Day 75-Sunday 31st July- Medway to the Swale

There has been a change to the plan. Joe does not get back from his holiday until 4th August. So I'll not go up to London, but will meet him somewhere on the south coast. Today I went ditch crawling.I wanted to go up the Swale to visit Faversham. The main reason is the Shepherd Neame brewery is there and that is one of my favourite ales. A long time ago I went on a very memorable trip around the brewery. It was during my industrial training year whilst I was at college. I remember a bunch of us trying to play football in the park after a session in the brewery.It is also another one of those nice little towns at the head of a muddy creek.

Faversham is at the head of the Faversham Creek off the River Swale, which is the waterway that separates the Isle of Sheppey from the rest of Kent. As the tide comes in it comes up the Swale from both ends.I had to time my trip so that I was going against the incoming tide as I was going down the Medway, but when I turned right into the Swale it would then  take me up to Faversham.

The terrain is fairly flat and featureless as the channel routes its way through the marshes. Its' where the old sail barges that don't get restored, and a few other boats, have their final resting places.

All was going to plan, but the lifting rail and road bridge at Kingsferry only opens on the hour on a Sunday and I just missed the midday opening. So this delayed my journey up Faversham creek. After going aground for the third time, I gave up and went alongside a boat in the Hollowshore boatyard.

Hollowshore is the name of the small area at the junction of the Favershsm and Oare Creeks. It has one ancient pub ( The Shipwright's Arms), a boatyard a boat club and one house. It is pretty remote and has only recently had electricity . Its one of the sites where thames barges were built.

The pub is said to have a ghost, reputed to be a barge skipper shipwrecked one stormy night out in the Swale, who managed to get ashore and stagger to the pub door, but could not make anybody hear, and was found dead in the morning.

They seem to offer cheap moorings in these parts.

This really is ooze country. I cycled into Faversham to see what it would have been like if I'd managed to get up the river.It really does become a trickle, but these big barges manage it.

The old town is full of listed buildings.It would be a good place to explore if I stay here for a day.

What I found a real odd mixture though, was the chic apartments and bistros being about 100m from house boat land.I felt uneasy about taking photos of the houseboats. I had a sense that they are a bit protective of their privacy and would see me as a snooper. It's a bit wilder than the comparable area in Woodbridge.

Back at the boat yard, I had a chat with Tony, who owns the boat I am moored alongside. He has a scaffolding business and lives on the boat part time. He only bought it a couple of weeks ago. He seems an interesting guy. We'll have a beer in the Shipwrights this evening.He said too many stories are about the rich and famous and there is not enough about the common man. There are so many instances where there are no names on old photos. So Iitook a photo of Tony. He has a point, my blogs have had a few names of people, but maybe not enough.

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