Walks Day walks # 154

Rye, Dungeness and Lydd-on-Sea walk

Interesting coastal walk past sand dunes, an army range, and a nuclear power station to a unique shingle desert. Travel by bus

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date	#	Post
Sat, 20-Oct-18		Thomas G Saturday Walk - Guaranteed No Leaf Colours: Rye - Camber Sands - Dungeness Nuke and Shingle - Lydd-on-Sea or Lydd, or Rye Circular The tide is on our side, and the firing range is closed, so here goes: a walk like no other...now fully written up. Rye to Dungeness and Lydd-on-Sea, or Rye Circular, or Rye to Dungeness to Lydd Length: 21.7 km/13.5 mi or 17.6 km/11.0 mi or 27.3 km/17.0 mi Ascent/Descent: negligible Net Walking Time: ca. 5 hours or 4 hours or 6 hours (incl. time added for the shingle and sand for options 1 and 3) Toughness: 4 out of 10 or 1 out of 10 or 5 out of 10 Take the 09.34 Margate train from St. Pancras I’nal (Stratford I’nal 09.41), change at Ashford (10.11/10.24), arrives Rye 10.45. Trains from Victoria or Charing X to Ashford can’t be recommended, as they either just miss the connection, or leave only one minute to change trains! At the end of the walk, from Lydd and Lydd-on-Sea take buses back to Rye or on to Ham Street or Ashford. Return trains are on xx.47 from Rye and xx.01 from Ham Street. Total journey time 67 mins from Rye. Buy a Rye (Sussex) return. This is a fascinating and most unusual walk, initially leading from the historic Cinque Ports Town of Rye along the Rother River to Camber Sands with its shallow and wide sandy beach lined by magnificent sand dunes and with a selection of lunch stops. After lunch you follow the coast along the beach or the seawall through the Lydd Firing Ranges (only open for about 65 days a year, today is one of them) into the desolate, vast expanse of shingle (one of the largest in Europe) that is the Dungeness National Nature Reserve and then past the Dungeness Nuclear Power Station. You pass a couple of lighthouses (old and new) and a few tea options in Dungeness and then continue past Derek Jarman’s famed garden to The Pilot Inn in Lydd-on-Sea, from where buses take you back to Rye or on to Ham Street or Ashford stations. Note: to shorten the exposure to the shingle do the walk on days when low tide is around early afternoon (it is, at 14.47). A circular option from Camber back to Rye through grassy marsh land cuts out all shingly sections. An alternative ending from Dungeness leads to Lydd through the shingly Denge Beach area and a large RSPB Reserve. Return travel by bus: From Lydd-on-Sea (The Pilot Inn) by line 102 to Lydd and on to Rye (xx.50 to 18.50) or by line 11 to Ham Street or Ashford (17.10, arr. Ham Street 17.46, Ashford 18.10); From Lydd Church by line 102 to Rye (xx.01 to 19.01 then 19.57). The Lydd Ranges are closed this weekend, see here. Low Tide is at 14.47, so we should be fine to avoid most of the shingle. Lunch: The Owl pub or The Rye Bay Bar & Café in Camber (about 6.0 km). Tea: [Dungeness/Lydd-on-Sea] The End of the Line café or The Britannia Inn, 2.0 km from the end, or The Snack Shack or The Pilot Inn at the walk’s end. [Rye] Too numerous to list here, check the pdf. [Lydd] The Dolphin or The George Hotel. For walk directions, map, height profile and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.154 DAC is away
Sun, 04-Feb-18	16	Thomas G Sunday Walk - A Cinque Port Town, a River, Camber Sands and Grassy Marshland: Rye Circular [New Variant] Length: 17.6 km (11.0 mi) (or 19.9 km) Ascent/Descent: negligible Net Walking Time: 4 hours Toughness: 1 out of 10 Take the 10.08 Margate train from St. Pancras I’nal (Stratford I’nal 10.15), change at Ashford (10.46/11.16) onto the Brighton train, arrives Rye 11.37. Return trains are on xx.38 (change Ashford, 76 minutes journey time). New Variation of the Rye – Dungeness – Lydd-on-Sea walk posted on 11 November... This is a pretty little walk on the boundary of East Sussex and Kent, from the historic Cinque Ports Town of Rye along the Rother River to Camber Sands with its shallow and wide sandy beach lined by magnificent sand dunes and with a selection of lunch stops (a well-run pub, a cafe/bistro or a bistro/restaurant). After lunch you follow the coast along the beach for a short while and turn inland from the easterly edge of the village through the grassy marsh land past the interesting ‘barn church’ in East Guldeford back to Rye, concluding with a little loop through town past plenty of old houses, inns and tea rooms, plus the odd viewpoint or two. An extension of the route through the marshes, to Romney Marsh Wind Farm, adds 2.3 km/1.4 mi (currently map-led only). Lunch: The Owl (6.1 km/3.8 mi), The Rye Bay Café/Bistro (6.3 km/3.9 mi), Dunes Bar & Restaurant (6.4 km/4.0 mi). Tea: too numerous to mention (see the pdf for details). For summary, walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here. t=swc.154.a Thomas G, 01-Feb-18 Rye to Camber Sands: #89 in ITV's list of Top 100 Walks in Britain (as shown on the tellie a few days ago) Anonymous, 03-Feb-18 Anyone going on this. Long way to go on ones tod, Gavin Anonymous, 03-Feb-18 Intend going.... Rich Anonymous, 03-Feb-18 At least 2 more going. Thomas G, 05-Feb-18 16 walkers in all kinds of weather, from a snow flurry while waiting for the connecting train at Ashford, via short squalls in the afternoon, and a proper shower while we were at lunch to sunny blue sky moments as we sautered up Camber Sands; so I'd call that during walking time overcast and cold then brightening up then squally. The posting wasn't perfectly timed, as it was mid tide and incoming in the a.m., so the river was full and the sandy beach less than half exposed, but nevertheless I think everyone enjoyed it. One walker insisted on booking a table at The Owl for the 11 lunchers, and that was a good idea indeed, as we had one their many nooks all to ourselves. Fine meals were had and the walk continued through the dunes and along the beach to turn inland back to Rye through the marshes, and soon into the wind. A good contrast, I'd say, and 6 walkers then walked the previously untested extension to the nearny windfarm. One or two problems occured with being on the wrong side of a ditch (and therefore not getting out of a field where the ditch turned), adding a bit of distance, but we still got back in time for 3 to head for the 17.38 train, while the other 3 followed the route through the quiet cobbled streets of Rye. One last bevvie at The Goerge and off to catch the (delayed) 18.38. Karen, 06-Feb-18 Some nice extras on the walk last Sunday a seal watching us from the water as we walked on the beach, 3 or 4 rainbows in the afternoon, a large flock of swans pecking the ground on the marshes, a small murmuration of starlings (I guess) as we walked away from the windfarm...
Sat, 11-Nov-17	15	Thomas G Saturday Walk - A River, Sand Dunes, Shingle, a Nuke Plant, a Desert and Derek Jarman's Garden: Rye to Dungeness or Lydd [First Posting] Length: 20.9 km/13.0 mi or 26.9 km/16.7 mi Ascent/Descent: negligible Net Walking Time: ca. 5 hours or 6 hours (incl. 1 hour added for the shingle and sand) Toughness: 3 out of 10 or 4 out of 10 Take the 09.34 Margate train from St. Pancras I’nal (Stratford I’nal 09.41), change at Ashford (10.11/10.33), arrives Rye 10.54. [From Victoria the 08.52 train (Bromley South 09.09) arr. Ashford 10.21.] Return trains are on xx.30 and xx.56 (but not 19.30) from Rye and xx.10 from Ham Street. Buy a Rye return. This is a very interesting if not classically pretty walk, along the south coast of Kent. It starts in historic Rye and follows the Rother River down to the sea. Then it passes a quiet beach (Camber Sands) backed by sand dunes. After that the walk enters into the Lydd Ranges, which is now a nature reserve. The most interesting part of the walk is Dungeness – a nuclear power station, a pub, a village of chalets with driftwood gardens, a heritage railway with miniature steam trains, 2 light houses (the power station was built in the way of the first...), Britain's only desert (due to the low rainfall) and its biggest expanse of shingle (small pebbles) – leading to a strange, unique and desolate landscape, and past Derek Jarman’s Garden. Either end the walk along the coast at The Pilot Inn, or walk inland through the nature reserve (and a RSPB site) to Lydd village. Return travel by bus: From Lydd-on-Sea (The Pilot Inn) by line 11/11A to Hamstreet or Ashford (17.23, arr. Hamstreet 17.56, Ashford 18.15) or by line 102 to Lydd to connect to below services (15.54, 17.29, 17.59); From Lydd Church by line 100/101 to Rye (16.06, 16.26, 17.06, 17.41, 18.16, 19.07, 20.12). The Lydd Ranges are closed this weekend, see here. Low Tide is at 11.06, so we should be fine to avoid some of the shingle. Lunch: Cafés & Restaurants + a Pub in Camber (6.0 km) or The Britannia Inn (19.0 km, food all day). Tea: [Dungeness/Lydd-on-Sea] The Britannia Inn, 1.9 km from the end, or The Pilot Inn at the walk’s end. [Lydd] The Dolphin. For map, height profile and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.154 JohnnyHastings, 07-Nov-17 Just an alert about the Rye Fireworks due to take place this Saturday. https://www.familiesonline.co.uk/local/east sussex/whats on/rye bonfire night fireworks display 2017 It shouldn't affect the walk too much unless you are coming back through Rye after the walk. The event can be quite rowdy and local transport can be affected due to congestion. Hopefully the walk be over by the time the festivities take place. Thomas G, 07-Nov-17 Thanks for the comment, Johnny. I wasn't aware of the fireworks. Timings are ok for the walk though: "Procession from Tilling Green Estate at 7:50pm, Bonfire & Fireworks from 8:45pm". Thomas G, 11-Nov-17 A walk of great variety despite basically just following a river to the coast and then turning left along the coast. Route finding was not a problem, despite there being no writen direction, and Rye's Old Town was quickly negotiated, the impressive bonfire site passed and the Rother River crossed to turn right and follow the river atop the grassy seawall. A couple of walkers were left trailing on this stretch due to them birdwatching (it was low tide after all, and muddy riverbanks very exposed). We then met the sea at the stunning Camber Sands beach, complete with dunes, horse riders, dog walkers, seals (reportedly) and lots of sandy expanse. We passed along Camber village, assuming what pubs/cafes there were would be along the seafront, but they weren't. So we went back along the road through Camber to find them. We did end up in the Rye Bar Cafe (and The Owl pub was just 100 further along), which supplied us with tasty fare at decent prices pretty quickly. The walk back cost us about 30 minutes, which proved to be a bad thing at the end... The next stretch to the Military Range boundary was very pleasant, along a new flood defence top broad concrete path, with the waves crashing on our right hand side(the tide was now coming in, as the surfers went out). At the gate to the MOD range we found that although the range was closed for firing this weekend, as the posting said the gate was still shut anyway due to 'urgent seawall repair works'. The majority favoured climbing over the concrete seawall and negotiating huge boulders for a stretch to walk along the closed part anyway, one bailed out though and instead walked to Lydd, then took the bus back to Rye. Now we embarked on the longest stretch of shingle walking of any SWC walk, too long for comfort and enjoyment really. [This could be avoided though by choosing a day when low tide is mid afternoon, as one can then walk along the sandy beach; note to future walk posters.] To avoid some of the shingle, we stayed on the seawall for a while, where it bent away from the coast, passing many adornments of the military practice ground, from abandoned tanks to bunkers and even a tramway. The Dungeness Nuclear Power Station was still some way away, and spirits started to sag, but eventually we passed it and the following lighthouse to bear inland. We passed Derek Jarman's garden in darkness and met the other 2 at The Pilot Inn to take the 17.23 bus to Ashford, and then the 18.38 train to Victoria or the 18.43 to St. Pancras. So, we survived one of the largest expanses of shingle in Europe, and despite some people's spirits sagging, I'd say it's been a great day out. Next time, posted on a day with a later low tide and with a more detailed gpx and maybe even a write up, we'll find the pub/cafe no problem and finish in broad daylight. overcast, with the only rain falling while we were in the lunch cafe, and 15.