大象传媒

GRAIN - THE END OF THE ROAD

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

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

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?

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

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!