Sustainability

Tourism

Sheppey has a wide range of facilities and attractions for visitors including traditional seaside towns, such as Leysdown and Sheerness and the historic town of Queenborough. The waters around the coast are important for water sports, particularly yachting and windsurfing, as well as for their wildlife interest. Queenborough is a natural stop off for yachts visiting the Thames Estuary. Elsewhere, the Island also contains a large number of chalet and caravan parks. Visitors can enjoy sea views towards Whitstable in one direction and the Essex coast in the other.

The origins of all aviation history began on Sheppey where the first recorded flight took place on an airstrip at Muswell Manor in Leysdown. Soon after this all aviation works were moved to Eastchurch where Winston Churchill took flying lessons.

The nature reserve at Elmley marshes on the south-eastern part of Sheppey provides bird watching huts for enthusiasts to view resident and visiting water birds.

The town of Sheerness has everything from supermarkets to small specialist shops and souvenir shops.

The Queenborough & Rushenden Regeneration project, linked to improvements to the A249 provides the opportunity to raise the Islands profile both in the rest of Kent and nationally resulting in an increased number of people visiting the area and a boost to the local economy.

For information on what to do on the Isle of Sheppey, contact Tourist Information on 01795 417478 or http://tourism.swale.gov.uk/