Leisure

River Medway

The historic River Medway has many little creeks to be explored in a small boat. Anyone can enjoy the lower reaches of the river but a smaller boat is needed to get above Rochester Bridge where, by playing the tides right you can sail as far as Allington.

Just upriver from the club are the Historic Chatham Dockyard and Upnor Castle, the sight of an infamous naval battle in 1667 when the Dutch came up the river and captured the British Flagship. Not our finest hour!

Going further downstream there are many islands and small creeks all of which have historic tales to tell. There is the wreck of a World War 1 German U boat slowly rusting away in Damhead Creek on the north side of the river.

Further downstream on the South side as Deadmans Island where prisoners from the Napoleonic wars were held in prison hulks. I leave you to guess where it got its name from.

Venturing further afield, just out of the river and on the North side of the Medway Approach Channel lies the infamous wreck of WW2 ammunition ship the Richard Montgomery.

All these sites can be reached with a small boat and you could spend many years pottering the river Medway and not see it all.

As it has become less industrial the River Medway is now cleaner and wildlife is returning in droves. Seals are commonly seen in the river catching fish and it is a twitchers paradise with many seabirds and waders calling it home or using it as a stop off on their migration.

River Medway

The historic River Medway has many little creeks to be explored in a small boat. Anyone can enjoy the lower reaches of the river but a smaller boat is needed to get above Rochester Bridge where, by playing the tides right you can sail as far as Allington.

Just upriver from the club are the Historic Chatham Dockyard and Upnor Castle, the sight of an infamous naval battle in 1667 when the Dutch came up the river and captured the British Flagship. Not our finest hour!

Going further downstream there are many islands and small creeks all of which have historic tales to tell. There is the wreck of a World War 1 German U boat slowly rusting away in Damhead Creek on the north side of the river.

Further downstream on the South side as Deadmans Island where prisoners from the Napoleonic wars were held in prison hulks. I leave you to guess where it got its name from.

Venturing further afield, just out of the river and on the North side of the Medway Approach Channel lies the infamous wreck of WW2 ammunition ship the Richard Montgomery.

All these sites can be reached with a small boat and you could spend many years pottering the river Medway and not see it all.

As it has become less industrial the River Medway is now cleaner and wildlife is returning in droves. Seals are commonly seen in the river catching fish and it is a twitchers paradise with many seabirds and waders calling it home or using it as a stop off on their migration.