20 July 2018

Walking around Hythe - The Canal as a defence


One of the landmarks in Hythe is the Royal Military Canal. It was built as a form of defence for Romney Marsh in case of an invasion by the French under the command of Bonaparte. The marsh could be flooded but once an invasion began it would take too long to flood it. So a water filled ditch seemed like a great idea. And over 200 years later it is still there.

Over the years Hythe has gone from one of the original "Cinque Ports" (court language at the time was French!) to being around half a mile from the coast.  This caused by silting up of the English side of the Channel and what they call "withdrawing of the sea".

We walk a section every night with the dog.   The "town" sections on each side are paved but other sections are gravel and often simply grass.   It is still possible to see that the northern bank still has the higher frontage and the military road behind is effectively sunken and would allow troops of the day to move relatively freely. The coast itself is defended by Martello Towers, although these were constructed after the canal was finished.

The picture is the boat hire on the southern bank by Ladies Walk Bridge. Rowing boats for hire and the electric boat to take cruises from Hythe to the dam at West Hythe.


1 comment:

Trobairitz said...

It look like a nice place for your evening walks. Maybe even see some wildlife or different birds around there?