Sheep Ahoy!

An invitation to explore Romney Marsh by bike discovering churches,

inns and where to buy the famous Romney Lamb.
Leader+ programme
in association with
Kent County Council
a taste of Mid Kent

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the fifth quarter
Hundreds of years ago the South Kent
coastline would have looked very different to
the way it appears today. New Romney was
once a thriving and prosperous Cinque port,
on a par with Dover and Hastings in stature at
the time. But a series of great storms in the
13th century altered the course of the river
(the Rother) connecting the harbour to the
sea, rendering New Romney redundant as a
port and reversing its fortunes.
The line of The Saxon Shore Way, several
miles inland from New Romney, shows the
extent to which
the coastline has
receded over time.
The land between
the old shoreline
and the English
Channel the
Romney Marsh
has been reclaimed from the sea over
many centuries. As such, the Marsh is a
unique place with a unique feel, perhaps
best summarised by the Reverend Richard
Barham, author of The Ingoldsby Legends
as long ago as the 1840s
The World, according to the best
geographers, is divided into
Europe, Asia, Africa, America
and Romney Marsh thus
making the Marsh the
so called Fifth
Quarter.
The Marsh
landscape is a
maze of watery
ditches, its broad horizon punctuated by church
towers. Famed for its emptiness, its sweeping
skies and sense of solitude, the Marsh
has inspired artists, writers and
poets through the ages.
It is a unique and special
place.The whole area is in
fact a series of marshes, each
reclaimed at different times
over a thousand years or so.
Romney Marsh proper is bounded
on the south by the road
from Appledore to New
Romney and was reclaimed
earliest by the Romans and Saxons.
Walland Marsh, to the south and
west, was drained later, between
the 12th and 16th centuries, largely
by the church.
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Romney Marsh is
a truly unique
environment
which attracts a
wealth of wildlife
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Denge Marsh, to the east of Lydd, gives its
name to Dungeness, which is actually the tip
of one of the largest expanses of shingle in
the world, formed over the centuries as flint
pebbles were deposited by the sea washing
against the shallow marshes.
Romney is also the name of the breed of
sheep which provided the foundation for the
areas prosperity in years past, as well as the
origins of a
notorious and
once rife
smuggling
industry.
Nowadays, thanks to better drainage much of
the very fertile land of Romney Marsh is used
On your way, take time to see the nine
magnificent churches on or close to the route,
look out for grey herons and listen for skylarks
and laughing frogs. Should you wish to break
your journey, there are six pubs to choose from
and plenty of places to stop and picnic or
simply enjoy the view. It is worth taking your
time to enjoy this mysterious and tranquil
corner of the country.
the Marsh, with its open exposed landscape and rich colour has long
been an inspiration for many artists.Windswept by Emily Goddard
to grow arable crops such as potatoes,
cereals and oil seed rape, while other tracts
of flat farmland are devoted to producing
high quality turf for the lawns of the Garden
of England.
This leaflet sets out an easy to follow 24-mile
cycle route through the heart of the Marsh.
The areas flat and relatively traffic-free
country lanes provide excellent, gentle
cycling terrain and offer an ideal way to
appreciate the unique Marsh landscape. The
route offers many clues to how the landscape
has changed over time.
Old sea walls and former river channels, now
miles inland, hint at the constant battle with
the sea and the fluctuating fortunes of
Marsh communities.
Romney Marsh was a well known spot on the Kent
coast for smuggling, bringing to notoriety the likes
of Doctor Syn and the Aldington Blues gang
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The suggested starting point is New Romney,
although the route can also be joined
at Snargate if arriving by train at Appledore
Station on the Ashford Hastings line.
Snargate is a mile and a half or so from
the station along the B2080 in the New
Romney direction. New Romney is also
served by three bus services which
operate most days, and bikes are available
to hire at New Romney Cycles on the High
Street tel; 01797 362155.
Two of the bus services are provided by
Stagecoach. These are number 12 between
Dover and Lydd via Folkestone and number
711 between Dover and Hastings.
The number 11 service is operated by Kent
Coach Tours, linking Ashford to New Romney
via Hamstreet. It is advisable to check
timetables beforehand by calling Traveline
South East on 0870 608 2608 or visiting
www.kentpublictransport.info The same
website also provides information on train
services to Appledore.
Start from the Church Road car park,
adjacent to St Nicholas Church, New Romney.
With your back to the church, leave by the far
right hand corner of the car park. Walk your
bike down Church Close to the High Street.
Turn left and cross the A259 at the traffic
lights, before turning immediately right into
Ashford Road.
Now cycle along Ashford Road before taking
the third right hand turn into Cockreed Lane.
Take the first left turning into Hope Lane.
When you reach a T junction after one and a
half miles, turn right and cycle past
Honeychild Manor.
To follow the route, take the next left or
alternatively carry straight on to visit St Mary
in the Marsh before doubling back to rejoin
the route at the right hand turning.
Cycle along Chittendens Lane before taking
the first turning on your right, after half a mile.
Continue past Willow Farm before turning left
just past Norwood Farm. After three quarters
of a mile you come to a T junction. Turn left
and then left again into Melon Lane when you
reach a crossroads. After passing through
Little Appledore and past Melon Farm, you
reach a T junction after two and a half miles
or so at Ivychurch.
Turn left along what is a slightly busier road,
the B2070, into Ivychurch, turning right just
before the Bell Inn, following signs to Hasting
and Rye. Cycle along this lane for a couple
of miles, passing Brenzett Aeronautical Museum
on your right before you reach a roundabout
at Brenzett. It is recommended that you
dismount and cross the busy A259 at the
pedestrian crossing on the right.
Cycle to a small roundabout, turn right and then
first left into Church Lane. Continue along this
lane for about a mile and a half until you reach
a T junction. Turn left and continue past an old
orchard on your right and Rose Hall on your left,
until you reach a crossroads; turn left and cycle
through Whitehall Farm. Ignore the first right
turn soon after and continue past Snargate
Church to the T junction, with the Red Lion
pub opposite.
cycle sights
a circular tour of Romney Marsh by bike
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Turn right and then left after a hundred
yards or so, continuing over the Snargate
railway crossing to a T-junction after a mile
and a half. Turn right again and cycle for
a mile ignoring the next left turning before
reaching a T junction with Fairfield Church
on your right in a grazed field.
Turn left, cycling past Puddock Farm and
left again past Dean Court Farm, towards
Brookland. Ignore the first left hand turning
and swing around to the right before turning
left by Harvey Farm. Cycle along this lane for
a mile or so, taking a sharp right hand bend
soon after entering the village. Turn right
at the next left hand bend to the pedestrian
walkway across the busy A259 road. Cycle
down the lane past the village hall on your
left before turning right on the bend.
To visit the unique church at Brookland
or the adjoining Royal Oak pub swing
round to the left; otherwise take the first
right along Clubbs Lane with Swallow Court
on the corner. Cycle along this lane before
taking the first right hand turning down
a straight lane to a T junction.
Turn left and cycle along what was an old sea
wall (Hook Wall) past Blue House Farm and
a lane to the left. Continue straight on at the
crossroads, passing a Lookers Hut by the
next left hand lane, where you continue
straight ahead. Carry straight on around
a left hand bend, where you can see the
tower of Lydd Church. On arriving at the
next T junction at Hawthorn Corner, turn left
and cycle up to Wheelsgate Farm, swinging
around the sharp right hand bend and along
the lane into Old Romney.
Turn left and cycle past the Rose and Crown Inn
up to the A259 again. It is recommended that
you walk across the road, taking care as it can
be busy. Take the lane opposite heading
towards the church. Continue around the left
hand bend and cycle along Five Vents Lane
to a crossroads. Cross to the lane opposite,
passing Beechcroft Farm and a lane to your
left before turning right into Hope Lane.
Now back on the lane you first cycled along
when leaving New Romney, retrace the route
by turning right at the next T junction and then
left along Ashford Road into New Romney.
Fairfield Church
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Nine historic
churches are
interspersed along
the route. Starting
at New Romney,
St Nicholas is
dedicated to the
patron saint of
children and
sailors, the latter
being most
appropriate given
that ships were
moored near to the church in the 11th and
12th centuries. The west doorway is now sunk
below the ground level, a reminder of the
mass of shingle and mud flung inshore by
powerful storms. The oldest parts of the
church of St Mary the Virgin
at St Mary in the Marsh date from 1133.
Edith Nesbit, author of The Railway Children
is buried in the churchyard.
Also worth a short detour off the cycle route,
the church at Newchurch was new as
long ago as the 13th century, replacing an
even earlier Saxon church. The tower and
porch lean away from the church at an angle
of 5 degrees, the result of subsidence caused
by the drainage of surrounding marshland in
the 15th century.
The church of Ivychurch is dedicated to St
George and is one of the longest village
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churches in Kent, while nearby Brenzett
Church is more unusually dedicated to St
Eanswyth, a Saxon princess who died in the
7th century and was the grand daughter of
Ethelbert, the first Christian King of Kent. The
village of Brenzett was the first rallying point
in 1381 for the Romney Marsh supporters of
Wat Tylers peasants revolt.
Snargate Church is one of five churches in Kent
dedicated to 10th century monk, St Dunstan. A
painting of a terracotta ship dating from 1500
discovered during restoration work is believed
to have signified a safe place to hide smuggled
goods in years gone by.
Perhaps the most photographed church on the
Marsh is Fairfield, marooned in a field
parishioners sometimes had to row across to
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reach the church at times of flood. Not far
behind in photographic interest is
St Augustines at Brookland, with the13th
century wooden octagonal belfry standing
beside instead of atop the church. A host of
stories explain why how this may have
happened. One suggests that the architect, not
having a large enough sheet of paper for a
complete plan of the church, put the belfry on a
second piece of paper. The builders followed the
plans accordingly.
Finally St Clements Church at Old Romney
returns fittingly but somewhat gruesomely to
maritime connections. St Clement was martyred
by being thrown into the sea with an anchor
tied to his neck.
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a leaning tower and drowned saint
Romney Marsh is also dotted with historic
Inns and the cycle route goes past or close
to six, in addition to which New Romney
offers a handful of its own.
The Star Inn at
St Mary in the Marsh is more
than 500 years old. Its name
is thought to originate
from the custom of giving
a religious name to the
closest inn to the church. Famous playwright
and performer, Noel Coward, once lived
next door.
The Bell at Ivychurch is a mere 450 years
old and also sits alongside the village church,
proximity to which explains its alternative name
of the Stained Glass Windows.
Connections with the Girls of the Land Army
in WWII are commemorated in the Red
Lion at Snargate. On the Campaign for Real
Ales (CAMRAs) national inventory of rare
and unspoilt pubs, the Red Lion hosts several
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popularity with wool smugglers, who used
the inn as a base. It retains many original features,
such as wattle-and-daub walls and a low,
beamed ceiling.
The Rose and Crown at
Old Romney was originally two farm
buildings, owned since their construction
in 1689 by a variety of farmers, saddlers
and carpenters until both dwellings were
merged and the Inn given its current name
in the early 19th century.
F
beer festivals each year, the main
one in June.
Another inn hard alongside a church,
the Royal Oak at Brookland
(www.royaloakbrookland.co.uk) was built
during the reign of Elizabeth I. The original
structure was once connected to the church
of St Augustine next door.
Just short of 600 years old, the Woolpack
near Brookland is the oldest of the six inns
featured. Its name comes from its one-time
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A
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ale & hearty
half a dozen more reasons to stop
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Churches
Road crossing. Please take care
Public houses
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Five more cycle routes
on the Marsh are
available from the
Romney Marsh
Countryside Project
(RMCP), the remit of
which is to care for the
special landscape and
wildlife of the Marsh and
Dungeness. The Romney Marsh Meanders
cycle pack contains five routes, each beautifully
illustrated by local artists and clearly marked
on full colour Ordnance Survey Maps. Two
sister packs of nine self-guided walks for the
Marsh and ten self-guided walks for the Royal
Military Canal are also available. These are
priced at 3.95 (including post and packing)
and are available from the RMCP, Romney
Marsh Day Centre, Rolfe Lane, New Romney,
Kent TN28 8JR. RMCP also organises a
programme of guided walks and cycle rides
throughout the year, with special events for
children and their families during the school
holidays.
For further information, tel;
01797 367934; Email to
mail@rmcp.co.uk or visit
www.rmcp.co.uk
Cycle Safety
Be seen wear fluorescent by day and
reflective by night. The law requires the use of
front and rear lights and a red reflector at night.
Be protected wear a cycle helmet. Make
sure it is the right size and is properly fitted
and fastened at all times.
Be heard Fit a bell or horn and use them
if you think drivers or pedestrians have not
seen you. Do not assume that everyone can
hear you coming.
Be safe Look after your bike. Check moving
parts regularly, giving special attention to
brakes. Make sure that tyres are properly
inflated and that you can see the tread on
them clearly. Ensure your reflectors and lights
are clean.
Be courteous Cycle paths make your
journey safe but on shared facilities, cyclists
must give priority to pedestrians.
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The wool smugglers were known as owlers
because they were active after dark and
called to each other like owls in the night.
Although the breed is less common in this
country these days, Romneys have made a
tremendous contribution to the global sheep
industry. In New Zealand, 75% of the
breeding ewes used for fat lamb production
are of Romney Marsh origin and the number
of Romneys overseas exceeds by far the
British flock. As recently as the start of the
Second World War, the importance of sheep
to the Marsh economy was demonstrated by
the fact that the sheep were evacuated
ahead of the women and children.
Instead of employing shepherds to tend their
flocks in days gone by, many wealthy
landowners used the services of a Looker.
The lookers would watch over a number of
flocks spread over a wide area and would
cover many miles in a working day, travelling
on foot or by horse. They lived away from
their families much of the time in simple,
purpose-built, brick Lookers Huts.
as early as 1275. The combination of
proximity to the Continent and the large
flocks of sheep on the Marsh inevitably
resulted in wool smuggling becoming
widespread locally.
Romney Marsh has been associated with
sheep farming for hundreds of years. The
Marsh pastures, reclaimed from the sea,
provided ideal grazing for sheep and the
prosperity the woollen industry once brought
is evidenced by the many historic churches
spread throughout the Marsh.
Indeed the Marsh gave rise to a special breed
of sheep called Romneys or Kents. They are
among the most ancient of the 45 distinct sheep
breeds in Britain and are hardy animals well-
suited to marshy conditions. An old Marsh story
suggests that the sheeps fat body and short
legs give it a low centre of gravity so it doesnt
blow over in the open, windy Marsh landscape.
Large flocks are often still seen grazing around
Fairfield Church.
Romneys provided the foundation for the
English woollen industry as early as the twelfth
century. Their long but dense fleece was
highly prized, so much so that wool was the
first product on which export duty was levied
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Romney Marsh sheep and their Lookers
the traditional mechanical method of shearing sheep was skillful
and laborious work.
Sheep shearing by Brian Oxley
purchased from Bournes Butchers in New
Romney and Romney Lamb features on
many local restaurant and pub menus, as
well as being available from farmers
markets.
The Lookers Huts had fireplaces for warmth
and for cooking. Lookers would have regular
visits from their families to provide them with a
weeks supply of food. Among the provisions
would probably have been pies made from
local lamb, potatoes, onions and suet.
A modern-day local initiative, The Marsh
Forward Heritage Project Team, is promoting
an updated, healthier version of Lookers Pies
as one way of raising awareness of the
Marshs sheep farming history. Pies can be
In 1870 there were 356 huts spread across the
Marsh but today only a dozen remain. One of
these can be seen alongside the southern
section of the cycle route by Cutters Bridge.
Although the hut now stands isolated, it would
originally have been surrounded by fenced
areas for sheep needing attention or
treatment.
at one time hundreds of these Lookers Huts would have
been dotted across the marshes but few now remain
The wool logo design by italian
Francesco Saroglia in 1964,
and still in use today
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Hugh and Pauline Skinner of Aragon
Farm, Sissinghurst, have been developing
their Romney sheep for 30 years. They sell
whole or half lambs, cut into joints as
required and bagged ready for the freezer.
Romneys are also sold privately for those
interested in having their own sheep. Call
01580 714400 or visit www.aragonfarm.com
Forstal Farmat Egerton Forstal,
near Ashford, is another family-run farm
which sells lamb by the joint, as well as
whole and half lambs. All the sheep are
raised naturally by Malcolm and Chris Iles
and the animals are all born and raised
on the farm and not bought at market.
Further information is available
at www.forstalfarm.co.uk or by
calling 01233 756300.
Organic Romney Lamb can be bought
slightly further away from the Marsh at
Silcocks Farm Shop, St Michaels,
Tenterden. The shop is located in a restored
traditional Kent barn, which is situated amidst
a group of original farm buildings that
formed the old milking parlour and dairy. At
present the shop opening hours are 9am to
1pm, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
However prior appointments can be
arranged outside of these hours by calling
01580 763351.
Full details are available at
www.honournaturalfoods.co.uk
Farmer Palmers Quality
Meats of Smarden also sells Romney Lamb
at the farmers markets at Egerton, Headcorn,
Rolvenden and Sissinghurst in Mid Kent, as
well as those at Capel le Ferne and Hythe,
both near Folkestone. Lamb can also be
bought direct from the farm, which is
managed under the Countryside
Stewardship Scheme, by calling
01233 756533 or via the website
www.farmerpalmersmeats.co.uk
Romney Lamb is a succulent, tasty meat with
natural marbling, much valued by butchers
and gourmets alike and often available to buy
at farmers markets around the Marsh, such as:
Capel le Ferne Farmers Market
Village Hall, Tuesdays 10am-1pm
Hythe Farmers Market
Hall behind Light Railway Restaurant, 2nd
and 4th Saturday of month, 10am-12noon
Rolvenden Farmers Market
St Marys Church / Village Hall, Thursdays,
10am-12noon
Romney Marsh Farmers Market
Hagueland Farm, Burmarsh, third Saturday
of month, 9am-1pm
Romney Lamb can also be bought direct from
five Mid Kent farms, the first close to the Marsh
at Wittersham.
Tim Piper farms overlooking the Marsh at
Stone-in-Oxney but has recently moved his
butchery to Owley Farmat nearby
Wittersham. It is appropriate that he therefore
sells Romney Lamb direct from the farm and at
Wittersham farmers markets. For availability
or to order, call 01797 270399
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Produced by the Strategic Planning Analysis Information Team (SPAIT)
Based upon the Ordinance Survey mapping with the permission of
The Controller of Her Majestys Stationery Office Crown Copyright.
Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead
to prosecution or civil proceedings
Kent County Council Licence No. LA076708. December 15, 2004
Ref: ma737
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for detailed map of
trail, see page 8
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