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XXVII
ON THE GRAND MILITARY CANAL FROM RYE TO HYTHE AND SANDGATE
THE Whitsun vacation being on us, we decided to spend the holiday by doing another of our land and water trips and motoring through Mid-Kent to Rye, in Sussex, thereafter navigating the Royal Military Canal, which runs from a point near to Rye to Hythe and Sandgate, Kent, some 21 miles distance. Our motor run through Kent opened up new ground, and again showed to us the varied and rich character of that fine county so aptly described as the Garden of England.
Soon we reached Rye and put up there for the night. This old town - one of the Cinque Ports - has many attractions, and tourists who love quaint places and antique surroundings cannot do better than spend a few days at this pleasant corner in Sussex. The view from the end of the main street, situated on a promontory, is very fine, and we saw it to every advantage under perfect weather conditions. One can hardly credit that at one time the sea approached close to the town and that the adjacent land has been reclaimed.
Starting next morning we made for our canal excursion and motored some two miles to where the Grand Military Canal begins, and here we found our craft, a double-sculling skiff, which had been sent on from Hythe for the trip.
Strangely enough in all our many experiences of canal travelling we had never heard before of this waterway from Rye to Sandgate, nor had we seen it mentioned in the numerous guide-books on English Canals. However, we were amply repaid for exploring these parts.
Notwithstanding the designation we could procure little information as to its historical association, further than to learn it was constructed for warfare and strategic purposes in the time of Napoleon I, who then threatened to invade this country. On either side there are high banks or mounds built, no doubt, for defensive purposes, and further the canal was peculiarly constructed in so far that a definite method had been adopted, by having long straight cuttings, and these were continued for a quarter to half a mile or so, at the end of which course they took a sharp bend, and this plan was carried out all along the route.
From what we could learn we came to the conclusion that this was done to fortify the position, and by placing guns at each end of these cuttings any troops attempting to cross the canal would be immediately under fire, and the defensive troops would have the whole distance of each cutting under control.
The canal serves no commercial purpose whatever, and might be said to start as it were from nowhere in particular, and along the whole course there are no business places of any description. It is from 30 to 40 feet wide with about four feet depth of water.
There is another striking feature of this canal, and that is on the north bank there is a fine belt of trees which ranges along the whole 21 miles of the route. These are planted every 30 feet or so apart and are fine specimens, chiefly ash and elm trees, and stand possibly about 60 or 70 feet high, which command attention. In some parts, too, the trees are planted on both sides of the canal, thereby making picturesque avenues.
There is little obstruction on the canal and only one lock, at the Rye end, which leads to the sea, but this is not now in use. There are a number of bridges to negotiate en route, also a couple of easy portages to be got over, the last being some three miles from Hythe, where the canal is dammed up, but the water continues its course at a higher level on the other side right up to Sandgate.
From the beginning to the end of the route there are no towns, and only one or two straggling villages, and during all the journey we did not meet more than a score of people, so that civilization is at a discount in these parts. We only came across a few skiffs and canoes, and a couple of small motor boats, all privately owned, on the canal. At Hythe, however, boating is very popular, and the boatman, W. Gravener, from whom we had our skiff had some 90 craft of all descriptions for letting-out purposes.
I should say that in the course of our journey we sailed nearly half the distance. Thereafter we towed a part of the way from a good grassy towpath, and then sculled the remainder of the way. The Commissioners of the Romney Marsh Levels maintain the waterway chiefly, the Hythe authorities doing the rest, and, considering it is a disused canal, it is kept in excellent order. Being early in the year we had little weed trouble, and any we did encounter was only for some 200 yards not far from the start.
We found the Grand Military Canal a fine waterway, and no pleasanter trip could be undertaken, particularly from a sculling point of view, and it seems strange to credit the fact that the journey is very seldom made.
We found the car awaiting us at Sandgate and made for Folkestone, a few miles off. There we stayed over night and part of the next day, making a pleasant change by the seaside after our experience. Thereafter we proceeded to Canterbury, where we spent a delightful time looking through the old city with its beautiful cathedral. Soon after we found ourselves spinning along homeward bound, all pleased with ourselves and our holiday.
Pictures related to this cruise
The Grand Military Canal (Kent)
Related Waterways
