The Isle of Sheppey in Kent: Exploring the Garden of England

Seascapes stretching across the North Sea and the English Channel. Ancient cobbled stones in winding coastal towns. The scent of salty waves and the intermittent screech of seagulls. Formal gardens awash with color. Cozy tearooms and intriguing antiques shops. Smugglers coves and writers’ retreats. You’ll find all these and more on your rambles through the southeastern corners of England in the County of Kent.

The National Express Coach Station at London’s Victoria provides probably the fastest and cheapest means of arriving in the Garden of England—Kent. I was fortunate to have my cousin Cheryl and her husband David meet me at the bus station at Gillingham on a particularly quiet Sunday morning. Together they proved to be excellent guides to the area.

What a treat it was to drive by fresh green fields, past herds of placid cows and sheep, across the Kingsferry Drawbridge to their home on the Isle of Sheppey at the extreme end of Kent which looks out directly across the North Sea towards the distant shores of Norway.

The Cranes live with their cats Morgy and Buttons in Catalan, a home they bought recently as part of a long cherished dream to have water views from their windows.

Because autumn in England means that night falls by 4pm, we did not waste precious daylight but headed straight for Sissinghurst Castle and Gardens about which I have read frequently in many gardening and interior design magazines. Laid out in the mid-twentieth century by British aristocrats Vita Sackville-West and her husband Sir Harold Nicholson, Sissinghurst is the quintessential English garden based on the concept of small “garden rooms” separated by red brick pathways and characterized by masses of climbing roses. Though we visited out of season when the tumultuous tumble of summer color gives way to the more muted tones of fall, we did enjoy our stroll across the moated walk

 

 

 

 

Our next port of call was the medieval town of Rye in East Sussex, a place in which time seems to have stood still.

 

Red brick home of Henry James

Cheryl and Rochelle outside the Mermaid Inn in Rye

Rochelle poses with the ancient Church of St. Mary’s in the background

Then, with night falling rapidly, we drove the two short miles to Winchelsea, another pretty village high on a hill where the white clapboard houses were strongly reminiscent of New England.

Winchelsea’s pretty white clapboard houses

As darkness grew, we returned to the Isle of Sheppey to Catalan to pop open a bottle of sparkling wine in celebration of David’s birthday that happily coincided with the day of my arrival. Over Cherry’s delicious moussaka and expertly crafted Chocolate Profiteroles, we ended a lovely day.

The next morning saw us heading further east into Kent to the picturesque fishing village of Whitstable famed for its fisherfolk, briny oysters and sensational sunsets. We strolled through its interesting High Street that’s becoming increasingly gentrified so that Whitstable seems poised on the brink of discovery by tourists who might well make it a chic shopper’s Mecca.

Cheryl and David at Whitstable with fishing craft in the background

Back on the Isle of Sheppey, David drove me to Sheerness (pronounced like Scotland’s Loch Ness) to see the striking Clock Tower near the High Street.

After a swift visit to the abbey at Minster-on-Sea, we drove to the eastern end of the island, past countless flocks of handsome pheasants, to the Church of St. Thomas at Harty which was built in 1137 to hug the cliff’s edge. Still not electrified, the church seemed eerily quiet in the twilight.

The 12th century Church at Harty

 

 

 

Wild Pleasants on the road to Harty

We ended the day back in Minster at the Crane’s local pub The Playa, where we indulged over glasses of Guinness and excellent pub grub including England’s famous steamed puddings in a cozy restaurant that was warmly lit. I chose a delicious Spotted Dick that swam in custard sauce while David had the Treacly Sticky Toffee Pudding. We drank a toast to our togetherness and I lamented the fact that my stay was so short in one of the more beautiful parts of England.

Bon Voyage!