The Maunsell Sea Forts

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Location

Thames estuary 
United Kingdom
51° 27' 51.66" N, 0° 58' 16.7412" E
GB
General info: 

During the WWII, British army built small fortified towers along the Thames and Mersey estuaries in order to protect the United Kingdom from German invasion. These forts were the first line of defence, but after the war they stopped being important for the military. In the mid-fifties the British army decided that they no longer needed the forts and left them behind.

The winds and waves did nothing to the forts as they were built to endure much harder conditions. Today, these over 70-years- old structures are a symbol of defiance to invaders. Many famous artists get their inspiration from the Maunsell forts. For example, the band ‘Prodigy’ featured them in the video for their hit ‘Invadors Must Die’.

Getting there: 

The Maunsell Sea Fortrs are located in the estuaries of the rivers Thames and Mersey. There are companies organizing boat tours to see the fortrs, for example http://x-pilot.co.uk/services.htm.

On a clear day you can also see the forts from Shoeburyness East Beach.

Costs: 

Price info for the tours not available.

Interesting places nearby

With a population of 13,000, this is a substantial base with supporting tourism infrastructure for the exploration of several local ski areas.

This mountain village is a winter holiday resort too. The beautiful skiing area is open to skiers of all categories and ages. There is an illuminated cross-country skiing trail and many popular stops for ski tour enthusiasts.

The Gstaad ski resorts are situated in the heart of the ski region Gstaad Mountain Rides in the Bernese Oberland at the east side of Lake Geneve The glacier private://Glacier 3000private:// can be accessed either by helicopter or skyride

Just above the mundane Gstaad (about 4 km away), the top ski Gstaad region is the peaceful ski holiday resort Saanen. Saanen like Gstaad is not the cheapest choice for a skiing holiday, but the accommodations are a lot less expensive.

BASE: 4038ft
SUMMIT: 7234ft
VERTICAL DROP: 3195ft

NO. OF. LIFTS: 16
Gondolas: 4
Chairs: 8
Surface: 4

The Gstaad ski resorts are situated in the heart of the ski region Gstaad Saanenland in the Bernese Oberland at the east side of Lake Geneve.