Two friends spent eight days visiting every Martello Tower the south coast has to offer.

James Johnson and Daniel Falvey, both 29, started the trip in Folkestone, before going to Seaford in Sussex, and then onto Essex and Suffolk.

They took in all 43 remaining forts - including 16 in Kent -, which were designed to protect England and repel a Napoleonic invasion.

More than 100 were built in total, but many have been lost over the years.

Those that are still standing vary in condition, with some derelict, and others still in use, with some even used as homes.

The two friends, both former Harvey Grammar School pupils, have been on many trips together, exploring the US, Algeria, Jordan and Israel, but were forced to look closer to home this year.

Mr Johnson, who runs a polling company in London, said: "It was harder to travel abroad this year.

"Both Daniel and I grew up in Folkestone and knew of the Martello Towers, thinking of them as strange pork pie looking buildings.

"There was even one in the road I lived on when I was younger.

"So we thought this is a trip we can do where we can take it some history, and will be a good road trip."

They undertook the journey in a 1989 burgundy Mercedes S Class, and stayed in B&Bs and hotels along the way.

In Kent, Martello Towers can be found in Folkestone, Sandgate, Hythe and Romney Marsh.

Mr Johnson said: "We re-discovered places in Kent we already knew about and had visited before, but also found new places to explore.

"We went to Dungeness, which doesn't have any Martellos, but spent some time there too. We saw Prospect Cottage."

The duo were able to get inside a few of the towers during the trip, including No.24, which is a museum, and No 23 in Dymchurch, which is a private home. They also explored the cistern of the tower in Eastbourne.

Mr Johnson said: "The converted home was really good, probably the best one.

"It was very atmospheric in there.

"They managed to turn a dilapidated building into a home and still retain some of the history."

The two friends previously featured on KentOnline after touring the US in 2013 with a life size cardboard cut out of former Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles.

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