Saxon Shore Way
262 km / 163 miles
The Way around the ancient coastline offers a diversity of scenery, from wide expanses of marshland bordering the Thames and Medway estuaries to the White Cliffs of Dover. There are views over Romney Marsh from the escarpment that marks the ancient coastline between Folkestone and Rye and from the cliffs of the High Weald at Hastings. Here the Romans invaded Britain and, later, built the Saxon Shore forts to defend the island against a new wave of invaders, and St Augustine landed to bring the Gospel to the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom which would later fall to the Normans who, in their turn, erected great fortresses like Dover Castle to defend their conquests.
Two linking walks also included on OS mapping are the Swale Heritage Trail - from Murston to Goodnestone (12 miles, covered by OS LR 178 and 179 and Ex 149 maps) which caters for circular walks of up to 20 miles when incorporated with the Saxon Shore route between Murston and Faversham, and the waymarked Wantsum Walks (30 miles, covered by OS LR 179 and Ex 150 maps) between Herne Bay and Birchington around the Wantsum river, which can be incorporated with the Way to provide extended circular routes, as the Way skirts west of the Wantsum.
From Dover to Rye the E9 follows it and at Rye the route connects with the 1066 Country Walk: see E-Routes (E9.
The waymarked Maritime Heritage Trail (total 32 miles) is a series of four connecting circular walks between Hastings and Rye and based on Hastings (7 miles), Fairlight (8 miles), Winchelsea (10 miles) and Rye (7 miles)so providing alternative routes for the 20 miles between the two towns.
See E-Routes (E2).
Connected Paths:
Details:
| Waymark: | Red Viking helmet | |
| Attributes: | Coastal; Heritage | |
| Start: | TQ647745 - Gravesend, Kent  |
|
| Finish: | TQ825094 - Hastings, E Sussex |
Maps:The map to the right is from the Ordnance Survey. You can use the interactive controls to zoom in and out and to move around the map, or click on a marker for more info. (interactive map help) |
|
| Ordnance Survey Maps (path is named on OS maps): | |
| OS Landranger: | 177, 178, 179, 189, 199 |
| OS Explorer: | 124, 125, 137, 138, 148, 149, 150, 162, 163 |
| OS Explorer Active: | 124, 125, 137, 138, 148, 149, 150, 162, 163 |
| Other Paper Maps: | |
| Harvey Map (Stripmap): | South Downs Way: DVD & Stripmap (with Saxon Shore Way) (Harvey Maps - 2008) |
Route Profile:
| 262.9 Km (163.4 miles) 3,311 m (10,863 ft) ascent 181 m (594 ft) maximum height |
 |
Walking Support Providers:
| Support Providers: | Self-Guided Walking Holidays (Walk Awhile) |
| Support Providers: | Walking, Hiking and Cycling Holidays (Orchard Trails) |
Group Accommodation within 5 Km of this Path:
| Hostel Accommodation: | Medway YHA, 351 Capstone Road, Gillingham, Kent | 3 Km |
Publications, Badges and Certificates:
| Guidebook: | Saxon Shore Way (Kent County Council - 2006) |
| Paperback: | Saxon Shore Way (Aurum Press - 1996) |
| Booklet: | Swale Heritage Trail (Kent County Council - 1995) |
| Folder: | Wantsum Walks: Coastal Walks in Kent (Kent County Council - 1995) |
| Folder: | Rye Bay Countryside Pack - includes Maritime Heritage Trail (Rye Bay Countryside Service) |
| Certificate: | Certificate (Kent County Council - 2010) |
Downloads:
| GPS Exchange Format Route File: | Saxon Shore Way GPX Exchange Format Route File | Login to Download (Members Only) |
| MemoryMap Route file: | Saxon Shore Way Memory Map Route File | Login to Download (Members Only) |
| Tracklogs Route file: | Saxon Shore Way Tracklogs Route File | Login to Download (Members Only) |