KENTSTAYCATION
KENT ’ S SPOOKIEST SLEEPOVERS CONT .
Another place that Dickens was no stranger to is the eerie Romney Marsh . Together with his Victorian relish for the supernatural , the marsh inspired some unforgettably atmospheric scenes in Great Expectations . Visit the marsh and see all its mystery for yourself when you stay in a Romney Marsh Shepherd ’ s Hut . Beautifully boutique and with all the modern luxuries you need , a shepherd ’ s hut will be the ultimate sanctuary this October . Snuggle up under a real Romney Marsh sheep wool blanket inside , or sip hot chocolate with marshmallows around the fire pit outside as you gaze up at a neverending starry sky meeting the marshy horizon around you . 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 old villages , ancient churches and crooked buildings that sit under such a wide expanse of the open sky , a place like this could not exist without its own collection of unexplainable hauntings and stories .
One of these chilling tales is centred around Fairfield Church , 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 , 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 .
A major coastal landmark in Kent which will never fail to capture the eye and imagination of those from miles around is Reculver Towers . Dominating the skyline of Herne Bay and still acting as a navigation
marker for ships at sea , Reculver Towers marks the site of one of the earliest Roman forts built to protect against Saxon raids , before later becoming the site of an Anglo-Saxon monastery and then St Mary ’ s Church . With so much history that seeps through its various rebirths over time , many haunting tales are whispered about the towers and their dark past . The most famous and spine-chilling being that of the ‘ wailing baby ’ whose cries are said to be heard by visitors on stormy nights when the wind whips round the towers and the waves crash against the rocks . During excavation work , the remains of ten Roman infants were found buried on site , and sadly , due to the nature of the burials , it is widely assumed that they were used as ritual sacrifices to the Roman gods . This dark reputation of the towers has turned it into a favourite for ghost hunters , some claiming to have seen two hooded spectres pacing the ruins in the moonlight .
RECULVER TOWERS
FAIRFIELD CHURCH
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