Oare Creek & The Mariners

Sunday was cooler than the last couple of weeks. It had rained overnight, but the forecast looked reasonably clear, at least for the morning. We have another walk with The Steely-Eyed Ninjas today—this time we’re meeting at Oare Creek, near Faversham, for a short 6.5km ramble along the waterside trail, then back across the fields in time for an excellent roast at the Three Mariners pub.

Thanks to Anna, Marcus, Charlotte, Tamara and Pasha for joining us on today’s walk!

Oare Creek winds its way through the landscape of East Kent, separating the small village of Oare from the market town of Faversham. This tidal waterway, which runs around to Faversham Creek, has been an integral part of local life for centuries, shaping the character and development of the communities along its banks. The creek has an average elevation of 6 metres, with a varied topography influencing human settlement and natural habitats.

The history of Oare stretches back to ancient times, with the name itself deriving from the Saxon "Ore", meaning marshy place—an apt description for an area characterised by its wetlands. This long-established settlement appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as "Hertei". In these early medieval times, the manor of Oare belonged to Odo of Bayeux, the half-brother of William the Conqueror. Following Odo's trial for fraud, the manor passed to Arnulf Kade, who gave it to the Knights Hospitallers. During the reign of Edward VI, ownership transferred to Lord Clinton, illustrating the changing fortunes of the area through the centuries.

From the Middle Ages, Oare Creek and the wider Faversham Creek served as the town's essential connection to the outside world, predating the advent of railways and motor roads. The creeks were busy maritime thoroughfares, with barges transporting goods to and from Faversham, supporting the town's prosperity as a port until the last century. Historically, Oare was also the southern terminus of the Harty Ferry, which crossed the Swale channel to connect the mainland with the Isle of Harty on Sheppey. This ferry service continued until around 1941, when the last ferry boat fell into disrepair and was never replaced.

The industrial heritage of Oare is significantly tied to gunpowder production. The Oare Gunpowder Works, sometimes called Davington Wood Mills, operated from the early 18th century. The works were dispersed along the valley of a minor stream that drained into Oare Creek, with buildings strategically positioned to take advantage of the leat system's water power and communications. Between 1916 and 1919, the Davington Light Railway ran close to the village, further enhancing transport links. A sobering reminder of this industrial past can be found in St Peter's Church, where a plaque commemorates those who lost their lives in one of the explosions at the gunpowder factory in 1916.

Today, the area around Oare Creek is renowned for its natural beauty and ecological importance. The Oare Marshes Nature Reserve, managed by Kent Wildlife Trust, comprises 67 hectares of grazing marsh with freshwater and brackish dykes. This reserve forms part of the Swale Site of Special Scientific Interest and is recognised as an internationally important wetland under the 1973 Ramsar Convention. It represents one of the few remaining grazing marshes in Kent, a habitat that has been decreasing in North Kent in recent times through drainage and reclamation.

The marshes provide a crucial stopping point for migrating birds, with spring and autumn bringing a spectacular variety of species. Visitors might spot teal, gadwall, shoveller, lapwing, redshank, little stints, curlew sandpipers, and black-tailed godwits, among many others. The reserve achieved a notable ornithological distinction when Britain's first tufted puffin was observed and photographed here. In the warmer months, the marshes come alive with the sound of marsh frogs croaking from the wet margins of pools and dykes, adding to the sensory experience of this distinctive landscape.

The plant life of Oare Marshes is equally diverse, with sea club rush, common reed, lesser reedmace, greater water dock, and frogbit flourishing in the wetland environment. Visitors can find sea lavender, sea purslane, golden samphire, and the aromatic sea wormwood along the sea wall and salt marshes. An interesting feature of the reserve is an artesian well where locals collect fresh water. This natural spring extends 250 feet into the earth and was tapped by the local mining machinery and improvement company in the early 1900s. Local sailors reportedly drank from this well, and the surrounding marshland and wildlife continue to rely on its flowing water.

The Oare Marshes Nature Reserve has recently undergone a significant transition in ownership. In 2024, after leasing the land to Kent Wildlife Trust since 1984, Tarmac gifted the reserve to the Trust, securing its future as a protected wildlife habitat. The Trust has described this transfer as a 'Marsh Milestone', ensuring the preservation of this precious ecosystem for generations to come.

The maritime character of Oare Creek persists to this day, though in a form that reflects changing times. Where once commercial vessels dominated, there is now a small but active leisure boatyard. Historic vessels can still be seen alongside Standard Quay and Town Quay, connecting the present with the maritime traditions of the past. The Faversham Creek Trust, established in 2011 by local residents, works to restore Faversham Creek as a fully functioning waterway. Their efforts include campaigning for a replacement opening bridge across the creek to allow boats to navigate into the Basin, the head of the tidal waters, and developing training schemes for shipwrights to support traditional boatbuilding skills.

The built heritage around Oare Creek includes several noteworthy structures. St Peter's Church in Oare, a Grade I listed building dating back to the 13th century, overlooks the creek and offers fine views to the east. The church underwent restoration in the 1860s by Joseph Clarke, with the west elevation, featuring a louvred bell-tower and cedar-shingled spirelet, presenting a distinctly Victorian aspect to visitors.

The village also boasts two public houses: the Grade II-listed Three Mariners Inn and The Castle. Nearby, Oare Windmill, believed to date from about 1819, is a testament to the area's agricultural past. Originally a corn mill, after 1879, it was owned and operated by the Gun Powder Company as part of the Faversham area's explosives industry. During the First World War, the government requisitioned it. In 1963, it was converted into a private home.

Oare Creek offers excellent walking opportunities for those wishing to explore the area on foot. The Saxon Shore Way, a long-distance path stretching 163 miles from Gravesend to Hastings, runs alongside the creek. A popular local route is the Two Creeks Walk, a circular path taking approximately one hour to complete. This walk offers splendid views of the Swale estuary towards Whitstable and the Isle of Sheppey, as well as opportunities to observe the varied bird life of the marshes. The landscape and waterways, being tidal, are ever-changing—sometimes revealing muddy stretches, at other times presenting glassy smooth waters, but always offering a distinctive estuarine beauty.