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Hamstreet Woods - Photo:
Adam
Colton
CCL |
Once an area rife with smuggling, known
affectionately as ‘the gateway to the marsh’,
Hamstreet is located six miles south of Ashford
where a ridge of clay hills meets the Romney
Marsh.
Twinned with the small French town of Therouanne,
once a city with a cathedral sacked by Henry the
V's troops. A cannonball near the flagpole in
Hamstreet was a gift from the mayor of Therouanne,
and was presented with the words 'You can have
your cannonball back!'
Generally unspoilt Hamstreet has three long
distance footpaths, including one following the
banks of the Royal Military Canal - the UK's third
longest defensive structure and two through the
Hamstreet Woods. A walk featuring both the canal
and the woods was featured in the 'Top 50 best
summer walks in Britain' by an Independent
newspaper.
Hamstreet was the first area to be mapped, which
led to a series of stamps being produced to
celebrate 200 years of Ordnance Survey.
Information kindly provided by Adam Colton from
www.hamstreet.info |
