It will be a walk of three parts today. First we have a beach section, then a road section, and finally a marsh section!
I begin in Grain village where I pass a rather picturesque church on the way to the seafront...
The park also contains Grain Fort. This was built in the 1860s to protect the mouth of the river Medway. Today there doesn't seem to be much visible, being mostly buried under bushes and trees. It's up there, somewhere...
Soon I pass Grain Tower. This is yet another Victorian-era coastal fortification, built about 500 yards from the seawall out on the mudflats. When the tide is out it is possible to walk out to it on the remains of a causeway. Naturally there are signs warning against this...
Arty atmospheric shot of path heading into Medway Estuary. You'd never think it was nearly midday, would you...
Not the obvious place for a Bonfire Night party...
Further on, the concrete path ends and I walk along the top of a grassy bank. Here I meet a random Cocker Spaniel that has obviously been swimming. He jumps and bounces around me like a canine Tigger! Is this the happiest dog in the world? Then he races off, presumably to find his owner, of whom there is no sign!
Shortly after, I reach the end of the path at a point called Cockleshell Hard on the map. Beyond this point is a power station and container port and there is no public access.
And so on to the road section of today's walk! First I have to go back the way I've come for a quarter-mile or so where there is a footpath that leads to the road round all this lot...
After a detour of nearly three miles past various huge industrial sites, I arrive at a level crossing. This is the only road on and off the Isle of Grain and has a lot of HGV traffic. As you can see in the photo, the pavement stops just before the level crossing and starts up again just past it. Which is fun...
Once safely past the railway I am into part three of the walk. This is a three mile stretch of marsh looking out over mudflats. I am expecting mud, but instead the path was nice and firm and grassy! An easy stroll!
Here is a view from the marshes looking back at the stuff I had to detour around...
And some more arty views of the Medway Estuary...
My walk today ends at Stoke Airfield, a small private field that seems to be used mostly by a flying club.
Next time I'll be heading further down the Medway Estuary and avoiding another power station!
