The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway Walk

The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway Walk,  Kent

Taking the narrow gauge train from Hythe to Dymchurch and walking back;  that's 5.5 miles.

Useful maps:  Ordnance Survey Explorer 138 or Landranger 189

Railway operating days: Trains run every weekend throughout the year, and daily from April to October inclusive; also during Christmas week (except 25th and 26th December, need less to say!) and the February school half term. However, its well-worth having a timetable at hand before setting out. This is available from The R,H, and D Railway, New Romney Station, New Romney, Kent TN28 8PL.   Telephone: 01797 362353.   Web site: www.rhdr.org.uk

Getting there: 
By road: Hythe station is 5 miles west of Folkstone on the A259. The station has a large car park for intending passengers. Roadside parking is also possible nearby - on either side of the public green. The grid reference of Hythe station is: 153348.
By public transport:  Bus 101/102 connects Folkestone's bus station to Hythe and Dymchurch  frequently every day. The bus station is 15 minutes walk from Folkestone's Central railway station (trains from London Charing Cross or St Pancras International - the latter for a premium fare!). Turn right out of the station, right under the railway bridge and left into Cheriton Road. The bus station is straight on. 

Eating out: The Light Railway Restaurant is adjacent to Hythe station - and very convenient if waiting for the next train. In the town centre there are a number of pubs and restaurants. In Dymchurch there is the Corner House Tea Rooms and Restaurant and the Ocean Inn. Botolph's Bridge Inn is located 2/3 of the way along the walk.  

Visitor attractions: Along with Romney, Hastings, Dover and Sandwich, Hythe is one of the ancient Cinque Ports, which received its charter as such back in 1278. It is well-worth exploring for its wealth of old houses, inns and shops.The High Street is just ten minutes walk from the station. The station itself has a well-stocked gift shop.  Dymchurch has been described as the 'Children's Paradise'; that says quite a lot! 

Summary of the walk:  From Dymchurch the walk follows the sea wall for one and a quarter miles, enjoying magnificent sea views towards Dungeness to the south and Hythe and Folkestone to the north-east. It crosses the railway on Romney Marsh and accompanies the track beyond Botolph's Bridge.  The final 3/4 mile is alongside the beautiful Military Canal, terminating at Hythe station and the welcoming Light Railway Restaurant. 

The walk: 
1.  From Dymchurch station go along Station Road and turn left at the road junction; then keep right at the next junction and head for the village centre. At the roundabout there turn left - in the Hythe direction - and soon bear right at the traffic lights for the sea front. Following the same general direction get onto the sea wall and stay with this for all of one and a quarter miles, enjoying great views - and the sea air - as you go. Looking forward along the coast you should have Folkestone in view, and , looking back, the towers of Dungeness nuclear power station, which is at the extremity of the railway.

2. after passing a Martello tower, leave the sea wall by descending the second flight of steps to the road. That tower is one of many built along along the coast from 1805 onwards as an artillery station to combat possible invasion from France. Keep right and cross the road to a short drive immediately to the right of a Jehovah Witness church. Go forward through a pedestrian gate and enter a farm complex. Passing between the farmhouse and the barns, go through a farm gate and into a paddock. Keeping forward again, but for 200 yards, leave the paddock at a pedestrian gate and footbridge in a corner on the right, and enter a pasture. You should walk across the pasture at an angle of about 20 degrees (you will be glad you brought that compass - if indeed you have!). This should connect you with a stile and gate on the far side. Keeping straight on across the next pasture you will meet the railway in the far right-hand corner, by a drainage channel. Spare a moment to look at the timetable to see if a train is due!

3. After crossing the railway, you have a long sequence of gates, stiles and footbridges taking you more or less straight on for one mile, mostly accompanied by a drainage channel, which is a little over to your right. After crossing the final footbridge, a large bungalow will come into view ahead. You should pass to the left of the bungalow and enter a field on the right just beyond it. You can then connect with a road from the field's far left-hand corner.

4.  Turn right in the road and, passing Botolph's Bridge Inn, cross the river bridge and immediately enter a field on the right. Keep over the left there, walking parallel to the road and hopefully enjoying the view of any passing train!  Keep straight on for a few hundred yards, and when the adjacent road turns left (it is partly hidden by trees) go over one of two footbridges and soon keep left to follow the railway. 

5.  When a recreation ground appears on the left, cross it from a footbridge and turn right in a road from the opposite side. Leave the road when it turns right and go right yourself, but along the delightful Royal Military Canal. This canal extends over a distance of 28 miles from the sea near Folkestone to Cliff End in East Sussex. It was dug in the early 1800's as another defensive measure against the threat of invasion from France. Today the canal is vital in protecting Romney Marsh from drought in the summer and flooding in winter.

6.  On arrival at a foot bridge (not on our route), you will see a miniature version of a 1930's acoustic dish, where a whisper on one side of the canal can be heard on the other. The full size versions were used to detect the sound of potentially offensive aircraft approaching the coast. These had limited use in the second world war and were soon overtaken by the invention of radar, with its vastly improved range of detection. 

7.  Leaving the footbridge behind, keep straight on with the river. You will soon be accompanied by the railway, revealing it's presence through gaps in the trees. Next stop Hythe and the Light Railway Restaurant - and a well deserved rest!

The R, H and D story:
The unusual 15-inch narrow gauge railway was the brainchild of two 1920's racing drivers. These enthusiasts commissioned the construction of  two narrow gauge steam locomotives and hoped to develop a railway on which to operate them. With the unfortunate death in a racing accident of one of these founders, the remaining partner enlisted help in finding a suitable location. Romney Marsh was suggested and subsequently adopted. The railway opened from Hythe to New Romney in 1927 and was extended to Dungeness in 1928. In view of the potentially strategic position along the south-east coast of England it was requisitioned for war work in the 1940's. Photographs exist which show a heavily armoured military train on the railway. 
 When peace came the line was reopened to the public - with Laurel and Hardy cutting the ribbon for the final  stage!  Today the thirteen and a half miles offer a spectrum of interest and delight: the Romney Marsh Visitor Centre accessible from Romney Warren Halt; Dungeness nuclear power station where the railway terminates; and the railway HQ at New Romney with its gift shop, children's playground, model railway, buffet and visitor centre. Added to all this are the magnificent views across sea and shore. The railway also performs a very utilitarian function: carrying children daily to school and back.

'Hercules' pulls away from Dymchurch en-route to Hythe.

The Royal Military canal.