North Downs Way (Part 2)

Hollingbourne – Dover – Canterbury - Wye

13^th – 17^th September 2021

Introduction

 

Walking to Canterbury Cathedral has been my long-term objective for several years. Reaching it by my  75^th birthday and as my last of the 19 LDWA National Trails was my idealised target. The Covid pandemic put pay to that plan but when an autumnal opportunity arose to complete the North Downs Way (NDW), a trail I had started just before last autumn’s lockdown, I put together a five-day programme to not just reach the cathedral but also to include the Wye – Dover – Canterbury – Wye loop. A great excuse to explore the beautiful county of Kent.

 

Of the options that I considered, I chose one that I had never tried before: operating from a single base, using public transport each day and carrying only a day pack rather than my normal 40 litre rucksack. The thought of living out of a city hotel for a week was not very attractive. Then I came across details of an Airbnb in a small village near Canterbury, close to rail and bus links to east Kent. I was destined to spend five nights with Nicole and Alex in Chartham, travelling out each morning to the route of the NDW. On a quiet Sunday afternoon I drove down the M40 and round the M25 to arrive in Kent in the early evening. There was just time to have a pint of Master Brew at the village pub, the Artichoke, and then pack a small sack ready for a Monday morning start.

 

 

Monday 13^th September 2021                      Hollingbourne  - Wye

Pilgrim’s Progress Continued

 

My kind hosts, who lead very busy lives, left a table of cereals, bread and homemade jams for my breakfast. I walked down to the station and caught the 09.08 train to Hollingbourne, back to where last year’s expedition had terminated. I took a slightly different path to the one I had used last year, passing Allington Farm to attain the top of the downs. A short excursion took me the ‘wrong way’ along the NDW back to Broad Street Hill, the point where I had left the route last year. Here I turned around and retraced my steps and beyond to recommence my pilgrimage. I was soon down in Hollingbourne although I saw little of the village except for the Dirty Habit pub. The walking was easy and rapid, on lanes and wooded tracks along the foot of the downs. In no time I was passing Lenham and its light industry. A monk sat in a very wooden manner on a road-side bench, and a white cross was carved into the chalk hillside overlooking another bench and spring. A milestone informed the pilgrims of the miles they had come and still had to go. On and on went the trail until it was time for a break and some food. A gap in a hedge led out into a field with views over the A20 as it approached the roundabout at Charing. I lay on the grass for half an hour and dozed in the sunshine.

 

The path crossed the A252 half way up Charing Hill. The continuation was on a long section of tarmac that eventually led to another wooded trackway. After passing the hamlet of Dunn Street, I descended a grassy field beside a strip of woodland, then crossed open land to Eastwell Park. The lake was visible to the south but I could see no sign of the hotel at the centre of the estate. Boughton Lees has a large triangular green at its core with a busy road up on side and an enticing pub, the Flying Horse, at the far end. This looked closed so I passed on up a lane which led to a rather innocuous looking signpost, but one that was key to the whole week. If I headed north, it was 34 miles to Dover via Canterbury. I chose the other alternative, 27 miles east to Dover via Folkestone. Wye Station was only two miles along this path and a train to Chartham brought me to the end of my first day.

 

Hollinbourne Station dep. 09.48, Wye Station arr. 16.25

GPS 18.25 miles in 5hrs 58mins 27secs walking time plus a 35-minute break near Charing. It was 1.7 miles and 36 minutes from the station to the start at Broad Street Hill.

Neither pub in Chartham did food on Mondays or Tuesdays. Thankfully I had the car to drive to Chilham, where I ordered ham & leek pie in the White Horse followed by syrup sponge and custard. The Mad Goose (4.2%) from Purity was nearing the end of the barrel so my second pint was Landlord (4.3%) from Timothy Taylor’s.

 

Tuesday 14^th September 2021         Wye – Folkestone (A260)

The Crown of Wye Down

 

Yesterday’s sunshine had disappeared. It was a grey and damp morning and rain was in the air as I walked to the station and caught a train for the short journey back to Wye. As I walked into the village, the rain was getting heavier. A lovely coffee shop provided tuna and mayo butties for my lunch together with the obligatory carrot cake. The church was a sight to behold as it dominated the view down Church Street with its lovely door and yew tree. The route slanted through the graveyard and out passed the agricultural college buildings, some no longer in use. It was too warm and humid for my raingear so I chose to get wet instead as I followed a track under an avenue of trees and across a field to the base of the downs. A steep climb up the wooded slopes gained the crest and then the path emerged onto a open grassy edge with fine views of the town below. I rested momentarily at the low concrete monument, the Wye Crown. Then it was off and away over the glorious Wye Downs, a national nature reserve, with the sea in the grey and murky distance.

 

The rain had started again as the trail dropped down the road into Stowting, passing the Tiger pub. Too early for a pint. The start of the climb up Cobb’s Hill was hard to find. A lovely lady with umbrella showed me the gap in the thorn hedge. The climb was steep and led to a large field that gently dropped down to a very busy road. The signed path ran on the field-side of the hedge parallel to the road so the lives of walkers were not threatened until the road  had to be crossed to regain the edge of the downs. The next roller-coaster section was hard to follow and poorly signed. I ended up dropping into Posting village and had a half mile of tarmac to regain the official line. Another big climb was to follow but I broke this up by choosing a lunch spot half way up and enjoying my delicious butties and great views to the north.

 

I lost all this height again descending into Etchinghill by-passing the village to reach a field path leading back up to the top of the downs. From this vantage point, the huge complex of the Channel tunnel opened up. Keeping to the edge of the plateau, the route broke out onto narrow lanes. A path ran on the other side of the hedge but was so overgrown that I took my chances with the odd vehicle and stayed on the tarmac. The NDW is taken around the earthworks and ramparts of Folkestone Castle and it was here that I met Gyan, a retired Gurkha soldier, out for his daily run. A sharp pull over Sugarloaf Hill brought me to the A260, a bus stop and the end of the day’s walk. A no.16 bus took me back to Canterbury where I jumped onto a bus to Chartham, my home for the week.

 

Wye Station dep. 09.20, Folkestone arr. 16.00 

GPS 17.07 miles in 6hrs 18mins 29secs walking with a 25min lunch stop above Etchinghill.

That evening I return to the White Horse in Chilham where I ate Hunters chicken and chips. I retried the syrup sponge for dessert, just to check it was as good as last night. The Mad Goose  (4.2%) was in good form tonight and it seemed rude to stick to just one pint.

 

Wednesday 15^th September 2021       Folkestone A260 – Shepherdswell Station

White Cliffs of Dover

 

The weather had improved overnight. The sun was threatening to break through a thin layer of cloud as I once more started the walk to the station. An earlier start was needed as I was heading the opposite way today, north to Canterbury. By 9am I was walking through the Westgate and along High Street trying to find the optimum route to the bus station. Time for a coffee and onto a 16 bus for the return journey to Folkestone. Alighting at the Alkham Valley stop just beyond Hawkinge, I was soon en-route from the A260 along Creteway Down Road towards the Valiant Sailor at Capel-le-Ferne. Across the main road, a narrow path ran between high hedges onto the clifftops of Folkestone Warren. Within minutes, the footpath opened out onto the beautifully manicured lawns at the Battle of Britain Memorial.

 

A brief look at the silver painted spitfire and the wall of names, and it was back to hedged walkways with fabulous views ahead of the white cliffs. A familiar figure was walking towards me. It was Gyan, this time out for a walk with his wife. The trail was now on grassy tracks running parallel to the busy road heading for Dover. Passing the listening ear, a first world war structure to detect enemy aircraft, I gradually descended into a roller-coaster section of white cliffs which eventually led to the outskirts of Dover. A complex section over the Western Heights proved difficult to follow. All paths seemed to bear the acorn logo whichever way they were heading. After getting lost among more wartime forts, I abandoned acorn-following and marched down North Military Way into the town centre. A community café in a small shopping centre was perfect for a bacon bap and a cappuccino.

 

I have always maintained that the most challenging navigation issues on long-distance footpaths are to be found in the towns and their suburbs. For the only time in the trip, out came the compass and the roads heading north were inspected. The map showed a church with a spire but, when I found the church, the spire was so small that the I had my doubts about my route choice. But then I saw Connaught Park ahead and the worries disappeared. A long lane of tarmac led up onto the downs and NDW signs began to reappear. A long diversion to cross the A2 was a very noisy drag, but eventually the traffic din was behind me and I was back on quiet fields on a dry and flat plateau. At Ashley, I estimated that I might miss my intended train so I broke into a gentle jog along the downhill sections. In the heat of the afternoon, I arrived at Shepherdswell Station in a muck sweat and was relieved that few people on the train were sitting close to me. I need not have bothered pushing the pace as, on crossing Canterbury between stations, I missed the connection at Canterbury West and had the best part of an hour to wait for the train to Chartham.

Folkestone A260 dep. 10.07, Shepherdswell Station arr.16.15

GPS 17.49mls in 5hrs 49mins 53secs walking time plus 35mins in a community café in Dover.

My host Nichole had been whetting my appetite all week with stories of curries at the Local Pub. I was therefore disappointed to find that it was fish night so I made do with fish and chips and tartar source washed down by a couple of pints of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord.

Thursday 16^th September 2021      Shepherdswell – Chartham Station

End of the Pilgrimage

 

Another early start. Another sunny morning. I drove down to the station and left the car in Station Road just near the A28. This would be the perfect place to finish if the day went according to plan. The morning train to Canterbury was on time so I was able to amble through the streets of the city, noting the entrance to the Cathedral which is hidden behind the rows of old buildings. I was beginning to acquaint myself with the geography of the city and I found Canterbury East Station in good time for my train back to Shepherdswell. This train was a few minutes late so it was gone 10am when I emerged from the station and into the local coop store. Clutching chicken and bacon butties, I walked up Church Hill to the point where I had left the NDW yesterday afternoon.

 

After crossing the East Kent Line, the route ran along a delightful length of strip woodland then bypassed Woolage Village before arriving at the peaceful old church at Womenswold. The next four miles were not quite so tranquil. Over dry open fields in increasing heat, the path ran parallel with the A2, carrying as it does thunderous amounts of heavy traffic. The road got closer and closer until I was walking along the edge of the embankment. Just when the noise was unbearable, the way turned sharp right and across the lush grassy slopes of a shallow valley heading for the village of Patrixbourne. But first, time for a quick break and those welcome butties.

 

Patrixbourne village, its church and old cottages, looked a picture in the midday sun. But the last three miles in Canterbury were a drag. A shade-less tarmac lane ran dead straight towards the city with farm and industrial buildings on either side. It was a relief to reach the suburbs, especially the school playing fields busy with afternoon activities. Stopping briefly to look around St Martins, supposedly the oldest church in England, I then proceeded toward the city entering the walled centre via Northgate and the famous school. I entered the shop at the entrance to the cathedral, was welcomed as a pilgrim, given a stamped pilgrim’s pass and ushered into the cathedral close. A security man, dressed in police uniform, took charge of me, taking me around the nave and then left me to contemplate at the spot where Beckett was murdered. My pilgrimage, my walk along the North Downs Way, was over. As the finish of my 18^th National Trail, as the target of 5 years of long-distance walking since my retirement, I had arrived.

 

A quick look round the crypt and the treasury, a visit to the tombs of Henry IV and the Black Prince and it was time to move on. A cappuccino and Victoria sponge in a High Street café was the prelude to my last phase of this trip, walking back to Wye and the completion of the loop. The usual problems of finding the route out of the city were solved when a charming gentleman, pushing a bike, showed me the correct exit path. In no time I was back in the countryside, this time on wooded hills heading for the downs. In Bigbury Wood, I met a lady whose birthday it was this very day. She had been looking out for the wild goats that roam these woods. All I saw were apple trees, which I believe are community owned. It did not take long to reach Chartham Hatch where I left the official route for the day and dropped down Hatch Lane to my car in pole position by the main road. I was walking on air after a day of wonderful experiences.

 

Shepherdswell Station dep. 10.04, Chartham Station arr.17.15

GPS 16.30mls in 5hrs 34mins 09secs walking time with a 15min break in a field near Patrixbourne, 1 hr in Canterbury Cathedral and 15 mins in a café in High Street.

For my last night, I walked to the Artichoke down near the station. The steak and ale pie came with chips. Apple pie and custard completed a filling meal. Not having the car, I was able to indulge myself on Main Brew from the Shepherd Neame Brewery

 

 

Friday 17^th September 2021                         Chartham Station – Wye Station

Completing the Loop

 

This was the last day. The aim was to walk the last section in the morning and catch a lunchtime train back to Chartham before starting the long and thankless task of getting the car back to the North West. The earlier I could start, the easier should be the drive home. I checked out of the Airbnb at 8am, drove down to the parking spot beyond the station and rapidly marched up Hatch Lane to Chartham Hatch to rejoin the NDW. I carrying nothing but a map and wore a pair of trail shoes instead of boots. On getting round the first house, the route followed wide tracks through orchards and farm buildings. Diving under a railway line and through more apple fields, the path dropped from the downs and into the charmingly named village of Old Wives Lees. Two miles of road took me back into the Stour Valley and the lovely square in Chilham, passing the pub that fed me for two evenings earlier in the week.

 

More tarmac was to come on the steady climb up Mountain Street. At last the path turned to the right and onto a strenuous climb back to the top of the downs. A two-mile stretch along the edge of the high ground provided few views as the trees of King’s Wood hid much of the panorama. A sharp descent to Soakham Farm heralded the end of the high ground and the coda to my expedition. I spent a brief time in the peaceful graveyard surrounding Boughton Aluph church before moving on to the signpost where the NWD loop had started. I had covered every step of the North Downs Way in all its diversity. All that remained was to return to Wye Station on the paths I had used on the first day of my trip. I even had time to revisit the coffee shop in Church Street before my train whisked me two stops back to Chartham and my car and the long drive home.

 

Chartham Station dep. 08.16, Wye Station arr. 11.30

GPS 11.05 miles in 3hrs 15mins 20secs.

 

Conclusion

 

So ended my 18^th of the LDWA National Trails, finishing my pilgrimage at one of the oldest cathedrals in England, the alleged birthplace of Christianity in Britain. It should have been my last national trail but I now only have to complete the Southern Upland Way and I shall have met my retirement plan. Next year, God willing.

 

I recorded 80 miles of daily walks en-route, but if one adds the various trips to the station and back and between the Canterbury transport hubs, it was probably closer to 90 miles in total. The extra miles were the price paid for using a central base and public transport. But the advantages and pleasures gained were manifold. The joy of carrying just a day sack and returning each night to my own room and welcoming hosts, far outweighed the burden of a few extra miles. I shall try this again.

 

The drive home was the pain that I dreaded, with delays on the M25 round London and the M42 round Birmingham. But patience is a virtue and it was rewarded by a safe arrival home and the pleasure of an evening meal with my wife.

North Downs Way (Part 1)

Farnham – Hollingbourne   19^th – 23^rd October 2020

Introduction

The year was running out. With so much walking time lost to the Covid virus, or to our reaction to it, the days were shortening and the opportunities were fading for one last long-distance trail before winter. I had had four weeks rest from the adventure in the Yorkshire Dales, half term with the grandchildren was behind me and the clocks were going back at the end of the week. Even through the weather forecast was not good, I packed my sack and made some last-minute hotel bookings, snatched a few hours’ sleep and got up at some ungodly hour to drive south.

The drive was uneventful, passing Birmingham before the Midlands rush hour and not reaching the M25 until after the peak of Home Counties traffic. I turned onto the A21 and took the Sevenoaks by-pass to reach Tonbridge where I had arranged to leave the car in a golf centre close to the town centre. A pleasant walk along the riverside path led to the High Street and the railway station. Three trains, via Redhill, Guildford and the branch line to Farnham, followed the foot of the North Downs. It was a bright sunny morning with the autumn colours resplendent on the slopes of the Surrey Hills. I emerged from Farnham Station exactly on time.


Monday 19th October 2020                Farnham - Guildford

Early Start for Surrey

 

From Farnham Station, a short walk downhill to the A31 brought me to the start of the North Downs Way, a rather monstrous series of rusty metal plates, the design concept of which passed me by. A friendly young woman agreed to take my photograph in front of the ‘Dover 153 miles’ sign, and I was away, first along the main road then into the woods beside a small stream. A right turn at a lovely wooden bench with bee-orchid carvings took me gradually uphill on heavily wooded paths with no views of the surrounding countryside. Just after the route passed the village of Seale, I emerged into sunshine and open fields and here I sat for a moment on a grassy plateau having a bite to eat whilst looking across a shallow valley at the Hog’s Back Ridge. A green wood-pecker laughed and yaffled above me as I continued on easy ground through more woodland. I passed a pack of Duke of Edinburgh school children and then a group of older students from a London College on a training walk for more serious expeditions. 

 

I strode into Puttenham at the very moment the primary school was coming out. The narrow lane was full of people carriers. The narrow pavements were block with parents and children alike and the whole scene was one of organised chaos. I could neither move along the road nor on the pavement, the most dangerous part of the day. I was glad to get out of the village, under the A3 and onto the last hills of the day. A series of farm tracks led into the outskirts of Guildford, emerging near the university. A narrow lane led down to the river/navigation where I said goodbye to the official route and headed along the towpath into the city centre. My hotel was up the High Street and out onto London Road. Reception proudly announced that, for my safety, it was not producing any food.

 

Farnham dep. 12.48, Guildford arr. 17.00

GPS 12.30 miles in 3hrs 59mins 32secs walking time plus a 10-minute break near Seale.

I stayed at the Mandolay Hotel in London Road, Guildford. As there was no food, I went back down the High Street and found a superb Indian Restaurant where I had what proved to be the only classy meal of the entire trip, Goan fish curry (monkfish) with pilau rice and a garlic naan. A couple of pints of draught Cobra went down well.

 

Tuesday 20^th October 2020          Guildford – Reigate Hill

Stepping Stones to Box Hill

 

As there was no breakfast to be had in the hotel, I was out and walking before 9am. I bought some sandwiches at a branch of the Co-op and this was to cover both breakfast and lunch. Hoping to see more of Guildford town centre, I took a different route back to the North Downs way. This proved non-productive as the tow path from St Nicholas Church was closed and I was forced back onto the road and across the footbridge I have used the night before. I was soon back at a beautiful wooden footbridge over the River Wey and was quickly out of town and heading for the Downs. St Martha’s Church was situated in a dramatic setting on a tree-free summit, with views of the Surrey hills to the south.

 

I struggled to find the correct route off the hill but I was able to correct my poor navigation once I hit Guildford Lane. Then a glorious high-level walk over Aldbury Downs where I stopped very briefly for a bacon sandwich, my first food of the day. On White Downs I again lost the route and ended up for a short while on a busy road before getting back on route for the run-in to Ranmoor Common. Here another glorious church greeted me, St Barnabas and its neighbouring school shining in the mid-day sun. A long curving tarmacked track swept through vineyards down passed Westhumble and across the busy A24. Suddenly day trippers were everywhere: I had left to remoteness of the downs behind. I had to wait my turn to cross the River Mole by stepping stones at the foot of Box Hill. Then came the climb, and what a climb! Endless series of steps went up and up with little respite between. At last I broke out of the steep wooded hillside onto the open grass featuring a viewing platform.

 

After stopping briefly for a second sandwich enjoying spectacular views over Dorking, I was soon on my way again for the last section of the day. A complex series of paths traversed the southern edge of the downs and descended into Betchworth village. The super-busy road was made all the harder to cross by a set of temporary traffic lights that ejected endless streams of traffic. Eventually a kind motorist stopped to allow me to cross and continue on my way up the Buckland Hills. Just one more climb got me onto Colley Hill and the increasing noise of traffic on the M25 was noticeable. The view over Reigate opened out as I crossed the grassland towards the Inglis Memorial on the summit plateau of Reigate Hill. I followed directions down the steep grass onto what was called the Shepherd Path. In no time, I was in the outskirts of the town and on a track under the hill that led to my hotel. It had been a very long and hard day made even tougher by the brutal climb of Box Hill.

 

Guildford dep. 08.55, Reigate Hill arr. 17.25 

GPS 23.44 miles in 8hrs 13mins 42secs walking with 2 x 10mins stops to eat my various sandwiches.

I stayed at Reigate Manor Hotel at the foot of Reigate Hill. Having not eaten a great deal during the walk, I managed three courses, i) duck, ii) fricassee chicken and mash & iii) lemon tart. The draught beer was Goose Island IPA (5.9%). That helped me sleep!

 

Wednesday 21^st October 2020          Reigate Hill – Dunton Green
Border Crossing

 

The weather forecast proved accurate. The appalling conditions expected in the south of England had arrived in all their majesty. I left the hotel in drenching rain with mist down to roof level. Reigate Hill was somewhere above but all I could see was a bank of trees disappearing into the clouds. Taking the track under the hill, I retraces my steps up the steep (and now very slippery) path and steps to the Inglis Memorial, where I had left the North Downs Way the evening before. I saw little of the route across Reigate Hill, only coming out of the clouds at a footbridge over the A217 and a National Trust car park where there was a coffee kiosk. After a further mile of dripping woodland, the way descended over a golf course into Merstham. Conditions were such that the only memorable features were a footbridge over the M25 and a fine church. As the rain got heavier, I took a straight suburban road heading east out of the village. A climb to the crest of the downs was so wet that I could hardly keep my feet. It was a relief to drop back down again and take to tarmac.

 

With waterproofs over me and the rucksack, with conditions underfoot deteriorating as the morning progressed, it was impossible to see any views or remember many features on the trail. At one point I struggled to find the correct route through a factory and progress along the clay-covered field trods was painfully slow. A long climb up to Botley Hill was followed by a slippery descent beside a main road. Then a puddle-filled avenue led to a private track and the boundary stone between Surrey and Kent. The rain was beginning to ease but the state of the paths remained an issue. Much later than I had expected, I came to the long grassy descent off the downs towards Sevenoaks. I slowly picked my way downwards, desperately trying not to slip and slide on the wet grass. On reaching the road, I still had 1.5 miles of busy suburban roads to negotiate to reach my hotel on the outskirts of Dunton Green. It had been an epic day, no stops, no views, just survival.

 

Reigate Hill dep. 09.11, Dunton Green arr.17.35

GPS 22.99 in 8hrs 20mins 48secs walking time (no stops), 22 miles on-route.

I stayed in the Donnington Manor Hotel in Dunton Green. My meal was belly pork & mash, with a dessert of apple tart & ice cream. No draught beer so bottles of Bombardier had to suffice.

 

 

Thursday 22^nd October 2020              Dunton Green – Blue Bell Hill

Crossing the Medway

 

Foregoing the pleasure of breakfast for an early (and cheaper) start, I was able to fall out of the hotel door and straight onto the North Downs Way. The ginnel along the side of the hotel  emerged into a system of level fields across to Otford. The first shop was a news-agents. It had no sandwiches so I bought a swiss roll just in case. Lo and behold, there in the high street was a café serving bacon sandwiches. It would have been rude to pass by. Suitably fortified, I strode forth along Station Road, across the railway bridge and up the narrow path that began the climb up to Otford Mount.

 

The path came out at a three-way road junction and some level ground. Just when I was used to walking on the flat, the path turned downhill and lost height to pass below Otford Manor. Then up it went up again to the crest, which was adhered to for a mile or so before it plunged down a seeming interminable set of steps back to the very foot of the downs. Then there was a two-mile track into Wrotham where I crossed over the motorway and into a quiet lane that climbed gently, providing lovely views to the south. Another steep path (with steps) mounted the escarpment slope and passed through woods to the road junction at the Vigo Inn. A very pleasant but popular track led through open woodland of Trosley Country Park and then descended the slippery slope to the foot of the downs yet again. After another mile at valley level, a left turn was the start of an excruciating set of steps to Holly Hill.

 

From here the way got easier, first through Greatpark Wood and then onto a delightful series of woods and fields, in one of which I sat down and ate my swiss roll. This section finished with a steep descent through vineyards and hop fields to Cuxton. Then a climb to Ranscombe Farm picked up the farm access road which was followed into the Medway Valley. Views opening up of the bridges that carry the motorway and high-speed trains over the river. As I crossed the bridge on a cycle path, there a loud bang close by and the police stopped the south-bound carriageway. For a few minutes, I had the bridge to myself traffic free but by the time I reached the other side, the road had been cleared and the traffic roar resumed.

 

Climbing up the long ridge of Nashenden Down, a fit-looking young lady strode towards me, bouncing down the path like a seasoned walker. I was therefore surprised when she enquired about my map and the route I was following. Nusrat said she was relatively new to walking and was really enjoying the experience. I hope I left her suitably enthused with the prospect of lifetime of long-distance trails. The walk up to Blue Bell Hill was straight-forward. My only problem was in finding my way over the three busy dual-carriageways which separated me from my hotel. Resorting to the GPS map on my phone, I was soon entering the impressive lobby of my overnight accommodation.

 

Dunton Green dep. 08.30, Bridgewood Manor arr.17.40

GPS 25.12 in 8hrs 54mins 15secs walking time with a 15min break in a field near Greatpark Wood.

 

I stayed in the Bridgewood Manor Hotel near Walderslade Woods. I was delighted to find that the chef’s special was fish and chips. I was even more impressed that the bar had real ale, my first of the week, Camden Pale Ale at 4.0%. A stick toffee pudding was all that was needed to end a very long but enjoyable day.

 

Friday 23^rd October 2020       Blue Bell Hill – Hillingbourne Station

Up and Down the Downs

 

The guide book seemed to be at odds with the map. The latter showed an easy-looking two legs to Hollingbourne village but the guide book indicated mileages that seemed incompatible. Taking no chances, (I had a train to catch), I rose early and forewent the pleasure of breakfast. Out of the hotel by 8am, I was surprised at how far off-route the hotel had been. It was 1.8 miles back to the Blue Bell Hill viewpoint. The view was semi-hidden by mist drifting up the south slopes of the hill. The sun-drenched fields gradually appeared out of the fret as I strode downhill to the Neolithic stones, Kit Coty’s House.

 

It was fast going to Detling where a huge and complex footbridge crossed a dual-carriageway and dropped me into the village. The exit road was given away by its name, Pilgrims Way. But the route had a sting in the tail. Just after the cricket club, the trail turned up a steep field and onto the wooded slopes of the downs. But it did not cling to this hard-earned height. It descended an endless flight of steps to field level then climbed over bare ridges emanating from the main plateau of the downs. Up and down I went, up steps and down dales. My anticipated walking rate of three miles an hour was unachievable. Time passed swiftly but the miles did not. To be sure of catching the train from Hollingbourne, I had determined to leave the trail at noon. At Broad Street Hill, I said my farewell for the time being to the North Downs Way and descended down the lane and across a field into Broad Street on the Pilgrims Way. Then a long featureless path over a mile-wide ploughed field (I had to resorted to a compass) brought me to the railway and a right of way to the station footbridge. I had twenty minutes to wait for the train, time to relax and cogitate on a much harder day than expected.

 

Bridgewood Hotel dep. 08.04, Hollingbourne Station arr. 12.30

GPS 13.19 miles in 4hrs 31mins 51secs, about 10 miles of which was on-route.

 

Conclusion

 

What seemed on paper to be a complicated rail journey turned out to be a simple and straight-forward affair. My first train whisked me into Maidstone East where the guard pointed out the passageway over the river to Maidstone Barracks Station. From here, a delightful little branch line ran along the river through villages I had never heard of, terminating at Paddock Wood. The last leg to Tonbridge was one stop and seven minutes. I reversed my walking route of Monday morning and found my car safe and sound. I started for home straight away, knowing I had the M25 and M42 to negotiate and I wanted to get home in day-light. A meal was awaiting me and it was lovely to relax with Jill after a week away from home. I had walked 97 miles, 85 miles on route, with only one day of bad weather. I have crossed the Rubicon or was it the Medway and have set up the opportunity for getting round the Wye – Dover – Canterbury loop in the next and hopefully final visit to this national trail.