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Sandwich Bay, Kent

Bays of KentBeaches of KentBird observatories in EnglandNature Conservation Review sitesPopulated coastal places in Kent
Ramsar sites in EnglandSpecial Areas of Conservation in England
Low tide at Sandwich Bay, looking south geograph.org.uk 1002126
Low tide at Sandwich Bay, looking south geograph.org.uk 1002126

Sandwich Bay is a long sweeping inlet of the sea between Ramsgate and Deal, on the east coast of Kent, England. The coastal area consists of sand flats with their associated salt marshes and coastal sand dunes. The Sandwich Flats stretch for about five miles (8 km) along the coast. The coastal habitats are of high ecological importance. Most of the bay bears national and international nature conservation designations. These include the Sandwich Bay to Hacklinge Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the Sandwich Bay Special Area of Conservation (SAC), the Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay Special Protection Area for birds (SPA), and the Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay Ramsar Site. The southern emerald damselfly (Lestes barbarus) was found here in 2003, only the second site in Great Britain at which this vagrant species had occurred. There are several Geological Conservation Review sites within the SSSI. The bay is also home to the Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory Trust and the Monk's Wall nature reserve. The sand dunes at the top of the beach give way to the private road leading through Sandwich Bay estate. There is a 24-hour toll on this road for non-resident motorists of £7.00 per car or £4.00 per motorcycle (2020) but cyclists and pedestrians pass for free. Charges apply 24 hours a day and you buy a ticket at the toll house, or online via the Sandwich Bay website when the toll house is closed. The bay closes to visitors half an hour after sun set and re-opens half an hour before sunrise. However, night fishing is allowed if a ticket is bought in advance. Security patrol the estate and seafront 24 hours a day. The road itself runs along on the top of a concealed sea wall separating the beach from the golf courses which back onto it. Via the toll road the beach is only 3–5 minutes from the historic Cinque port town of Sandwich. There are also scenic footpaths leading from the quay in Sandwich, along the river and over the golf course on the dunes to the bay, which can take anything from 30 minutes to 1 hour to walk. Cycling over this route is not advisable due to the length of the path situated upon the dunes and golf-course, but the road route takes only 10 minutes by bicycle. The beach at Sandwich Bay is largely shingle, and relatively steep in profile at points along its width, but the receding tide reveals some areas of sand. Towards the northern end of the beach Sandwich Bay is separated from the Isle of Thanet by the River Stour estuary, where the Pegwell Bay nature reserve and salt marsh can be found. The only facilities on the beach are a small toilet block and areas at the edges of the dunes for parking. Sandwich bay also has a sea wall, which has a road built on top to stop the waves from reaching the low-lying land behind. Every spring, beach replenishment is carried out, taking materials from the north of the bay, which has travelled up due to long shore drift, and is piled up against this wall to prevent any damage that may be caused by the waves. The northernmost end of the beach is frequently used as an unofficial naturist beach.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Sandwich Bay, Kent (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.30571 ° E 1.37591 °
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Shell Ness


CT12 5JB
England, United Kingdom
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Low tide at Sandwich Bay, looking south geograph.org.uk 1002126
Low tide at Sandwich Bay, looking south geograph.org.uk 1002126
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1932 Open Championship

The 1932 Open Championship was the 67th Open Championship, held 8–10 June at Prince's Golf Club in Sandwich, England. Gene Sarazen won his only Open title, five strokes ahead of runner-up Macdonald Smith. Sarazen led wire-to-wire to secure the fifth of his seven major championships. Qualifying took place on 6–7 June, Monday and Tuesday, with 18 holes at Prince's and 18 holes at Royal St George's, and the top 100 and ties qualified. Bob Bradbeer led the qualifiers on 141; the qualifying score was 157 and 110 players advanced. Sarazen opened with a 70 on Wednesday to take the lead, one stroke ahead of four others. He followed with a 69 for 139 (−5) for a three-stroke lead over Percy Alliss after 36 holes. The top sixty and ties would make the 36-hole cut; it was at 154 (+10) and 64 players advanced.With a 70 in the third round on Friday morning, Sarazen increased his lead to four over Arthur Havers, who shot a course-record 68 (−4). A 74 in the final round that afternoon saw Sarazen post an Open record 283 total. Havers, playing well behind Sarazen, needed a 69 to win, but made the turn in 37 and could not close the gap. He could only manage a 76 for 289 and fell to third; Smith shot 71-70 to climb into solo second place at even-par 288.Two weeks later in New York, Sarazen won the U.S. Open and joined Bobby Jones (1926, 1930) as the only two to win both the British Open and U.S. Open in the same year. Subsequent winners of both were Ben Hogan (1953), Lee Trevino (1971), Tom Watson (1982), and Tiger Woods (2000). This was the only Open Championship held at Prince's, just north of Royal St George's, which has since been the only venue in southeastern England to host.

Battle of Wippedesfleot

The Battle of Wippedesfleot was a battle in 466 between the Anglo-Saxons (or Jutes), led by Hengest, and the Britons. It is described in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle thus: 465: Her Hengest 7 Æsc gefuhton uuiþ Walas neah Wippedesfleote 7 þær .xii. wilisce aldormenn ofslogon, 7 hiera þegn an þær wearþ ofslægen, þam wæs noma Wipped. 465: Here Hengest and Æsc fought together against Welsh (= Britons) near Wippedesfleot and there slew 12 Welsh leaders, and one of their thanes was slain, whose name was Wipped.This battle is said to have resulted in much bloodshed and slaughter on both sides, to the extent that hostilities abated for a while thereafter. Some historians believe in a Saxon victory, but that is not what is mentioned in the text. The limited number of casualties is an indication that the battle was a small one. The number of warriors involved must not have reached 200 men. Wippedesfleot is thought to be Ebbsfleet in Kent, near Ramsgate. Its location made the author of the Historia Brittonum think that all Saxons had now been driven out of Britain. Wippedes is possibly a corruption of Latin oppidis in reference to the creek's position by the twin forts of Rutupiæ and Rutupiæ alteræ (Regulbium). Ramsgate is the main place upon the former Island of Thanet, "which was given to the Saxons by Vortigern". It was the very place where, according to the Historia Brittonum, the Saxons first landed. Gildas does not mention the battle.