| The Wild Walk Gallery Feature posts comprise photographs l have taken during my many walks around the medieval town of Sandwich and surrounding areas of the county of Kent, where l live and added inspirational quotes, music and fun facts and snippets of interest too. The photographs taken for Wild Walks are a mixture of buildings and architecture, flora, fauna, The River Stour and other waterways, Gazen Salts Nature Reserve and Town Life. |
| Season 3 – 2022 Gallery 2 |
| I live in the beautiful and historic town of Sandwich in Kent in the southeast of England. The River Stour lies on the edge of the town. Originally, Sandwich was one of the Cinque Ports, and we have many medieval buildings here from the original construction time. Sandwich is two miles from the coast, and although once it was a major port in its own right, this is no longer the case due to the silting up of the River Stour. |
| Musical Score – Mist |
| “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” Michael Altshuler |
| Sandwich Snippets River Stour Sandwich was one of the main Cinque Ports in Kent and England in times past. However, the once broad and deep River Stour silting up meant that its time of seeing great sailing ships pass through had gone. Back then, the town was known as Sandwich Haven. Sandwich is now only two miles from the sea. In 1457 4000 French, primarily from Honfleur and led by Marshal Pierre de Breze, raided ‘Sand Wick’, and so significant was their damage that they nearly razed the town to the ground. When the Mayor of Sand Wick, John Drury, was killed that day, all mayors of Sandwich since that time must now wear black robes to commemorate this sad event. Today Sandwich is twinned with Honfleur. Initially, the Cinque ports, of which five harbours were Sandwich, Romney, Dover, Hythe and Hastings, supplied both ships and men to the Crown in return for toll freedoms and customs duties with trade benefits. |
| Sandwich Snippets The Ropewalk The Bulwarks, Mill Wall, The Ropewalk and The Butts are all parts of a circular walk around the medieval town of Sandwich called The Ramparts Walk. The four sections made up the old fortifications of the historic town and were built from 1066 to 1540. Each section of the walk comprises grassy banks called earth ramparts. Each walkway has a view of the town itself, and most are treelined avenues containing yews, planes and hornbeam. They are considered some of the most significant completed defence earthworks surviving in the United Kingdom today. The Ropewalk was so-called as the flattened area of the town’s early fortifications were used for the ropemaking of ships. The practice required long space so that the ropes could be ‘walked out’ when the rope was being braided and held tautly. Alongside the Ropewalk and The Butts, walkways run the Delf and Butts stream, where moorhens and mallard ducks can be seen. The Ramparts were adapted to public footpaths in the mid-nineteenth century. |
| “Life has got all those twists and turns. You’ve got to hold on tight and off you go.” Nicole Kidman |
Please do visit the Wild Walks Gallery Directory
Earthly Comforts 
I love the little snippets of history or other interesting facts. You really do have a lot of natural and human-made beauty around you!
“…supplied both ships and men to the Crown in return for toll freedoms and customs duties with trade benefits.”
I wonder if they sent the Village Idiots and old ships? Seems like a perfectly political way of reaping benefits from passing “problems” down the line😂😂😂
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Hahaha 🙂
Not sure why this comment has only hust shown up, given it’s three days ago! 🙂
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Uh-oh… WP is messing with my comments again? Maybe cuz I use too many emojis?🤷🏼♀️ I’m glad it made it, even if it was late🤪
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How was l late, there are others on that premise who have answered after me, are they then later, late or just much later? 🙂
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Not you, silly… the comment was late. You wrote that comment showed up 3 days late.😂
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Sorry hahaha, l don’t know if l am coming or going currently Angie. It’s a compost week. I was for some reason thinking my comment was on a post of yours, yes, comments are a bit hit and moiss at present with WP.
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How interesting! The pictures are so lovely and the music such a pleasant touch, too, Rory! I couldn’t say what I like most about it, I just enjoyed the overall experience immensely. Thank you for all the effort involved! 😊
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Hey Betty, l am glad you enjoyed it all. That’s what l like about these galleries also, the overall experience 🙂
I am still playing with Wild Walks and Natural Encounters as features, from August they will be tweaker once more to effectively reflect seasonal/monthly galleries 🙂
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So beautiful! And I see even a Costa Coffee ☺️
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Yes we have one of those here, used it once l think .
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I enjoy the history very much and the photos are stunning. ☺️
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Hey Suzanne, thank you, l am glad you are enjoying these posts as much as l am when researching them 🙂
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Your area is so beautiful! I enjoyed the history you included, and the quotes. Nicely done!
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Thank You Kristian 🙂
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