The Maunsell Sea Forts

KarlH's picture

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

While skiing in Crans Montana Aminona you have an impressive view on the Matterhorn and the Mont Blanc. The Swiss ski resort is situated at 1,500 to 3,000 m above sea level and provides a variety of slopes of all difficulty levels.

Far from the factories, to ski the traditional way, the villages of CREST-VOLAND and COHENNOZ offer you their typical and traditional French chalets situated within an amazing local panorama.

The ski area Damüls is popular with families. The broad slopes range from easy to difficult and almost all of the pistes can be prepared with artificial snowmaking equipment.

Skidome De Uithof is very close to the beach near Kijkduin situated. Snowfun is possible 365 days a year on a 211 meter long slope. The Skidome offers 4 lifts (2 drag lifts and 2 magic carpets), so waiting time is limited.

The ski area Diedamskopf in the Bregenzerwald offers well-groomed slopes for all levels of difficulty. The Diedamskopf with an altitude of 2090 m is Schoppernau’s local mountain and located in Vorarlberg.

BASE: 1230ft
SUMMIT: 1830ft
VERTICAL DROP: 0ft

NO. OF. LIFTS: 3
Gondolas: 0
Chairs: 1
Surface: 2