Sandwich or just Ham?

There’s something for everyone on a trip that’s better than sliced bread.

I love a day near the sea; the fresh air, the sound of the gulls and some great food.

We travelled to Sandwich in Kent, one of Henry VIII’s Cinque Ports and one of the best-preserved medieval towns in England and after short walk from the station  across the old town walls we arrived in the hubbub of life!  

Wanting to see and experience as much as we could, I’d booked on a tour with a guide from the Sandwich Local History Society and at only £2 per head we soon were walking in the footsteps of Viking and French raiders, learnt where the English archers prepared for the battle of Agincourt and where the Kings and Queen of England had stayed!

But secretly we were just as fascinated with the curiously named No Name Street. 

History? Tick

Time to get some food so the quay was the ideal location to watch the boats go by. The 14th century (history again) Crispin Inn opens onto the tidal River Stour and was our base for a quick bite and a cool drink.

After a short walk along the key to look at the boats, including a German American USN P22 patrol boat used on the Rhine that also made an appearance in the 2017 film Dunkirk we were done with walking for a while.

However, we couldn’t come to Sandwich and not see the sea so hired two bikes in the town and set off on a tarmac path near the river towards The Open golf course Royal St Georges and onto Sandwich Bay and Prince's Golf Club. There’s not much to see (except the sea and some golfers!), so after ice cream, we cycled back to Sandwich and checked into our accommodation for the night, a pub historically named The Fleur-de-Lis.

Sundowners

Before evening dinner at The Drill Hall pizzeria on the Quay we decided on sundowner drinks on the terrace of the town’s only hotel, The Bell. People-watching in the early evening sun was fascinating until the smell of the food drew us away. We collapsed in our bed, happy and tired, a couple of hours later.

Sunday, a bright day, the local church bells rang out whilst we enjoyed a cooked Kent breakfast. We only had 6 hours until our travel home, so we explored the multiple passageways that extend across Sandwich, linking the town walls to the location of the Old Tannery and the river.

Centuries to centurions

A 2-mile taxi ride took us to the landing place of the Romans in AD43 and Richborough Roman Fort and Amphitheatre. Now part of English Heritage, this ruin was once on a major sea channel and where Emperer Claudius decided to land with 40,000 men. We sat for a quick drink to take in the scale of the place before enjoying the easy downhill walk back to town.

Past the nature reserve and bird sanctuary (we must visit this next time) and the aptly named King’s Lodging, we collected our bag and strolled to the station.

With train services from central London taking just over 1.5hrs there’s enough time to relax, and I booked Advance tickets to make the best savings. I think I’ll invest in a Two Together Railcard to save even more!

When to come

In addition to the above things to see and do, Sandwich has an active calendar of events, from a French weekend (Le weekend) and a painting exhibition in June to a Folk and Ale Festival in July and lots more besides across the rest of the year (see links below for details). We will be back!

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