Rye and Dungeness

Believe or not the Car Park was packed! There is also a Miniture Railway that goes from Dungeness to Hythe and Dungeness has it's own station. But it's weird place.

Dungeness certainly is a tourist attraction and the best way to get there is on the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch (15" gauge) Railway............................not a miniature railway but a narrow gauge one with fabulous working steam locomotives ~ and a part of the public service transport of the area! One of my favourite little old fashioned seaside towns is along that line, Dymchurch; what a great understated little place for small kids to enjoy a day at the seaside!

Believe it or not the railway was bombed by the Luftwaffe as it was comandeered for the war effort to get troops out to the Dungeness Headland in preparation for the D Day Landings. It actually opened for service at the end of the nineteen twenties. I think that black and white photo of Chris's is so evocative of the "Moonscape" eeriness of the headland and Walland Marsh which really should be seen when there is either a moonlit night or swathed in a sea fog.........................I've experienced both there, and the dereliction and rust just adds to the special character of the place!

Rye (like Hythe) is one of the ancient Cinque Ports and was once under French rule and only reclaimed during the reformation by Henry the Third after King John had lost it to the French in addition to Normandy. Of course, as a Cinque Port it was once right on the coast but now that the sea has receded it lays two miles in land but has a charming mud creek harbour aptly called Rye Harbour believe it or not!

Paul McCartney and Roger Daltrey both live nearby and I absolutely love Sussex and coastal Kent.......................real suntraps and a cracking quality of life down that way!