Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory : 24th June 2015
From Blean Woods we drove towards Winchesea stopping to do some tourist things at Whitstable (Oysters for lunch) and Herne Bay (Ice Cream on the prom), the latter of which did not seem to think that summer had started and was something of a ghost prom/pier. Of much more interest was our next port of call which was Sandwich Bay. Sandwich Bay and Pegwell are well-known reserves bu they were new to us. We weren’t sure where was best to go so we asked at a local toilets cum information office and we were directed to the Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory and Field Centre which we found by following the signs to the golf courses and then on to Sandwich Bay Estate (Sandown Road then Guilford Road) to the toll both. This toll booth charges a lot of money; it is a private road to a private estate. As it happened it was unmanned when we were there but, apparently, if you say you are only visiting the Bird Observatory the charge is just a pound. At the observatory they are happy for you to park there and go on foot to discover the rest of the area thus avoiding the steep toll. We found the observatory a quarter of a mile on the left from the tollbooth at 51.268281, 1.372647 and even though they were nearly done for the day they could not have made us feel more welcome.