| Sheppey's name means Island of Sheep and for centuries, the only access was via King's, Harty or other ferries. Visit Harty which has a lovely little candle-lit church. |  |
Today there's a bridge which sometimes has to be lifted while traffic waits and large boats pass beneath. Once you're over the Swale, tranquil water-encircled,22 000 acre Sheppey is brightly lit. No wonder the artist Hogarth was taken with it when he stayed at Queenborough in 1732. |
|
 |
Birds love this nine miles by four island too. At the Royal Society for Protection of Birds site at Elmley Marshes are hides from which you can watch visiting or resident water birds. Don't miss the Swale National Nature Reserve on the sourthern tip of the island either. |
| Sheppey's northern edge is lined with good beaches, including a naturist stretch at Shellness. Sea views are splendid towards Whitstable in one direction and the Essex coast in the other. Most of Britain's imported cars arrive via Sheerness docks, an industrial port without a passenger service, so there's usually a large vessel coming or going to watch too. |  |
| Click here for more information on the following places on Sheppey: | |