Walk 14. Sheerness to Minster

Just a short one today! 

My original intention had been to go on to Warden or Leysdown to complete a big chunk of the north coast of Sheppey. However, a bit of research led to a change of plan! 

Basically there is a four mile stretch between Minster and Warden with not much in the way of footpaths or public access. So the options are a lengthy road detour inland or the beach. The beach is backed the whole way by low mud cliffs which are subject to rapid erosion and frequently fall into the sea. At high tide the sea reaches the foot of the cliffs which means the whole section has to be done at low tide. This means the beach itself is, in large part, soft mud that looks like very heavy going!

With this in mind, and the likely slow progress involved, I’ve decided to leave this section to the start of the next walk!

Anyway, enough of that. On to today’s walk…

I start back at Tesco in Sheerness…

From here I turn left as there is a short half mile stretch of public access before the coast is blocked by the docks. There is a nice path along the top of the sea wall with some water to the landward side called The Moat. There is evidence of old defensive structures along here built to protect the docks, so The Moat is presumably an actual moat!

I soon reach the ‘no go’ area, so turn and head back the way I’ve come.

The walk through Sheerness to Barton’s Point is very pleasant. There is a wide path along the sea wall and a pebble beach and slightly dilapidated wooden groynes. All very seasidey. Technically, this is the first actual ‘seaside’ walk I’ve done. The others so far have all been estuary walks!

At one point, on the steps is a short memorial (if that is the right word?) to the SS Richard Montgomery. This was a ship that sank in 1944 about a mile and a half out to sea from here. The wreck still has about 1,500 tons of explosives on board and is surrounded by an exclusion zone just in case…!

The path continues like this for most of the rest of the way…

Shortly I reach Barton’s Point where there is a large car park above the beach…

To the landward side of the coast road is Barton’s Point Coastal Park. This looks quite large and is used for walking, cycling, fishing, water sports and so on. There is even a miniature steam railway to ride on!

Also here is the north-eastern end of the Queenborough Lines. This is a defensive military canal that was dug in the late 17th Century to protect against Dutch raids. It runs in a south-west direction all the way to Queenborough, although it has since been filled-in at that end which is why I didn’t see it when I was there.

About half a mile further on I reach the White House in Minster where I am finishing for the day.

So there we go, a nice seaside stroll. Next time its into the mud…!