Hythe, Saltwood, Pedlinge, Lympne Castle and Royal Military Canal Path

Visit Three Different Castles Built to Guard the Channel Coast

The Kent coast was always seen as the key to the conquest of England. At the beginning of their occupation, the Romans built great show fortresses at the natural harbours of Reculver, Richborough, Dover, and Stutfall to defend their new territory. This walk explores a stretch of this bulwark coast, starting in the traffic-free High Street of Hythe, and visiting Saltwood Castle, Lympne Castle, and the Roman fort of Stutfall Castle.

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Start Point

Hythe

Grid Ref: TR 16070 34674

Total Distance

8.6 miles (14.0 km)

Total Climbing

186 metres

Estimated Time

4 hours

Difficulty Grade

Moderate

Trail Navigation Files:

💾 Download GPX Route Google Earth (KMZ) 📖 About Hythe

Ordnance Survey Explorer Map (1:25,000)

Essential paper map for exploring Dover, Folkestone and Hythe:

138 Dover, Folkestone and Hythe →

The Walk Report

Passing St Leonard's Church in Hythe (famous for its crypt and bone ossuary), the route follows the Saxon Shore Way past the 14th-century gatehouse of Saltwood Castle (where the four knights met to plan Thomas Becket's assassination), through Pedlinge to Lympne Castle.

The route descends past the Roman shore fort ruins of Stutfall Castle onto the grassy embankment of the Royal Military Canal (begun in 1804 against the threat of Napoleonic invasion) for a tranquil 2.5-mile return walk into Hythe, passing alongside the miniature Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway.

🏰 Saltwood Castle Visitor Information

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.

← Return to Out and About Walks View on Interactive Map 🗺️

Hythe, Saltwood, Pedlinge, Lympne Castle and Royal Military Canal Path

Ordnance Survey Explorer Map (1:25,000)

The Walk Report

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