Flat 4

HYTHE

Folkestone 4.3miles; Channel Tunnel 4 miles; Dymchurch 6 miles; Dover 13 miles, Canterbury 20 miles.

Hythe is one of the five original Cinque Ports identifed by Edward the Confesssor as ports that would provide ships and sailors to protect this part of the English coastline from invaders, and in exchange the towns would retain all legal fees assigned in court cases. Of course this made these towns far more prosperous than most towns of the same size, and the result of this can still be seen by visitors when visiting Hythe. Running through the centre of the town is The Royal Military Canal. This was dug during the Napoleonic era as a defensive measure against possible French invasion. Now this lovey waterway is more popular with walkers and those taking a break from work; the grassy banks are a delightful place to picnic or sit and read. You can even hire a rowing boat and row yourself along the Canal and this unique part of Kent. A five minute stroll from the town and you will find yourself on the sea front. This wide promenade overlooks a long stretch of beach, with views over the English Channel to France, it is ideal for a summer picnic and safe bathing. Hythe offers visitors so much with golf, tennis, riding, bowls, squash, boating, windsurfing, freshwater and sea angling all available. Romney Marsh lies west of the town and can be explored by foot, car, bicycle or using the world's smallest public railway. Hythe is the eastern terminus for the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Light Railway, so why not climb aboard and alight at Dungeness where you can visit the nature reserve, explore the lighthouse, and perhaps get a chance to see some painters and artists at work, before returning by the narrow gauge railway back to the delights of Hythe.