River Medway
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The River Medway is recognised as one of Britain’s most important for leisure activities and has a fascinating and illustrious maritime heritage. Many of the attractions and historical buildings on the river reflect this heritage. The Medway joins the Thames estuary at Garrison Point, Sheerness. Its lower reaches, with their numerous creeks, offer extensive and safe sailing waters, where boating clubs, marinas and boatyards offer a warm welcome to visiting craft. The tidal river extends upstream for nearly 46km and although most sailing craft are unable to pass the fixed bridge at Rochester, motorcraft can reach a further 30km of non-tidal waters above Allington Lock, through some of the Garden of England’s most attractive countryside, to Tonbridge. For information on the River Medway, including marinas and sailing clubs offering visitor moorings, contact the Visitor Information Centre. |
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Regular cruises are available during the summer aboard Britain's last surviving paddle steamer, the Kingswear Castle and Kent's classic pilot vessel, X-Pilot, and an all-inclusive sailing experience on the river is available with Medway Sailing. History around the Medway
Since the Stone Age, people have lived, worked and found their entertainment in Medway. The Romans built a fort here and a bridge across the river. Because of its favourable location on a river with good links to London there always has been trade and industry. Rochester ("chester" means fort) was a walled Roman-British town (known first as Durobrivae in Roman times, then Hroffeceaster in Saxon times). It lies on the Roman road, Watling Street, which runs from the east Kent ports to London and finally to Chester. Rochester Cathedral is one of the earliest in England, founded by Bishop Justus in 604. One of the best-known places here is the Historic Dockyard at Chatham. Founded by King Henry VIII, it was home to the Royal Navy for four centuries, through war and peace. Of the 300 or more naval vessels built here, some of the more famous are Nelson's flagship HMS Victory, HMS Valiant and the submarine Ocelot. Today the dockyard is part of Medway Council's application for UNESCO World Heritage Site status. To find out more about this, please visit www.chathamworldheritage.co.uk. How the Medway was formed
The deep, meandering estuary section is actually rather short, stretching only from the chalk hills of the North Downs to the coast.
For tens of millions of years, when the land of Kent was part of a huge chalk dome, rivers like the Medway flowed north down the flanks of the dome. They gradually stripped away the surface of the dome, creating the landscape that we see today.
The Medway's short, sharp course and rapidly flowing waters cut a gap through the chalk hills that now form the North Downs.
When the last Ice Age finished about 10,000 years ago, the water levels rose and where the river had cut its way through the land, a deep channel and sheltered harbour were formed.
What about the birdlife?
The river has many sites of special scientific interest along it and parts of these are sanctuaries for migrating birds. Water quality has improved dramatically during the last 30 years.
For more information about the river, such as tides, safety, the pilotage service and berthing please contact the Medway Ports Authority ( www.medwayports.com) or the Medway Yachting Association ( www.medwayya.co.uk). |
