Saint Mary's Bay

We wanted a quiet Saturday afternoon walk, and I was keen to see the sea; Folkestone and Hythe both looked busy and bustling with too many people for us to feel comfortable, accustomed as we are to avoiding crowds, so we continued along the coast to Saint Mary's Bay. Although we have driven along this coastal route through Romney Marsh to Rye and Hastings many times, we had never looked at this beach, which is invisible from the road behind a huge sea wall which protects this low-lying area from tidal and storm surges. Once we had found a step-free route to the top of the wall, we were rewarded with a huge, sweeping curve of sandy beach and a view stretching from the white cliffs and the piers at the port of Dover in the east to Dungeness power station to the west. There was plenty of space for the many dog walkers, and on this grey, windy afternoon there were very few other people out; we were well wrapped up and it wasn't really cold. A long promenade below the sea wall is perfect for wheelchairs; wide, shallow steps along its whole length, with occasional ramps, give access to the beach and I'm sure in summer will be well-used for picnics and sunbathing. The many groynes, some of them almost buried and deeply weathered, are the most striking visual feature of the beach. As we returned to the car, the clouds broke up and gave us an unexpectedly beautiful late afternoon sky: it was lovely to be there.