Having had taster of what seemed to be a contrived and tightly engineered park we decided to return to see what else it had to offer. In fact it was matter of appreciating what 
we had discovered before. The compatability between cylist and walker and the chance to allow bridleways to cross, fishermen and yachties to have a bash as well came home as we walked the pathways. We parked at the main car park, paid our pennies and toddled off on the well formed path ways to enjoy the October sunshine, ducks on the water, the comfort of knowing that we were close to the Medway and surprised that we were also about to cross the A21 and walk near a railway.
we had discovered before. The compatability between cylist and walker and the chance to allow bridleways to cross, fishermen and yachties to have a bash as well came home as we walked the pathways. We parked at the main car park, paid our pennies and toddled off on the well formed path ways to enjoy the October sunshine, ducks on the water, the comfort of knowing that we were close to the Medway and surprised that we were also about to cross the A21 and walk near a railway. We decided to walk to Liegh a small village not far from Tonbridge and was pleas
antly surprised by it rich colors and the village green overlooked by a delightful church. Not only was the place a typical village with a green, an old primary school and a couple of pubs but in a village hall we found a class of children making crafts that was run by a church youth group. We had a cup of tea and a biscuit - a donation was all that was asked - and sat on a bench in the warm October sunshine to enjoy it.
antly surprised by it rich colors and the village green overlooked by a delightful church. Not only was the place a typical village with a green, an old primary school and a couple of pubs but in a village hall we found a class of children making crafts that was run by a church youth group. We had a cup of tea and a biscuit - a donation was all that was asked - and sat on a bench in the warm October sunshine to enjoy it. The village of Leigh has a history linked to Penshurst Place and to Tonbridge and according to the local website has a conservation area around the village green and at least fort
y-nine listed buildings. The place is worth a visit and if it was not for the walk from Haysden park we may have chosen the place as our starting point - it has a welcoming atmosphere sitting as it does on the Medway valley.
We bought a couple of rolls in the village shop (next to the Bat and Ball Pub) and took them up to the church to devour them sitting on a bench in the sunshine where a wall was devoted to the dead by plaques and memoranda which was a pleasant touch. It must be said tha
t the views fromm the churchyard are excellent and not to be missed.
t the views fromm the churchyard are excellent and not to be missed. It was also a surprise to realise that we were not all that far from Penshurst place and Penshurst village. This we hope will be a later visit. In the meantime we can recommend Haysden Park as a place to walk and to keep in touch with the Medway. It is cycle friendly, walker friendly and also, like the Woodland Trust areas seems to encourage grazing cattle.
We took directions from a local walker but they turned out to be a little erronenous so we had to make a sudden dash back on our tracks. However, the experience did the cardio-vascular excercise bit we needed and I am sure we benefitted from the walk.
The park is a great place for walkers and wildlife lovers alike as well as cyclists.
It was good to see cattle happily grazing and drinking from the river.
We may make some more river trips and explore the Medway further looking for the source. And as the Autumn creeps up on us and Winter sneaks around the corner we have to say that this October and the last few weeks of the Summer exploring the river has been a pleasant experience. we hope that our readers will also enjoy our thoughts on a what became a sudden project.
No comments:
Post a Comment