Hollingbourne - Eyethorne

It is a pity that the two villages are so close to the roar of the M20 and the rush of trains from the Euro-star. If it wasn't for those two problems a walk around Hollingbourne and its precincts is most pleasant.

Cottages in Hollingbourne High Street - probably Eyehorne in fact but we call it Hollingbourne.

This ancient village set close to the river Len has a charm that unless you stop and look is easily missed. With three pubs serving food and a church that is open to the public Hollingbourne is a little gem. We parked outside the church knowing that we would probably be too late for lunch at any of the pubs and bought sandwiches to go from the Motorway services to eat somewhere in the hills.

Our route took us from the church through the village with a short excursion around the Millennium Park past the services and then on to Broad Street. Now this was a pleasant walk though green woods where we spied native orchids and a sign that informed us that wild boars could get quite upset if disturbed - panic! Fortunately despite the warnings we saw no boars and arrived at Broad Street unmolested by tusks and angry teeth. I thought fondly of roast boar.

The picture on the right is of a native orchid - a most lovely plant.

We climbed from Broad Street to Hucking House and walked through the beautiful woodlands back to Hollingbourne via the Pilgrim's Way. We ate our sandwiches on the Woodland Trust lands and watched a herd of well fed cattle wander on their own from one paddock to another ready to eat grass that was not only rich but plentiful. The Woodland Trust has some 135 Hectares of land most in woodlands and coppice and the rest in natural grasslands - hence the healthy looking cattle. You can get on to the estate from a pathway close to Hucking House and follow the tracks. We passed through.

But, for those wild boars and dreams of spit roast pig this was the notice we saw after we had passed through the woods where the wild boars were living. Note that the tree has no low branches and my sister and I being somewhat middle aged appreciated the difficulty of climbing said tree if attacked by one of the animals.

Hence the panic.

The Yew Tree Inn, Sandling

If there is a pleasure to be had in Kent that is to be enjoyed above all others then a pub meal after a walk has to come high on the list. Hence after the walk around Maidstone we decided to eat at the Yew Tree Inn just outside Maidstone not farfrom Peneden Heath and Sandling. The only drawback to the place is that it is now close to the busy M20 motorway which makes sitting outside a bit of a chore - noisy.

Nevertheless I can recommend the pub - what am I saying? It's a great little place and years ago when I was a callow youth my great friend and myself hied us to the place to sample its Shepheard and Neame Old Ale. The pub was typical of the sixties, two bars, a public and lounge bar but it had the attraction of a warm fire - this was a winter trip on our motorcycles - and sold beers and ales and fine spirits with the usual bar snacks of warmed up pies and scotch eggs etc.

It's dark interior and the quiet atmosphere was an attraction to us and I have fond memories of the occasional drink there. The feature of the place has always been the Yew tree and on occasion when I was first married my wife and I walked there for an evening drink at the weekend. Unfortunately the pubs then rarely sold meals and relied on the usual snacks being drinking places rather than restaurants.

Today it is different. The Yew Tree has a single bar with a resaurant and a comfortable seating area where you can drink or snack.

Why am I talking about the place?

Simply because this is the second time my sister and I have dined there and enjoyed our meals so much we can safely say that we would go there again. (Cripes - I even left a tip!)

The Fishereman's Pie is exquisite! Eat it! Enjoy and the Ommelette is delicious. Not over large portions but tasty and filling and worth the price. In fact I was so impressed that I asked for the pub website address and promised to post it on this site.

Here it is: http://www.yewtreesandling.co.uk/

A Walk beside the Medway

In the centre of the busy market town of Maidstone in Kent there is a tranquil summer walk; a place where once the solemnity and pomp of religious expression dominated. Today there is the Church of All Saints with its magnificent brass plaques and myriad ancient tombs covered by their incumbent's donated flagstones and its presence that seems to add peace to the busy scene around it.

A corner of the Bishop's Palace gardens

This of a Saturday and a reconnoitre of the area for a wedding in the Bishop's Palace, now owned and used by the Borough Council, to find suitable car parking for guests wanting to witness the ceremony in the registry office. We, my sister and I walked the walk to time the trek from the car parks to the office and also the time taken on a Saturday to get through town. This task done we took ourselves on a stroll around the old buildings.

It was a pleasant, warm June day so we took a stroll along what was once the tow-path along the Medway watching the ducks and geese enjoying the water. The Lockmeadow shopping complex loomed up but within a less than a hundred metres this was hidden by green clad trees and the sight of recently built riverside apartments, some pleasing to the eye and others in need of some trees to break up their harsh, utilitarian lines. The contrast was the 'posh' homes across the river with their boat landing ramps, and landscaped gardens.

But I digress for on the town side of the river the council has created an amphitheatre that is, or should be a candidate for pride of place. Quiet and remote from the snarl of traffic that clogs the roads just a few hundred metres away this is a little riverside gem. To us, so familiar with our county town, the revelation was that we had never explored the area around the Palace enough and we were pleasantly surprised.

The Amphitheatre

Of course if you wish you can take a ride down the Medway to Allington Lock and visit the Kent Life Museum but I recommend instead you take the effort to follow the river as far as you can and enjoy the pleasures of the towpath. Our only regret was that we had to return to avoid getting the car wheels clamped or a fine, but then if you are willing to pay a little more for parking and stroll further then you are in for a summer treat.

A View from the tow-path

A vist to Penshurst Place

A curse on the fickle English weather that drowns a holiday weekend, inundates the greedy land hides the sun with cloud, yet promising bright light scurrilously withdraws its favors. Ah, yes, a trip that brought me to Penshurst Place Gardens, the home of one of my favourite character in history, Sir Phillip Sidney, poet and all round useful bloke.

Penshurst Place was finished in1341 beginning with the huge Baronial Hall and in later years added to as a residence which, I am pleased to say, is still in use today. Surrounded by farm lands and the lovely Penshurst village in what I call ‘Posh’ Kent, the building is imposing and worth a visit.

However, although many visitors want to see the house it is the gardens that are the attraction. Started when the original building was built the gardens have remained, if not exactly the same, more or less original with themes adapted to the times. The attraction is that it was untouched by Victorian cultural vandals and as a result we can enjoy a garden that like any gardener tending an original garden has developed with the gardener and not subjected to the fickleness of newcomers.

For me the highlights of the gardens are the Rose Garden, the unique Union Flag Garden and the Peony Beds. Which is why I am moaning about the weather. I wanted to take pictures of the peonies in full sunlight but, fickle the weather was and fickle it stayed, defying me to grant me one small burst of sunshine, and one I missed because I was inside the house at the time. Bah! Humbug!

One pleasure, out of many, was talking to a Dutch visitor, one of a party, who were visiting gardens by the coach load, and enjoying the conversation beside the peony beds.

I note that for the garden watcher a season ticket is the answer because like many such gardens they need to be seen at all seasons to appreciate their special beauty. A few years ago I was at Penshurst in high summer. In contrast my recent visit gave me a taste of what was to come – a garden that is so vibrant with summer colors that it takes your breath away.