GRAIN - THE END
OF THE ROAD
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What's it like living in the middle of nowhere? |
Grain is probably the most remote location in
Kent. Inside Out went to uncover more about the village tucked
away at the back end of beyond.
Perched on the Medway, Grain is the final stop at the
end of a long peninsula. It's not a place you get many visitors.
When the Isle of Grain was
an actual island, there used to be a neat short cut for vessels travelling
between the Thames and the Medway.
Now there is only one road in and out - and that sweeps
through a huge brownfield site which used to be the location of a massive
oil refinery.
The village experiences a dawn exodus
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Grain village |
Every morning a fleet of coaches arrives to take the population
- at least those of working age - away to jobs in London or the Medway
towns.
With a night time population of around 1,400 there are
smaller communities. But few as tight knit.
The village has only one pub and one guest house - Grayne
Lodge. If you want other entertainment it's a 28 mile round trip to the
cinema and nightclubs at Stroud.
But if you believe what the villagers say, there's nowhere
else people would rather live.
But all that could change
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The
people of Grain welcome the Inside Out team |
Grain is set to become 'additional facilities' if the
proposed Cliffe Airport - intended to ease congestion at Heathrow and
Gatwick - is built.
At present it looks as if another location will be chosen
instead of Cliffe.
But if the airport does go ahead
Parish councillor Chris Buckwell says: "Where I'm standing will be
the NCP and Grain Hilton! We are very opposed."
In the meantime Grain Power station - generating electricity
from oil for the national grid - and the nearby Thamesport container port
remain the key landmarks in the area.
Thamesport is the third largest container port in the
UK and handles 100,000 containers a year.
And Chris says Grain Power Station seems to have been
given a shot in the arm by the recent London power cuts.
So Grain is flourishing in its obscurity.
But what do you do for excitement if you live there?
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Grain Power
Station |
Now that's a tricky one.
Locals say the streets of Grain are full of kids on bikes.
There's simply nothing for them to do.
Evenings and weekends the village hall is the hub of the
community - the well-respected local Judo team practice there, as do the
line-dancers.
Then there's the pub - if you're old enough. Otherwise
the brave could go for a swim at the pebble beach.
Visitors to Grain are encouraged to take one of the many
beautiful countryside walks.
There are plenty of breathtaking views of the sea to be
seen from the Hoo coast.
And Grain still has the remains of its old sea fort on
show.
But would that be enough to convince a first-time visitor
to live there?
Living in Grain
ARE THESE THE REMOTEST
VILLAGES IN ENGLAND? |
* Gedney Drove End, Lincolnshire
* Foxup, Yorkshire
* Steart, Somerset
* Seathwaite, Cumbria
* Goxhill Haven,
Lincolnshire
* Menabilly, Cornwall
* Eype, Dorset
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A three bedroom semi in Grain will cost you under 拢120,000.
The village has its own Primary School, and there is
a Secondary in nearby Hoo.
So the area remains popular with young families living
in the South East.
It's not alone.
While Grain is certainly an out-of-the-way place, it
has its rivals.
Take Gedney Drove End in Lincolnshire, for example.
Or Eype in Dorset.
And on the international stage, it's hard to beat Thapra,
125 miles east of Kathmandu, which does not even have a road to the nearest
town.
So, though the villagers of the Isle of Grain are right
to take pride in their isolation, they cannot quite claim to be the last
place on earth! |