Idle If Sheppey

[sherrardk]

Evening - anyone familiar with this area and know of things to do & kid friendly puvs, etc? Thank you.

[237SJ]

You`re going to laugh when you read this back....

[sherrardk]

Flipping heck! Stupid smart phone :(

[Tilly2]

Never mind, Sherr. We know what you mean.

[Buenchico]

Either Sherrardk is drunk or predictive text is causing problems again (or possibly both!).

Sheppey is largely stuck in the past (and not necessarily in a good way)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-19715522

However nearby Sittingbourne has got a steam railway which the kids might enjoy:
http://www.sklr.net/

[Mamyalynne]

Sorry to interrupt - Buenchico , could you go to News and pull Maggies thread re Jean Alexander please, at her request.

[Mamyalynne]

Ah, done. :-)

[DTCwordfan]

that's what most people on the Idle are, plain idle and there are some right numpties - the RNLI pulled one sailor over, coming down the Thames - he was told to ' keep the Isle of Sheppey on your starboard,' which he literally did, circumnavigating the island four times before he realised something was wrong.

Baldric may be able to advise you, though he's further down the Kent coast.

[DTCwordfan]

Hever Castle is really nice, not too far away.

[Buenchico]

Also fairly close by. (Allow several hours for a visit):
http://www.thedockyard.co.uk/

[EcclesCake]

Are you looking to fill some time whilst in the area or are you specifically wanting to visit Sheppey for a fun-filled day out?

One place off the top of my head is The Ferry Inn in Harty Ferry. There's a nature reserve nearby and plenty of birds and hares about.

[New Judge]

The most fascinating thing about the Isle of Sheppey is the lifting bridge built in the late 1950s which spans the Swale and joins the island to the mainland. It carries a two track road and a single track railway. It is still in use though the main A249 has now been diverted to a new fixed high level bridge. This new bridge was the scene in September last year of a massive pile up in fog which involved around 150 vehicles.

That's about it and the best thing to do is have a look at the bridge but do not cross it. The Isle of Sheppey has nothing going for it whatsoever. It has no decent beaches (its north coast is opposite Southend on the Thames estuary), no places of interest and most of the pubs are either closed or not very pleasant. It is among the most deprived areas in Kent. At the eastern end of the island there are three prisons.

DT's suggestion of a visit to Hever Castle is good. However, it is about 45 miles from Sheppey to Hever and will take you a couple of hours across congested Kent most days. If you are interested in that area far better to stay on the mainland.

[wolf63]

sherr - who needs Trip Adviser when you have this lot giving touristy travel information. New Judge has been there I think. :-)

[dunnitall]

NJ don't forget there's the bomb laden sunken ship 'the Montgomery' which lies just off of Sheerness and apparently is unstable re the munitions it contains and often is mentioned that it could 'blow' at anytime lol. Oh and I totally agree re your summing up on the Isle of Sheppey.

[sherrardk]

Thanks all. We are considering a week's holiday in a caravan there. We will get a ferry and get some duty free, maybe go into London, etc.

[EcclesCake]

The best thing about Sheppey is the road off the island.

Sad but true.

The pub I recommended and the road to it are quite pleasant though.

[sherrardk]

Mmm, maybe I need to re-discuss this with himself.

[kjn2]

I live 15 minutes from Sheppey and during my over 40 years of living here have visited the island twice. and one of them was for business.if you want to visit down this way and a caravan holiday is what you want then look at Whitstable or Herne Bay. To get to London from the Isle means a train off the Island to Sittingbourne then a train up to London. Ordinary cheap day return ticket approx £27 and will take approx 1 1/2 hours minimum.hope this helps.

[New Judge]

Yes I'd forgotten about the USS Montgomery, dunitall. Other sights to behold from the coast of Sheppey are the power station on the Isle of Grain and, across the estuary, the gas terminal near Canvey Island. If you really want a thrill there is the car import terminal just near Sheerness.

If you want to cross the channel, sherrardk, you will have to go from Dover. (The passenger ferry service from Sheerness to Flushing ceased some years ago). This is a journey of around 50 miles and will take you a good hour down the M2/A2. My recommendation would be to stay somewhere along the north Kent coast, say Whitstable or Herne Bay. Ramsgate is an "improving" town these days (certainly better than anywhere on Sheppey) and it has a good beach and one or two half decent pubs and restaurants. In the area the Battle of Britain museum at Manston, Dover Castle (allow a whole day), the narrow gauge Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway (a delight) and the City of Canterbury are not too far away. Apart from being a bit of a dump, Sheppey is not really convenient for other parts of Kent and I cannot recommend it at all.

[New Judge]

Great minds, kjn, great minds !!! :-)

[DTCwordfan]

Good oysters in Whitstable - and that is Baldric country......