Hi, and welcome to our latest video of Hythe on the Kentish coastline
if you like what you see then don't forget to subscribe
so you can catch more of our videos from home and abroad
as you probably know Kent is in the south-east of the UK
and Hythe is just a short hop from Folkestone
there are plenty of options to get to the nearby Sandling station
and then a 10-15 minute bus journey to the centre of town
If you're coming by car it's best to turn off at junction 11 of the M20
and it's 6 miles or 10k from the Folkestone Eurotunnel terminal
on our video today we'll be looking at the Beach, the Town Centre, St Leonard's church
the Military Canal and I've got a little surprise for you at the very end.
So let's start with the beach then
and when I say beach I'm talking about one of those shale numbers
the ones that run from Deal all the way down to Dungeness on this stretch of the Kent coastline
In the summer it's popular with families, and in the autumn the anglers appear
and as you may notice this is also home to a small, beach-based, fleet of fishermen
not dissimilar to Hastings or Dungeness
and as you'd expect there's someone where you can enjoy the fruits of the sea
There are signs to warn you but this is a working environment, so you do need to take care
Another feature of the landscape are the Martello towers
19th-century forts built to defend England against the French
another feature on this part of the beach is also the blackened fishermans huts
As you see in Hastings but on a smaller scale
Now let's head towards the historic town centre
Which is a 10-minute walk from the beach
Hythe is one of the original ancient Cinque Ports
It joined Hastings, New Romney, Dover and Sandwich
as ports set up by Royal Charter in 1155 to provide the Crown with access to ports and ships as needed
And today you have a High Street that's full of charm and character
and does not feel like a seaside town
It's not that dissimilar to Deal, just round the coastline
It's not long before you get to the town hall, which was once a guildhall, built in 1794
and again a reminder that we're in a Cinque port
So, all in all, I think you'll agree a very traditional High Street
Take a narrow alleyway back to Bartholomew Street and you'll find 'Centuries'
a historic building dating from the 12th-century
As we're heading up the hill let's take a look at Saint Leonard's church
This church also dates from the 12th-century although the tower on our left-hand side
had to be rebuilt in 1750 after it collapsed in an earth tremor of 1739
but that's another reason I've brought you here, and one that's very unusual in Britain
This church has an ossuary that is, a collection of bones
For a small fee, during the summer months, the chancel is open to the public
So have you seen anything like this before? drop us a comment below we'd love to know
Another feature that runs right through the centre of Hythe, is the Royal Military Canal
The clue's in the title, this was never built to transport goods, but once again to keep those pesky French out
Built in the early 19th-century, it was actually never used as a defence mechanism
Now it's just there purely for pleasure
And, finally, a treat as promised
The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
Now you may have caught the other end of this line on our Dungeness video
some thirteen and three-quarter miles away
This 15-inch cage railway has been a feature of the Romney Marshes since 1927
and the journey down to Dungeness will take just over an hour
So with everyone on board who's coming along it's time to head on
I really hope you like what we put together here for you
Don't forget to hit subscribe, and click on that notification bell, so you can keep up to date with our latest travels
I'll pop up a link to our video from Dungeness at the other end of the line
and also other Kent Coastal Towns you may want to check out
Thanks so much for watching; Stay safe, stay well, and happy travels.