Editing River Stour, Kent (section)

===River Stour===
The twin villages in the parish of [[Stourmouth]] (West and East) mark the original point where the Stour entered the erstwhile [[Wantsum Channel]], a [[strait]] used for hundreds of years until silting and land reclamation turned the sea channel into a large drainage ditch. At this point the third large tributary, the 8.4-mile (13.4&nbsp;km) [[Sarre Penn]] (named locally as the "Fishbourne Stream") enters with the Wantsum Channel.

Here the river turns southwards to the once-thriving port of [[Sandwich, Kent|Sandwich]], after which it loops back on itself to the north before entering the [[Strait of Dover]] at [[Pegwell Bay]]. The ''Stonar Cut'' obviates the need for seagoing craft to take the longer route around the loop at Sandwich.<ref name=usecut>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wantsumangling.co.uk/stour.htm |title=Wantsum angling association river wantsum kent fishing club river stour |access-date=18 July 2011 |archive-date=3 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203033702/http://www.wantsumangling.co.uk/stour.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

From the tidal limit at Fordwich to the sea, the river is fringed with [[Marsh|marshes]]. Most of them are located on what was the floor of the Wantsum Channel, whilst those to the south lie behind the sand dunes of the Sandwich Flats. These marshes are criss-crossed with drainage ditches. The principal marshes are those of [[Chislet]], within the ancient [[estuary]] of the river; Wade, west of [[Birchington]]; and Ash Level.