Kent: Dungeness to Rye 2/6/2010***

 

Going west in front of Dungeness power station the vegetation was as usual dominated by the splendidly architectural sea kale, with some rock samphire, viper's bugloss and yellow horned poppy.  As we approached the MoD’s Lydd Ranges we could see the red flag flying and apparently this is a permanent feature, which means the right of way along the shore is meaningless.  There was an extensive display of pink thrift near the guard post, but we cut off at an angle to follow the double line of electricity pylons coming from the power station that led to the boundary of the prohibited area further north.  The shingle here was nutrient-poor, dominated by lichens, sheep’s sorrel and wood sage, with foxgloves and stonecrop, especially English.  We found our way north of the pylons, with a wide ditch between us and the MoD security fence and eventually arrived at a turfed area where walking was easier, the grass well-grazed by rabbits.  There were shelduck around here, not far from the lakes of the nature reserve, where at a distance we could see greylag and Canada geese, tufted duck and pochard.  We gained a public footpath that crossed the ditch and brought us to a track from which some birders with telescopes who seemed most captivated by the reed buntings in the roadside ditch.  We reached a few farms and took a track west that followed closely the MoD fence and a large recreational boating lake, where the only birds we saw were coot and great crested grebe. We also saw Virginian rose by the roadside and a garden tiger moth caterpillar.  We had to walk the east, north and west sides of Lydd Camp barracks on boring roads and use the Sustrans cycle track SW to Camber, regaining the coast at last just outside the military area and leaving the sound of rifle fire behind us.  The walk around this prohibited area cost us something like 3 extra miles and any experience of the coast.  The boundary between Kent and East Sussex went unmarked.  At last we could climb up a shingle bank overlooking the sea, near a couple of fishermen, to have a late lunch on a concrete block with a danger sign!  The road runs along the front here, with houses on the landward side, but after lunch we continued along the top of the shore to Camber Sands.  The beach was crowded with holiday-makers, especially when the shingle became entirely replaced by sand and there were a few cafés.  We collected a few shell records, and there was also a complete pair of freshwater swan mussel, presumably washed down from the river.  Just after this were dunes.  We had to find a way through them to avoid being cut off by the golf course that extends as far as the mouth of the River Rother and prevents access to it.  The dunes were degenerate, with only marram and sea buckthorn.  We came out on the Camber road just before a huge car park, at the end of which we joined the cycleway again along Camber Road, as far as the golf course clubhouse. There a footpath, unclearly marked, took us across the links to the edge of the River Rother, where there was a Harbour Master’s station.  The map clearly indicated a path along the river but the way was totally blocked.  We asked at the Harbour Master’s office and were told to walk along the track through the golf course and join the footpath by the river further north.  He said there was no footpath before then.  As we walked the track we could clearly see that there was a footpath where the map showed it, but entry had been blocked.  However, after this we could follow the footpath along embankments right up to Rye, although we did have to cope with obstreperous sheep and long grass in parts.  We crossed the road bridge of the A259 and bore south on the other side of the river past a funfair and park to the SE corner of Rye, which was the closest approach to the town centre.  This was achieved by a steep set of steps to Ypres Castle, past the eponymous pub, and then up cobbled streets by the church, eventually reaching the High Street and the George Hotel where we were staying for two nights.  Rye seems to be an attractive and very old town, as its narrow streets and traffic problems illustrate.  After taking a taxi back to Dungeness, we had a great view of a hobby hunting insects or birds close to the ground with sharp agile turns.

Lydd Ranges and power lines   Swan mussel   Garden tiger moth caterpillar   Ypres Castle

 

Sea Kale and Power Station   Camber Sands

Thrift   Virginian rose