What is the creek?

Faversham is a market town in Kent, 53 miles from London and next to the Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey that neighbours the Thames Estuary.

Faversham Creek and its surrounding lands have been a living, working and historic area reaching back more than 200,000 years. For centuries, the safest sea-route from the continent and English Channel to the River Thames and London ran past the creek inlet leading to Faversham. This shore-hugging passageway was a major trading corridor with boat-building and repair going back at least 750 years. These activities enabled Faversham to flourish.

Waterborne commercial trade has ceased. Yet its past can be glimpsed in the handful of working boatyards, Thames barges, sailing smacks and fishing boats which can still be admired along the creek. Rowers from the Cinque Ports Rowing Club regularly set out from Town Jetty. The historic Anglo-Saxon Graveney boat was found nearby.

The creek is a beautiful and peaceful place to visit in all seasons – a hidden gem of the town.  Take a circular walk, cycle along the creek on your way to Whitstable or visit the quays, boatyards and historic buildings dotted along its waterways.