Shoreham - a village on the Darent

We took the dog with us to Shoreham to give him a treat and so it seemed a day for everyone else and their dogs to be out and about.  Spring weather, flowers not yet ready to pop out and the trees still bare of leaves but tentatively pushing out buds, Blackthorn showing its white flowers, Forsythia and Peach in bloom and the inevitable Daffodils.  Shoreham is emerging like the rest of us from the dull winter and as a first time visitor was a most welcoming place. 

Delightfully pretty, an unusual church and house that date back to Tudor times and a pub that claims to exist since 1500, it is a place that in summer is no doubt swarming with visitors.  The river is the attraction if only for its wandering clarity and at this time of the year the menace of flooding and of course the valley in which it runs.  Barely green the trees are still magnificent and as we walked up the hill to the cross on the bank we were delighted by the view that displayed the village including a clear view of a man wheeling a barrow to collect compost from the heap that serves the allotments.  Naturally I spoiled the illusion by describing the village as a super Lego display. 

Now spring is truly on its way we were delighted to see clumps of wild violets on the bank beside the woodland walk.   We met people with children and dogs and our canine companion, my nephew's dog Zoid, almost loved every moment of it - I say almost because he seemed a little nervous of other dogs when he was on the lead.  If we took him off there is no knowing where he would go so he had to subdue his feelings and put on a brave face. 

However, the village was a place we need to visit again.  There are no less than five pubs in Shoreham so this means that there should be another four visits plus another for the attractive Honey Pot tea room.

A View of the High Street and the Tea Room

The main attraction is the walk along the river which can be followed at least to Eynsford where there is the Lullingstone Roman Villa and the Lullingstone Country Park.  We walked the village and turned down into Mill Lane with some delightful houses to view and of course the river.  We took the footpath beside the river past the Old Mill Cottage to the bridge and weir and turned up toward the church from there.  It was a pleasure to walk the avenue of Yews past the church where a couple of artists were painting pictures of the porch and to the field beyond. 

We turned left out of the gate and walked back in a circular route back to Mill Lane via footpaths and then along the High Street to turn left again down to the bridge before which we stopped for lunch at the Kings Arms.  I would not say the food was excellent but for the price it was more than value for money and earned praise as good.  We sat outside with the other dog walkers as dogs are banned from the inside (must watch that in future) and enjoyed a chat with a group of people and their dogs and a young couple who had walked along the river from Farningham with their Spaniel.

After lunch we set off back along the High Street and chose the footpath leading up out of the village past the sports ground and play centre to the woodlands and hills above.  There, once we had staggered up the top using the dog to pull us up in turns - he hasn't yet learned to walk and not drag the lead - was a terrific view and the violets mentioned earlier.  We turned right at the top and walked past the cross, viewing it and then from there back down to the end of the village and back to the car park for the drive home feeling much better for the experience.

Shepherds Well - a mining village

We went to Shepherds Well - a village in the heart of what was once the coal mining area of Kent.  The village boasts a functioning branch of the East Kent Light Railway with a station close to the mainline station in its centre.  We parked at the village hall and walked into the village exploring the roads and a few of the footpaths discovering a pleasant prospect as we walked around the houses.  The village is built on a hill with a church, St Andrews, at the top across the village green from the Bell Inn.

Good beer, good reasonabley priced food and a warm fire which we did not need but it was cheerful.

The church was worth a visit - we arrived during a cleaning session and learned that the gift box had been jemmied open and rifled.

We have not explored this area before but now that Spring is upon us and Summer on its way we might take the plunge and explore the small villages that were once serviced by the EKLR and learn the history of the miners.

The village, just off the A2 Dover road has a charm that on this March day was beginning to show with a display of daffodils and rural activity such as horse riding, the traffic being sparse, and the unfortunate banging away of shotguns. Such is life. 

The drawback to the peace and tranquilty, excluding the summer weekends when the railway is operating, was the wind driven sound of the Lydden Autosport track.  I like the sound of motorcycles having ridden them for many years and at times visited the track when it was used as grass track racing venue, but the of racing engines straining to beat each other around a circuit is not conducive to a quiet walk in the countryside.

Okay, so gripe over, the price we pay for diversity. 

The village is attractive and with part of the North Downs Way passing through it and many public footpaths that will take the walker on a trip around the village the place is worth a visit.  For casual walkers we reccomend stopping at The Bell Inn for a meal and a pint or two (plus and excellent pot of tea) and enjoy the downs which here give views of gently rolling farmlands and lines of trees. 

Right: The old bakery house.

As for the shotguns and the aftermath; we walked, now in the rain, to the outskirts of the village heading along West Court Lane.  We turned around when the road became exposed to the weather and returned to discover two rabbits, one recently bloodied and dead and the other dying and close to death.  As the two animals were not there on our way out we could only conclude that they were dumped from a vehicle or maybe dropped from a sack as the shooting came froma  distance and this was near a some very urban looking houses.  Most unpleasant.  You shoot an animal to eat it.  You do not let it suffer.  If you do you have no right to be in charge of a gun.  

But that was not what impressed us as you can imagine.  The surprise was the friendliness of all those we met and the attractive gardens just beginning to come alive and the views as we strolled around.  For a place randomly selected with no real intention of spending that much time there when we first arrived it gave us a pleasant afternoon's walk. 

Right: enjoying a ride.

As it turned out we enjoyed the views and took a little excursion to Eyethorne where the EKLR museum is housed with intention of paying the place a visit later in the year.  If we do we will post it.  

A view from the West Court Lane.

Sissinghurst Village

On this cold March day with the weather threatening to bring another cold snap we decided that a good place to go would be one of the Weald villages so we chose Sissinghurst to wander around.  One of the pleasures of wandering around a village is that you do not have to committ yourself to a walk that is likely to take you into waterlogged or difficult areas or along paths that need hiking boots and sticks. You also get to see the village for what it is. 

On many occasions we have passed through, sometimes on the way to Sissinghurst Castle Gardens and other times as a preferred road back to Leeds.  It was a pleasant exercise to stop at The Bull and park the car, take a cup of coffee, threaten to return for a meal and start stomping. 

The first visit was to the church with the school attached.  The church is fairly modern being built in 1838, only a mere one hundred and seventy-two years old.  It looks small but it is roomy although a little dull and is without a cemetary surrounding it - the cemetary is behind the school - strange but logical. The two buildings work well together and I am sure they have been doing so for many years.  We had a quick look at Sissinghurst Place but the time for viewing the place will be on 14th March, Mothering Sunday, and Sissinghurst open day ( if the notices are right).

We took a stroll down Chapel Llane to where the Crane Brook crosses and decided to walk back again not wishing to wallow in the quagmire that surrounded the stream.  Content to walk back to the village we turned along  a public footpath that ran parallel to the road behind the houses that dipped down to the road leading to Buckhurst Farm.  From there we walked back to the village and admired the buildings. 

Left - Buckhurst Farm

Although the day was cold there were some sunny spells that on ocassion highlighted the March landscape - that washed out almost spring feeling as we wait for the bulbs to burst out of their winter shells (nice cliche) and the daylight to help the birds and daytime animals to feed.  The recent snow and rain was in evidence with ditches filled with water and in places cleared to allow flow.  The hedges showed signs of recent council and farmer vandalism in aid of clear views for road users leaving a bare skeleton for the birds.  We are losing our hedgerow birds people - stop the hedge cutting - trim not slash.  In the midst of all this moaning about vandalism we were pleased by the sun catching the poles and undergrowth of a hop garden.

This is part of the hop producing area and we expect to see at least one field - that was all we got. However, Sissinghurst village is a pretty place and with The Bull inn serving food all day and good beer the village is worth a visit.  The intention being perhaps to walk along the Crane to see lake Chad and the windmill at Cranbrook town leaving Cranbrook for a later visit. 

Right - the Sissinghurst sign and Penny Farthing

It would be pleasant in summer to perhaps combine a visit to the gardens at Sissinghurst Castle and the village instead of passing through.  Our intention would be to follow that up and maybe walk around the castle estate from the village. 

Right - an attractive houe front in The Street and below a neat looking rusty shed.

Sissinghurst is on a Roman road and as you may have noted from the location of the house shown above as on The Street we must realise that the word for street was via ( as in Via Appia). We use the word via to mean going through and as the road went from Bodiam through Sissinghurst to wherever it ended up it makes sense.  We noted that in many villages there is often a road named The Street - could the Romans have made it?


Oh, and lunch at the inn was good.  We had light meals, tea, and a glass of Sussex ale.  The presentation and the price were good with enough to satisfy without the need to leave any.  The Bull has a thoughtful touch to its bar - a supply of games to suit most tastes that will also help keep children occupied.  It offers a children's menu.  It also has a garden bar with a pond and ducks - too bloody cold to sit outside this day as the smokers are compelled to do.  Give the place a visit and enjoy a walk.