Town Trails & Terrible Tales: Sandwich, Kent is a printed guide that tells the story of the Cinque Port twice, in a single booklet. Adults get the architecture and history, from timber-framed Strand Street and the Guildhall’s 1300 Magna Carta to the Flemish “Strangers” who revived the town’s fortunes in the 16th century. Children get the slimy, spooky and gross side: pirate alleyways, flying toilet buckets, medical leeches and ghosts.
The guide divides the town’s must-see landmarks into three themed trails:
Trail 1: Pirates, Ports & Hidden Alleys (1.1 miles, around 1.5 hours)
Trail 2: Wild Walls & Ancient Ruins (outer town and beyond, a half-day or full-day excursion on foot, by bike or by car)
Trail 3: Castles, Kings & Courtrooms (1.4 miles, 2 to 3 hours)
Together the trails offer more than six hours of exploring and the guidebook also includes a double-page map, a rainy-day plan of indoor shelters and a tracker sheet for families to record each completed trail.
The trails are designed to take visitors beyond the busiest streets and keep them in town for longer, with routes finishing close to local shops, cafés and pubs.
Author Phil Gates, who grew up in Sandwich, said: “I wanted families to enjoy Sandwich’s extraordinary history together, without a digital screen in sight. Adults get the real history and children get the gory details, and everyone ends up looking at the landmarks instead of down at a phone. I started my travel marketing career at P&O European Ferries in Dover and later worked for a number of rail companies and I’m confident Town Trails & Terrible Tales can compete with the sofa and get people out and about for interesting, memorable and fun adventures.”
Abi Worthington, owner and bookseller at Spellbound in Sandwich, said: “The Town Trails visitor guide is a great addition to the town’s tourism and footfall initiatives, benefiting both the small independent businesses and the town museum. The trails are in keeping with the town’s historic character and will provide a much-needed activity for visitors.”
Town Trails & Terrible Tales: Sandwich, Kent is available exclusively from independent bookshop Spellbound in Sandwich. It is the first title in a planned series of guides to historic Kent towns.