Rye is an ancient Cinque port town, now a mile or so from the sea. It stands out from the surrounding countryside like an island, topped by the large church....scene of many
Rye Grammar School commemorative services which I attended in the 60`s.
We often walk at the harbour, an exposed site with views to nearby Camber and Dungeness. The birdlife is quite stunning here, with newly created salt marsh areas and several hides.
The tide was out so we were able to walk on the sands, dotted with shells prised open by seabirds, jumping over wide rivulets making their way to the sea. You can just see one at the corner of this picture.
We made our way up onto the beach, covered in shells, washed up in the last storms.
The wind turbines were stark against the dark sky.
The golf course buildings near Camber standing out clearly.
This is the path that leads past one of the hides, flanked by teasels. These seed heads were once used to "tease" out sheeps wool into rolags, ready to spin. Having tried this with metal combs, I can imagine that doing it with teasels would be very hard work.
The Martello Tower, one of many on this coast, mid picture.
A closer view.
Martello Towers, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards.
They stand up to 40 feet (12m) high (with two floors) and typically had a garrison of one officer and 15–25 men. Their round structure and thick walls of solid masonry made them resistant to cannon fire, while their height made them an ideal platform for a single heavy artillery piece, mounted on the flat roof and able to traverse, and fire over, a complete 360° circle.
The Martello towers were used during the first half of the 19th century, but became obsolete with the introduction of powerful rifled artillery. Many have survived to the present day, often preserved as historic monuments.
The inside of a Martello Tower.
The tide was out so we were able to walk on the sands, dotted with shells prised open by seabirds, jumping over wide rivulets making their way to the sea. You can just see one at the corner of this picture.
We made our way up onto the beach, covered in shells, washed up in the last storms.
The wind turbines were stark against the dark sky.
The golf course buildings near Camber standing out clearly.
This is the path that leads past one of the hides, flanked by teasels. These seed heads were once used to "tease" out sheeps wool into rolags, ready to spin. Having tried this with metal combs, I can imagine that doing it with teasels would be very hard work.
The Martello Tower, one of many on this coast, mid picture.
A closer view.
Martello Towers, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards.
They stand up to 40 feet (12m) high (with two floors) and typically had a garrison of one officer and 15–25 men. Their round structure and thick walls of solid masonry made them resistant to cannon fire, while their height made them an ideal platform for a single heavy artillery piece, mounted on the flat roof and able to traverse, and fire over, a complete 360° circle.
The Martello towers were used during the first half of the 19th century, but became obsolete with the introduction of powerful rifled artillery. Many have survived to the present day, often preserved as historic monuments.
The inside of a Martello Tower.
We made our way back to the large carpark, glad for having been out in
the glorious sunshine and ready for a good lunch.
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