Just beyond the boatyard, a jumble of concrete and brick landfill spills onto the marsh. Rabbits have dug a twisted warren amid the broken rubble, their bolt holes mirrored by the tiny, pencil-wide tunnels of mining bees. A stunted plum tree grows here, the fruit almost-ripe and sharp on the tongue.

The submarine wreck

Out on the saltings, beyond the ribs of another unnamed wreck, I could just make out the remains of a World War 1 German U Boat. The submarine lies marooned and broken in the mud, having broken free while being towed for post-war scrappage. I’ve visited the U Boat before, kayaking in from Grain with a couple of friends, although it was hard spotting the submarine in the marshy maze.

As I walked on, I noticed thousands of small, bleached-white crab shells snagged on the strandline, a mysterious, ragged white line of mortality. A possible explanation is that sudden drops in winter temperatures can cause mass mortality in crabs and other marine life, particularly in shallow waters.

The end of the path

The path ends with a high, battered wire fence, suspended on leaning concrete posts. The land beyond is private, a mix of razed infrastructure and lucrative development potential. An old wharf still bears life, shirts and jeans flapping from a clothesline aboard a large, derelict-looking barge.

Beyond the fence and the Amazon warehouse, the broken frame of Bee Ness Jetty reaches out into the estuary. Built to serve a former oil refinery, the jetty stretches more than 2.5km into the River Medway. This was the longest jetty in Britain, and still would be if it weren’t so broken and badly collapsed.

I had hoped to get as far as the jetty, and a hole in the fence was tempting, but this wasn’t a day for trespass. I headed back towards Stoke, past the boatyard. A few forgotten boats caught my eye, their paint peeling and flaking into wildflowers. A tang of epoxy resin and burnt plastic hung in the air, but I didn’t see anyone else in the wide, empty landscape.

More information

More Hoo Peninsula walks: www.remotelondon.com

The Medway muddies: https://www.ft.com/content/e014cec6-7941-11e1-9f0f-00144feab49a

Bee Ness Jetty: http://www.beyondthepoint.co.uk/property/bee-ness-jetty/

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