Grove Ferry Boat Club
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46th Anniversary  1964 - 2010

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The River Stour

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The Grove Ferry Boat Club lies on the banks of the River Stour, Kent's second largest river. Variously known as The East Stour, The West Stour, The Kentish Stour and the Great Stour. It runs from it's sources at Lenham (West) and Postling (East), through the Low Weald, the Kent Downs, the urban centres of Ashford (where they join to form Great) and Canterbury, the wetlands of Westbere and Stodmarsh, past the Roman Fort of Richborough and through the Cinque Port of Sandwich then out to the sea at Pegwell.

Promoted by Acts of 1515 and 1825. The river was made navigable around 1594 and again around 1695, having become un-navigable previously. Ships originally ran to Canterbury, but this part of the river is now only navigable by small craft.

It is 19 miles from the fixed sluice at Fordwich to Pepperness where the river enters Pegwell Bay and thence the English Channel. Another 3 miles across the bay is the Port of Ramsgate. From the club moorings at Grove, to the mouth of the river takes about 3 hrs, with an extra 30 minutes to the Royal Harbour at Ramsgate.

Table of Distances in Miles

Fordwich Mill 0.0 Fixed Sluice
Stodmarsh 2.6  
Grove Ferry 5.1 Rail Station
Sarre Channel 8.3 (Not navigable)
Little Stour 8.4 River Junction*
Pluck's Gutter 8.5 Road Bridge
Red House Marsh 9.5 Club Picnic site
Railway Bridge 11.9  
Richborough Castle 13.8 Roman Fort
Sandwich Bridge 15.3 Swing Bridge
Stonar Cut 18.4 (not navigable)
Pegwell Bay 19.3 Pepperness River mouth
Royal Harbour 22.1 Ramsgate

*It is at the Junction of the Little Stour and the River Great Stour that the river changes it's name to the Kentish Stour and meanders it's way across the Minster Flats, through Sandwich and out to the sea.

Dover Tides add 1 hour for Sandwich Bridge, or 3-1/4 hours for Grove Ferry

The friendliest club on the River Great Stour