{"id":2516,"date":"2014-10-24T02:45:05","date_gmt":"2014-10-24T01:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2516"},"modified":"2023-07-18T17:24:42","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T16:24:42","slug":"cliffe-pools-rspb-reserve-cliffe-fort-kent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2516","title":{"rendered":"Cliffe Pools RSPB Reserve and Cliffe Fort, Kent"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk; varwalkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=740,width=1030,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script><br \/> First published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('CliffePoolsRSPB.jpg');\" rel=\"nozoom\" title=\"Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window\">Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52297288637_9704a565ec_z.jpg\" title= \"path to Cliffe Fort 1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52297288637_9704a565ec_s.jpg\" alt=\"path to Cliffe Fort 1\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298538284_7bef62a066_z.jpg\" title= \"haw berries and brambles beside the marsh track 1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298538284_7bef62a066_s.jpg\" alt=\"haw berries and brambles beside the marsh track 1\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298765635_117c8178c2_z.jpg\" title= \"haw berries and brambles beside the marsh track 2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298765635_117c8178c2_s.jpg\" alt=\"haw berries and brambles beside the marsh track 2\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298270001_ab6f2de8a8_z.jpg\" title= \"sand quarry with Cliffe Fort beyond\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298270001_ab6f2de8a8_s.jpg\" alt=\"sand quarry with Cliffe Fort beyond\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52297288767_c4b7543096_z.jpg\" title= \"path to Cliffe Fort 2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52297288767_c4b7543096_s.jpg\" alt=\"path to Cliffe Fort 2\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298270206_034d8050ee_z.jpg\" title= \"path to the sea wall\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298270206_034d8050ee_s.jpg\" alt=\"path to the sea wall\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298538719_23f971476e_z.jpg\" title= \"opposite Flamingo Pool\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298538719_23f971476e_s.jpg\" alt=\"opposite Flamingo Pool\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298275783_c19a532b8a_z.jpg\" title= \"cranes of London Gateway port seen across Flamingo Pool\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298275783_c19a532b8a_s.jpg\" alt=\"cranes of London Gateway port seen across Flamingo Pool\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298538834_e343ac0a80_z.jpg\" title= \"Flamingo Pool\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298538834_e343ac0a80_s.jpg\" alt=\"Flamingo Pool\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298275903_503b1ea288_z.jpg\" title= \"puddles on the marsh track to Cliffe\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52298275903_503b1ea288_s.jpg\" alt=\"puddles on the marsh track to Cliffe\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"javascript:pwindow=window.open('\/Walks\/prn.php?f=2516','pwin','height=700,width=1000,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes');\" title=\"Click for printable version\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/Walks\/print.gif\" align=\"right\"><\/a><br \/>\nA sunny, breezy morning on the Kentish shore of the Thames Estuary, with big ships seen far off like ghost vessels gliding across the grazing marshes. The wind from the river whispered in the reeds, and a constant chatter of ducks from the fleets of water in the RSPB\u2019s Cliffe Pools reserve spoke of the autumn gathering of wildfowl in enormous numbers.<\/p>\n<p>Cliffe sits way out on a blunt estuarine peninsula. Here were the bleak marshes where Charles Dickens set the opening scenes of Great Expectations, and some of the old atmosphere still clings, the feeling of remote country, although central London lies only twenty miles upriver.<\/p>\n<p>We set out along a causeway between the pools. Elder leaves were turning a dusky pink. A flock of goldfinches twittered in excitement as they darted between the seed feast of feathery ragwort heads and the shelter of hawthorn bushes.<\/p>\n<p>Side paths through the scrub led to viewing stances on Flamingo Pool. No flamingos in sight; instead, a raft of coot bobbing on the wind-ruffled waves, a dozen lapwings on a muddle islet, and a flash of silver as a great crested grebe flicked a fish out of the water, tossed it up, caught it again and swallowed it with a shake of the head.<\/p>\n<p>Out by the river we crossed the sea wall and followed a slippery clay path to where a miniature range of gravel alps rose beside a jetty. Diggers and conveyors clattered, and the air thrummed with the beat of marine engines as a rusty old Port of London dredger went steadily seaward down the Thames.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the workings crouched Cliffe Fort, grey and grim, built in the 1860s to deter a French invasion, now abandoned to scrub. Rusty rails leading out into the muddy estuary were all that remained of the experimental Brennan torpedo, a 19th century guided missile that might have dented a French ironclad if it had ever been put to the test.<\/p>\n<p>Back on the sea wall we followed the long curve of the Thames. In the ooze of a creek a bar-tailed godwit stood on watch, a bulky wading bird with a great pink dagger of a bill, newly arrived from its Arctic summering grounds. Behind it the creek shores were lined with glasswort in autumn purple and crimson.<\/p>\n<p>The homeward path lay across wide marshes over which a dense clot of black dots resolved itself into a whirling army of starlings. Sheep grazed stolidly, and in the distance a line of cranes at London Gateway port stood with heads raised like a herd of giraffes on high alert.<\/p>\n<p>How hard is it? 5\u00bd miles; easy; level tracks and paths<\/p>\n<p>Start: Cliffe Pools car park, Cliffe, near Rochester ME3 7SX (OS ref TQ 723760). Car park free \u2013 closes at 4pm<\/p>\n<p>Getting there: Bus 133 (Chatham, Rochester) to Cliffe<br \/>\nRoad: A2, A228 (\u2018Grain\u2019); B2000 to Cliffe; RSPB reserve signposted here (brown sign)<\/p>\n<p>Walk (5\u00bd miles): Pass noticeboard; left along lane. In 500m, just past \u2018Pinnacle Trail\u2019 sign on right, track bends left (725764). Fork immediately left on track. In \u00be mile at \u2018England Coast Path\u2019\/ECP sign, left (715769); in 100m, right across sea wall (\u2018Saxon Shore Way\u2019, yellow arrow). On between two blocks; path through scrub, then on. In \u00bd mile reach south side of Cliffe Fort (706766). Return to recross sea wall (715768); left along ECP. In nearly 1 mile, at metal gate with kissing gate (710775), fork right on track across marshes for 2\u00bd miles back to car park.<\/p>\n<p>Lunch\/Accommodation: Six Bells, Church Street, Cliffe ME3 7QD (01634-221459, <a href=\"http:\/\/sixbellscliffe.co.uk\">sixbellscliffe.co.uk<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Info: <a href=\"http:\/\/rspb.org.uk\/cliffepools\">rspb.org.uk\/cliffepools<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A sunny, breezy morning on the Kentish shore of the Thames Estuary, with big ships seen far off like ghost vessels gliding across the grazing marshes. The wind from the river whispered in the reeds, and a constant chatter of ducks from the fleets of water in the RSPB\u2019s Cliffe Pools reserve spoke of the autumn gathering of wildfowl in enormous numbers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-walks","category-5-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}