KENTSTAYCATION
HALLOWEEN HIDEAWAYS CONT .
ROMNEY MARSH
With miles of lovely coastline that surrounds the towers , visitors can lighten their explorations with long seaside walks and trips into Herne Bay town , which tips its cap to nostalgic days gone by with traditional tea rooms such as Mortimer ’ s ( www . mortimershernebay . co . uk ) and the not so traditional , but a no less than ‘ purrrfect ’ treat for a witchy Halloween , The Cosy Cat Café ( www . thecosycatcafe . co . uk ). Kent ’ s first cat café , guests can stroke the cute felines and watch them play while sipping a cup of tea or coffee in their company . Make your trip to Herne Bay and Reculver last longer while giving it the comfort you crave at the end of a day ’ s exploring and staying at The Sleep Inn Hare ( www . thesleepinnhare . co . uk ), a boutique bed and breakfast with four luxurious individually designed rooms , a small fully licensed bar and delicious home-cooked breakfasts to gear you up for the day ahead .
For couples that love a spook …
As the county that captured the imagination of Charles Dickens and his Victorian relish for the supernatural , Kent ’ s eerie marshes featured in Great Expectations , and Rochester ’ s winding streets can be read about in both The Mystery of Edwin Drood and The Pickwick Papers . Follow in the footsteps of one of our country ’ s favourite ghost lovers by spending the weekend exploring the Romney Marsh and staying in a Romney Marsh Shepherds Hut ( www . romneymarshshepherdshuts . co . uk ). Sometimes referred to as the ‘ fifth continent ’, the surreal landscape of this area is one which at night becomes full of creeping marsh mist and was even a victorious opponent of Elizabeth I , who was said to have reorganised her travel plans in order to avoid its treacherous crossing . Still a remote and mysterious place full of stretching horizons , old villages , ancient churches and crooked buildings that sit under the wide expanse of the open sky , such a place could not exist without its own collection of unexplainable hauntings and ghost stories .
One of these chilling tales is centred around Fairfield Church ( www . theromnemarsh . net / stthomas ), a unique 12th-century building that stands marooned in the middle of a field , cut off into isolation by ditches of water . With this strange building comes a tragic tale of disaster and death that occurred during the calamitous 14th century , an era that produced the devastating combination of The Black Death and the marshes being a prime victim of flooding , and which took a mighty toll . The population of those living in villages like Fairfield was more than halved and two centuries later , malaria , also known as ‘ marsh fever ’ caused further devastation . The open land and slow brackish waters were a breeding ground for disease spreading mosquitoes , causing hundreds of farm workers that lived in the lower lands to die . The village was subsequently deserted , leaving just the church standing alone on the marshes all these years later .
After a day spent exploring this peculiar place and walking through its surreal landscape , dine at The Woolpack Inn ( www . woolpackinnbrookland . co . uk ) which also sits isolated amongst the marshes and dates back more than 600 years . Surrounded by dykes and reed beds that are home to a wealth of wildlife , this former smugglers ' haunt oozes charm and character complete with hops adorning old beams , a large inglenook fireplace and quarry-tiled bar . Whether eating lunch or dinner , it is the perfect place to stop and satisfy the thirst and appetite built from a day out in the country . Food is taken seriously at this pub too , with traditional English food served at its best . All fish and game are locally sourced and the delicious mature British beef steaks are always prepared to the individual customer ’ s taste . With a full stomach , return to your wonderfully cosy shepherd ’ s hut , the ideal sanctuary in which to warm your heart and soul under a starry night sky and a real sheeps ’ wool blanket .
Once home to Dickens himself , Rochester is full of odes to the author and it is easy to see why this historic town enthralled him throughout his life . As well as Dickens , Rochester is also home to one of the UK ’ s oldest inns , The Coopers Arms ( www . the coopers arms . co . uk ). First built during the reign of Richard 1 ( 1189-1199 ), the first recorded inhabitants of the house were the monks from nearby St Andrews priory who were renowned for brewing ales and wine . After falling into disrepair during the dissolution of the monasteries , The Coopers Arms opened its doors as an inn in 1543 and has been serving fine cask beers ever since . During this time , the legend of a ghost , a member of the Brethren of Coopers , who was walled up and left to die for committing some unforgivable sin against the ancient order , is said to appear once a year in November in the dead of night . However , ghosts permitting , the inn still gives out that same glow of warmth and hospitality that it has done for centuries , so stay a while and reflect on bygone Kentish days .
After stopping by for some Kentish ales and a hearty meal , ghost hunters can visit nearby Rochester Castle ( www . english-heritage . org . uk / visit / places / rochestercastle ). Prepare to be perplexed at its complex history of destruction and rebuilding ; this protector of an important crossing on the River Medway is immersed in stories of bloody battles , treachery and tragic romance . The most famous being the ghostly tales of the White Lady , who was shot accidentally by her lover through the heart . Her ghost is said to wander restlessly through the castle , the bloody arrow still embedded in her chest , her flowing black hair a vivid contrast to her spectral white dress .
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