A Ten For The Terrier, Isle Of Grain Coastal Park

Today we decided to visit another place we hadn't visited in many years, the Isle of Grain. Confusingly the Isle of Grain is not an island but is on the Hoo peninsula and the village nearest the coastal park is called the Isle of Grain on maps but when you get there the signs just say Grain! The majority of the land is still marshland and is a major habitat for wetland birds.
The history of the area is fascinating due to it being where the confluence of the Medway and the Thames meet. The westerly edge of the "isle" is the Yantlet Creek and south of the Yantlet Line was (and still is) the downstream limit of the City Of London's ownership of the bed of the River Thames (now controlled by the Port of London Authority).
The Isle of Grain is also home to London Thamesport which calls itself " a flexible container port and low carbon construction hub" so there is a beguiling mix of industry and wildness.
When we arrived in Grain we headed to the Coastal Park which had amazing views across the Medway estuary and the Thames beyond that.
Just like the Isle of Sheppey it also has monumental sea defences consisting of a long winding concrete esplanade and sloping buttressing that goes right down to the beach which seems to be covered in billions of shells which crunch underfoot as you pass along the shoreline. The sea was way out in the distance on our walk but the views were still spectacular (please see my extra). While walking along the beach I looked up and saw this tiny terrier barking away at my brother while he was shooting an image (he's just out of frame in my image) so I had  to capture it.  As I pressed the shutter it ceased it's vocal tirade and ending up looking rather regal and heroic. Soon enough, though, it returned to its ways and the owner had to come over and try and quieten the onslaught a bit!
On the way back we stopped off in High Halstow for a quick drink at The Red Dog. It was a pretty old fashioned old school boozer and we weren't welcomed exactly with open arms so we sat outside in the sunshine to sup our pints. It was still an enjoyable micro trip and we may venture back again at some point in the future as we still have other areas of the isle to explore.