Isle of Sheppey

The Sheppey Crossing.   Gateway to Sheppey

The Isle of Sheppey is a small island off the North Kent coast and is approximately 9 miles long by 5 miles wide.  It is connected to the mainland by two bridges. The Sheppey Crossing was opened in July 2006 and is the island's first fixed link with the mainland. The old  Kingsferry Bridge is a lifting bridge, it is still in use and the railway line also crosses this bridge. There are traditional seaside towns on the island, such as Leysdown and Sheerness and there are the heritage towns of Queenborough and Blue Town which are rich in cultural heritage.

                                                                   
                                                                              Kingsferry Bridge

                                                                                            
                                                                                      Memorial

The village of Eastchurch  has a memorial to aviation history, situated in the village, opposite the lovely old All Saints Church.  Indeed the origins of all aviation history began on Sheppey where the first recorded flight took place on an airstrip at Muswell Manor in Leysdown.  Soon after this all aviation works were moved to Eastchurch where Winston Churchill took flying lessons.

                                                     
                                                                                Minster Abbey

Minster is also rich in cultural heritage with Minster Abbey Gatehouse Museum and the Abbey itself providing an interesting afternoon for visitors to enjoy. 
The long beach at the Lees, Minster  is also very popular with visitors.
Part of this beach is reserved for bathing and other parts are used by the many windsurfers that visit the island for the excellent conditions that are particularly suited to the sport of windsurfing.
Fishing from this beach is also very good.

                                                       
                                                                               Grey Partridge

For more rural pursuits, why not visit one of the nature reserves on Sheppey.  Elmley marshes on the south eastern part of Sheppey provide bird watching huts for enthusiasts to view the rare birds which have been spotted from here.

                                                              
                                                                            Sheerness clock tower

The town of Sheerness, with a sports centre and indoor swimming pool, has everything you would need from banks and supermarkets to small specialist shops and souvenir shops.

At Barton's Point Coastal Park, on Marine Parade just outside Sheerness, there is a large leisure park where there is a  boating lake with pedal boats, canoeing and wind surfing. There is also a nine hole pitch and putt golf course and The Boathouse Cafe, serving hot and cold food, ice cream and cream teas.