Reculver Country Park on the Kent coast covers 26 hectares and is home to a large collection of plants and wildlife. The park also hosts the imposing twin towers of the medieval church ruins which dominate the skyline from Herne Bay to Birchington. This site was one of the earliest Roman forts built against Saxon raids. It then transformed into an Anglo-Saxon monastery in the 7th century, before becoming St Mary’s, Reculver’s parish church – the towers being added in the 12th. Sadly, much of the site has been lost to coastal erosion.
During WW2, the village was used to test prototypes of the bouncing bomb invented by Barnes Wallis. The church towers were used as a landmark, and the area chosen for its seclusion and ease of rescuing the bombs from shallow waters.
The Saxon Shore Trail offers a fabulous walk to Herne Bay along the cliffs. You can also see the Maunsell Sea Forts which were constructed in 1943 during WWII in the distance. More information on the area can be found in the visitor’s centre. Entry to the historic site is free, car park payable, cafes nearby. You can find out more on the English Heritage website.
