This same stretch of coast is said to have been the actual landing site for St Augustine (597), whose was charged by Pope Gregory to bring Christianity back to England. The remains of his abbey can be seen in Ramsgate. It is also held to be the landing place for Hengist and Horsa in 410AD. The brothers are considered to have been the leaders of the first Anglo-Saxon settlers in what would become England. Arriving in England to fight the Picts and Scots at the invitation of the Celtic British King Vortigern of Kent, the brothers eventually fought against Vortigern. Horsa was killed in battle, with Hengist surviving to become king of Kent which he ruled for thirty-three years. As we left the beach to make our way inland to go up and around the Haven, we passed the replica of the Viking ship 'Hugin' which sits on the hilltop here, overlooking the beach.
We ended up buying some snack food in the local supermarket and heading for our digs. As we approached the street where we would be staying, we were delighted to see that it was right beside the Walmer Henry VIII castle, which we ended up passing by a couple of times over the next few hours. We ate a light meal on the patio of our hosts and chatted with them over tea. Later, after after a wee wander round the town and subsequently showers when we returned to our accommodation, we spent some time going over the route for tomorrow before giving in and agreeing to go and visit the Sandman!