Elham - Kent; a pub walk

We looked at Elham once when the sat-nav went wrong on the way back from a visit to Lympne wildlife park and instead of turning right we turned left and passed through Elham. Unfortunately we could not stay and explore as time was pressing so I made a note on the map to visit the place again. The sat-nav could lead us there. So this weekend - 7th March saw us heading for that part of Kent we rarely visit. The guide, a pub walks book, suggested we park in the village square opposite the Kings Arms tavern so like good travellers we followed the guide and did exactly that although there isn't much choice.

The Kings Arms - a good place to start from.

However we were rewarded again with a warm welcome and a landlord willing to converse with us and do his best to make us feel wanted. Maybe I am being a bit cynical here but I suppose being friendly to all your customers is a way of getting business and all part of the way landlords work. I have to say that the landlord was genuinely friendly and so were the locals which is a great thing when you are visiting. One tends to store away the information and feel like returning or suggesting the place to others.

A Typical street in Elham - a mixture of the old and the new.

We took a stroll around the village and the immediate environs for an hour or so after sampling the local brew and some coffee and decided that Elham was a pretty village which even in early March showed some promise of the coming spring. The unusual feature is the church which dominates the skyline with its tall spire and imposing structure and although we didn't venture into it it became a point of interest from almost anywhere in the village.

We saw other walkers who tended to tromp the hill paths rather than the village but as we agreed the reason was simple: the typical English countryside of Kent, the roling downs and the small woodlands, the large elms and oaks and the glimpse of chalk pits or prominences was the attraction. We like to mix the two. Apart from that we split the walks in to two parts - once around the village - eat lunch - stagger around on the pathways and try and walk the calories off. The sat-nav comes in handy here. We use a fairly good map and of course the pub walk guide and our natural ability to wander from the chosen route.

Sunshine and threatening rain

This day we were impressed by the view from the hills of Elham village and the valley which despite the threatening clouds that promised rain was magnificent. Our route was from the square down Cocks Lane to the stream and then up the hill following the yellow markers. We then turned back and headed across the paddocks to Ducks Lane where there is a chalk pit which is part of a roadside wildlife area. We sat on a seat donated by the local society and enjoyed the view across the village and the valley - thanks folks - a pleasant prospect! We followed a path below the chalk pit up the hill and again had some wonderful views of the village to Standard Hill Farm where we traced a route that led us back down the hill to the village again.

All in all we walked some seven or eight miles in and around the village and didn't even scratch the surface as once more there was many paths and places we could have visited. But this would have stretched us a little too far and required us to get there at a much earlier hour and most possibly challenged the sat-nav.

Explanation of the sat-nav.

I have bird poo on the hood of my model T where I park it under a tree at school where I work. I suggested that the poo came from a homing Pigeon I take with me in the model T who will guide me home - the bird sits on the hood when I am walking and when I need it will communicate telepathically with me and guide me back to the car. I may as well use that as an explanation because usually we get lost because it is impossible to communicate with Pigeons telepathically unless you can teach them English.

Okay, so by now you are a little puzzled, bear with me, the unexpected is always welcome and getting it wrong is a delight - we lost the plot in Elham but it didn't matter because we could see the place easily and that is the beauty of visiting the village.

My sister has a sat-nav on here car so I was able to leave the homing pigeon behind - the bird wasn't very efficient anyway; something to do with too many satellite cell phone masts and the fact that we really look at a map. The method works well because we are often surprised by the unexpected discovery of a rare and beautiful scene.