A brief visit to Smarden

Kent offers many pretty places to visit and in spring one of it attractions is the blossom of flowering cherry, blackthorn and the freshness of trees and hedgerows not yet in leaf but beginning to bud. March 21 is a good day to start looking at places like Smarden and this day we did just that although only briefly. We had no real plans to go far on this day having decided to take my sister's frined with us to our parents graveside to put some flowers for Mothering Sunday and then perhaps to go somewhere local after that. As it was things worked out slightly differently and so we were given a small early spring treat (sounds very olde worlde and stuffy) and have a quick look at one our prettiest villages.

This day we had a sad duty to perform in addition to the planned trip to our parents graveside to put some flowers in recognition of Mothering sunday. My sister's daughter, who is as daft about animals and pets as my sister and I can be lost her pet rabbit to the grim reaper so, to remember the loved creature she had it cremated and we went to collect the ashes from a farm near Benneden. With us was my sister's friend who was to be given the treat of a day out and so we set off taking the long way around and eventually arrived at the place and duly collected the remains. On the way back we stopped for a while at Smarden which happens to be one of the most gobsmackingly beautiful villages in Kent.

The approach to the churchyard from the main street - named The Street (eek)

Set around a church and on the river Beult it is subject on occasion to flooding but this day all was tranquil and dry except of course for the pubs. Too early for a lunch we took a stroll around the village, albeit a brief one as we had another appointment later that day put the flowers on the grave and also to travel to Rainham to deliver remains to said niece. For me it was a treat to meet her horses face to face rather than just to espy them on occasion from a train.

Daphne and her friend June sitting in the churchyard - a most attractive sight.

But back to Smarden.

We parked in the Flying Horse car park and later went back for a liquid lunch. Note that the place is small but has a garden bar out front and an affordable menu which in contrast to The Chequers around the corner is a bonus. I cannot say much about the lunchtime food because we had to leave before we could eat but I liked the look of the menu. The landlord was friendly and helpful and I was glad to see it was a family inn with children's menus as well.

Anyway, back to the village.

The place has a post office and general store combined plus that rare treat - a local butcher's shop. In summer the place get's full with visitors and as this was the first day of spring(official) I did not look out of place with my camera and clicky habits. The last time we visited Smarden we walked extensively around the village using the Chequers as our base and headed on out from the buildings many of which are 16C or older and out into the fields to follow the river.

A view from the churchyard

This day we walked out of the village a little way and halted when a gentleman riding a buggy whispered up behind and wished us a good day. He was 91 and looked hale and hearty so we stopped and chatted about this and that as you do. It turned out that he lived in a place on his son's farm about 2km from the village by road and this was his weekly excursion to and from the village. It also turned out that he was an old soldier from WWII and when he told us that he had been in Burma fighting behind Japanese lines I realised he was probably one of Wingate's 'Chindits' but too late, he was gone before I could ask. We walked back to the village for said liquid lunch, coffee for the girls and an ale for me, taking a stroll through the churchyard which in the spring sunlight was beautiful.

We decided that we needed to re-visit the place later in the year.