Hernehill - a tale of two pubs

A colleague at the school where I turn up each day to try and help educate students told me about the self-styled Sir William Courtenay and the battle of Bossenden Woods. I was inspired enough to take a look at the place during the summer recess. I headed for Hernehill and stopped by the church expecting the Red Lion pub to be open but it was not. The power supply to the village was down and workers were busy restoring it and upgrading a transformer so the pub which I think was dated 1347 was bereft of my delectable company. The place looks good too!

The Red Lion at Hernhill


So I had no choice but to walk but first I had a look around the churchyard and admired the views from the cemetary. I also noted the sign that told me about the men who were buried after the battle - the followers of Sir William. Sad really because they followed a man who was, according to many who reported at the time, was totally off his trolley. I have read a little about the man and believe he was a deluded by his own ego into believeing he was the savior of the local farmworkers who were suffering from a great technological change - farm machinery that threatened to make them redundant. At the time the Captain Swing riots were in, excuse the pun, full swing and this must have influenced the workers when Sir William took up their cause.


The sign in Hernehill churchyard

Anyway I decided that I should try a walk and headed past the Red Lion from the church and at the end of Swale View beside the playground there was a public footpath which led to and between apple orchards. I crossed a road and followed the path to rejoin the road a little further along. To my right was the the rolling green of fields and woods that I think are part of the Blean Woods - maybe not - and eventually I arrived at The Dove, a pub which was closed but at 4pm I could hear noises of chairs and stools being readied. The place looks good with a car park and a garden bar and Shepherd Neame which is a bonus. From there I walked along the road searching for a pathway and eventually came upon a restricted byway which led through a farm yard and out to posts with yellow arrows on them. I took the wrong one which led to the main Thanet Way but ho hum at least I was able to walk along the sidepath to a turning which took me away from the noise.

In fact I arrived in Hernehill along the road I had started on. The pub was still closed so I took some photos and took off.

I must say that Hernehill is a pretty place and forms part of a small enclave of villages that includes Boughton Under Blean and Dunkirk from where more can be discovered about the Battle of Bossenden Woods. The Red Lion at Dunkirk was where the bodies were taken after the battle although, as I have said, some of the dead were buried at Hernehill.

As can be seen from the view above there are some wonderful views to be had from Hernhill church. The orchards of the local farmers and those of Mount Ephraim are visible from the hill and are well worth the visit. I can also recommend a visit to the Mount Ephraim Gardens.

Rodmersham and the Science Park

The pleasure of walking in the countryside is not merely to look at the countryside and to enjoy a visit to a local public house for lunch and a taste of ale or beer but to be able to continue to do so without the town or city encroaching on the unique nature of what is our Engklish heretige. Such pleasures as watching cricket played on the green or to wander across the fields and into the woods without having to walk past rows of boring houses or to look down on a series of dull factory roofs are waht we demand of a visit to our rural areas.

Unfortunately the village of Rodmersham is likely to fall victim to the industrialists who want to create a link from the M2 Motorway into the present so-called science park and to expand it beyond its present limits. Instead of wheatfields and a view across the downs unmarred by overt industrialism there is a prospect of rows of houses, with roads feeding into the already crowded town of Sittingbourne and the possibility of a yet another large supermarket springing up and the further expansion out to the motorway.

Rodmersham is a pleasant place to visit and live but with the arrival of many more people and the subsequent housing needed for them the place will be lost in a maw of boring modern buildings with little or no taste that will be unlikely to house workers from the local area but encourage an influx of workers from outside the area whose interest in it lies with making their salaries. Local people are already in housing and if the park goes ahead how many of them will be employed? That is a question that will need to be answered. Will there be jobs for our young people or will it be a case of bringing in workers from elsewhere?

The disruption of our town and the encroachment on the rural area that makes Sittingbourne a place worthwhile living in will have an impact on Rodmersham that will not be seen until it is too late and the awful buildings that seem to be sprouting up all over have taken over and absorbed what is a pretty village with a pub that has a long history for serving good food. In addition the visitor can take tea at the the local village store and if they are lucky can experience the marvellous cheese scones locally made served by people who have the customer's needs at heart.

Why all the fuss?

Simply take a look at the last picture after sampling the others and yuo will see the 'wind farm' in the distance beyond the church and the wonderful view of wheat ripening. This is a food producing area - the local pub is called The Fruiterer's Arms - and the area abounds with orchards of pears and apples and on the edge of the fields bullace plums and damsons grow wild. A walk in the area will offer views of the downas and the coastal areas that are second to none and typical of Kent and its status as the Garden of England. The science park will be one more attack on this heretige.

I would like to walk this area and see not rows of houses or the shining tops of factories or rows of electric street lamps but the waving wheat and the happy chirrup of native birds and to be able to cross the road without having to bother with a stream of cars on their way to work.

Emmetts gardens - National Trust

On this overcast day with a little sunshine peeking through and rain spitting on the windshield I headed for Sevenoaks and then to look for the turn off to Emmetts along the A25. The drive was easy and interesting but I was aware of the lowering clouds and the threat of rain but instead of being downhearted I took courage from the fact that all around me plants were showing off, trees looked cool and green and as I drove through the Seal Woods area I was excited by the mystery of the forest and imagined trolls and dwarfs and maybe even the elves of middle earth looking out on us under the green canopy (cliche alert!)

Note the intense color of the Hydrangea bush above.

However, I arrived at the gardens safely and alighted expecting noting more than a perhaps a dull day, and a dull vista, but I was pleasantly wrong. As we are aware most gardens of thie size of Emmetts and Scotney for example are usually patronised most in Spring and Autumn for the riot of color that these seasons produce. This year the flowers have been so vibrant I cannot blame visitors for preferring the two 'pretty' seasons. In fact Emmetts has a different beauty in Summer. It offers color from the trees and the small hydrangea shrubs - a speciality - on the south garden walk and the stands of birches and oaks on the lower walks.

These slender trees are on the approach to the gardens.

Like all gardens that boast trees as their forte theer are a selection of evergreens as a contrast to the familiar (and unfamiliar) decidous trees. Their colors range from deep greens to yellows and the fantastic silver greens offered by the spreading cypress.

Colorful evergreens

Wherever you walk you will see color and contrast and I enjoyed the contrasts not in spite of the rain but because of it. The fresh look of the trees and shrubs belied the mid-summer heat - it was humid and although I need a coat to keep dry I was warm - and as I walked the pathways the view across to Chiddingstone and Ide Hill was misted but with a little patience more or less became clear as my eyes adjusted to the scenery and day light.

Below are daisies peeping out from behind a rock in the rockery

A new addition to the gardens is the rockery - known also as the 'Scree Garden' - which is a treat for the eyes and remarkably well laid out and surrounded by an attractive iron fence with entrance gates is a worth the visit alone. The water feature and the whitened rocks and stones enhance the reds of the acers and small plants so well that one could almost feel that yuo are in a Japanese garden. There is evidence of much care and reasoned design gone in to the effort. A real treat. The bonus is that the grounds which it overlooks are a picnic area and offer some fine views. Emmetts is on a hill and uses the contours well to give the visitor a variety of views.


In spite of the rain and the absence of my companion on these walks, namely my Sister, I managed to enjoy the visit. Oh, and for the curious, there is a cafe there serving the usual NT snacks and a shop with seats outside from which the surrounding contryside can be enjoyed. For the intrepid there are footpaths which lead down to Surridge and Brasted, both of which are worth a visit and to Ide Hill where one can dine in the pub and have a good walk around too.

Again the vibrant colors



On the whole the trip was a good one and I was glad I went.

Minster In Thanet - a short walk

On the way to Minster I stopped off to look at the windmill at Herne. I like villages and was put off in the past by the large sprawl of Herne Bay but today curiosity overcame my prejudice and I drove up the hill to look at it. Unfortunately the mill wasn't open for visitors until 2pm, so not wanting to wait for another two hours or so I took some photos and pushed on. I travelled via Herne on the Canterbury road and turned off toward Hoath to try the back roads to Minster.

The mill at Herne

I got mildly lost but passed by some deeply cool green woodlands and probably crossed a river or two that was significant - may be the Wantsum as it seems to be everywhere around there
and gave me some typical Thanet views. The land is undulating to flat with crop fields stretching seemingly to the horizon interspersed with runs on willows along the banks of waterways and the inevitable pub tucked away on some crossroads of small village. Lovely.

A view into the grounds of the Abbey

Although I have been to or through Minster before it has been a fleeting visit stopping in the Bell Inn for a meal and a quick look around. Today I was armed with camera and stopping at the Bell for a snack and a jar of Shepherd Neame I took time to walk. Before I tell of the walk I have to say that the Bell is a good choice for a convivial drink and lunch although on the opposite corner there is a cafe and a wine bar that is worth a look in.

I started off from the pub and walked first around the churchyard and emerged onto Church Lane intending to see if there was a chance of visiting the Augustine Abbey but being a Sunday there were devotions going on and visitors are requested to arrive on Saturday afternoons.

I went past the Abbey and on up the slight rise to a yellow bar gate to a public footpath sign and entered. A pleasant Polish worker told me that the path followed the concrete farm road but he was not too sure of the exact route from there. As it turned out I walked instead following the wall alongside the pathway and turned into a small road on the right that led back to Church Lane. On the left I discovered a footpath sign and followed that past a rest home complex. As I plodded on a fox rose from where it was resting and trotted off quickly into the bush which was odd because to disappear completely from view he had to cross a stream. I crossed a bridge and from there the track floowed the railway line crossing it just beyond the signal box past Minster station.

A view across well tilled and cropped fields close to Minster

Crossing the track was easy and I had the treat of seeing a choo-choo in the station and watched it move off. (Choo-choo?) The path followed the railway line and again we crossed on a curve - one has to be careful here - into a field turning left and then following the path to eventually reach a graded farm road. Turning left as it seemed the village must be that way because ahead of me there was a view of the power station cooling towers, a dominant sight in this flat land, following this until again we crossed the tracks.

I followed the concrete road past fields with a view of the Minster church across the way and arrived back at my starting point on the path where again I met the friendly Polish worker.

There are a few more pathways around Minster but today was a short walk (about 3km) with the intention of getting the feel for a Thanet exploration.

Anyway, the afternoon was not wasted as I enjoyed the walk in what is some delightful Kent countryside and at walking pace yields some interesting views and of course exercises the ageing body.

The Bell Inn