Painters Forstal - The Elusive Gem

The Alma pub - good food, good atmosphere

website address for more informationis;

http://www.thealmapubkent.com/

Painters Forstal is one of those places you drive through or past on your way to and from Faversham and Ashford, or see signposted as you drive somewhere else. At last that was what happened to us most of the time until we decided to have a look at this little village. So we turned oof before Faversham off the A2 and followed the signposts along skinny roads until, crossing the M2 we arrived at the village and were forced to slow down to appreciate its charm. Imagine a cold winter's day with the threat of the snow following us from the north and a need to keep warm hoping that the clouds would clear and present at least a sunny day and you have it.

Bell Tower House - just one of the grand house in Painters Forstal

We parked in the Alma car park although I would suggest that if you are intending to walk around the village you ask the landlord and be prepared to have lunch there - the car park is small and needed for patrons. This is a place to walk to from somewhere else but the walk is worth it and on a summer's day a hike from Ospringe or Faversham would be a good idea. The pub is compact place with a warm atmosphere and above all good food. A visit for the meals would be enough.

However, there is a good reason for walking around the village and that is the wildlife reserve behind the prep-school grounds where there is evidence of a well planted avenue of large Chestnuts(the useful sweet ones you can eat) and some good views. This time of the year until it gets a little warmer the walker has to be wary of getting caught out in the dark on unfamiliar pathways so our policy is to more or less plan short walks that circle around to where we parked the car(usually the pub) so this is what we did.

A tour of the village revealed some old buliding and some that were new but tastefully designed to fit in with the area and some surprsingly thoughtful layouts that make Painters Forstal a pretty village. Mummery Close is a well designed section with a green area that overlooks the valley below and gives a light and sunny aspect to the houses and gardens. A treat is to pop along and see Bell Tower House - you can find that for yourself but a clue is to go back along the road toward the M2 and at the same time see the views from there across the valley.

The view from the gate of Parsonage Farm

But the walk around the reserve was a treat. From the row of houses known as Green Lees you find the entrance and follow the pathway into the trees and then from there walk down to the bridge across the gully where a gate leads to White Hills Cottages - from there you can walk up into the hills on the opposite side of the valley and come down through the woods back to Painters Forstal. We followed the roughly indicated path around the perimeter and up the hill looking back down the valley in the bright afternoon sun. Note, we said, the prolific number of mole hills that dotted the paddocks below. The little buggers have been busy - a good year for moles - plenty of water, plenty of worms and good digging. A groundsman's nightmare but for us a pleasant reflection on what is quite an attractive little mammal. It was nice to see them undisturbed by anti-mole devices.

The area is dotted with evergreens and with the decidious trees bereft of leaves they stood out in all their beauty. The day was a pleasant one and we were glad that we had not missed the place and left it out of our itinery. Painters Forstal is a little gem not far from Faversham, itself a historic town, and fits well within the group of villages that surround the busy Swale borough.

Mole hills or mountains

And as a poscript to the walk I also added this picture of the woodland walk - the avenue of chestnuts catching the afternoon sun, naked but still impressive. The reserve is a nature friendly reserve although my only complaint would be that people walking their dogs tend to leave the droppings behind so tread carefully as I am sure the landlord of the Alma would not like dog poo on his floors.