Day 271 - Get thee to a gunnery

To the southwest of Hythe, along the coast line, lies a military training range. From our cottage we can frequently hear target practice taking place. For safety reasons, the public can't walk along this part of the shoreline when red flags are being flown (which is pretty much every day), so today we decided to take a walk as far as we could along the shoreline, then around part of the range, before diverting back up to the Military canal for a walk back into Hythe.

The point of the shoreline where the coastal path moves inland.

Due to its proximity to France, this coastline is steeped in military history, as our previous post about the Military Canal describes. During the time of Napoleon, local militia practised musketry here. From the 1850s, artillery and small arms ranges were developed and have continued to be used.

The Dymchurch Redoubt.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymchurch_Redoubt

A bit farther along the coast is the Dymchurch Redoubt (although we didn't walk this far on this trip, we did pass the site on subsequent trips in the area). A redoubt is a fort (sometimes temporary) meant to protect soldiers outside the main line of defense and to act as a supply base. The Dymchurch Redoubt was built between 1804 and 1812 to support a chain of 21 Martello Towers that stretched between Hythe in Kent and Rye in Sussex.

During WW I, troops were housed in the redoubt, and during WW II guns were mounted and an observation post built. The post was later used to monitor shipping in the English Channel. Today, the site is used for urban warfare training, with the interior containing a mock-up of a street.

The sun beating down on us, we decided to head inland to the canal and the prospect of shade. The canal is quite pretty in this area, with lots of trees, shrubs and plant life. We met a few dog walkers, including one friendly gentleman with an equally friendly Staffordshire Terrier, who chatted with us for a few minutes about the area.

Hythe Light Railway Vintage
Tea Room

Once back in Hythe, we stopped in at the tea room next to the rail station (more on the railway tomorrow) where we enjoyed a few sandwiches and pots of tea (of course) ... and had the place all to ourselves.

After a rest in the afternoon, we did another walk through town and along the coast, where Phil took time to touch the sea and attempt to toss a rock or two from the shingle beach across the channel to France. You can't take the boy out of the man ... thank goodness!

View down the Military Canal at Hythe