A short stroll around Bredgar

Bredgar, split in twain by the M2, staving off the intrusion of Sittingbourne from the north and the east, resting in a small valley high above the Swale is a thriving community aware of its history and passed through on the way to Hollingbourne. Yet here is a tranquil haven for those who love to be involved in village life.

Apart from the intrusion of the M2 Motorway, which can barely be heard from the village hall or within the environs of the village itself, Bredgar is one of those forgotten villages on the edge of Sittingbourne that deserves more than a passing glance as you drive through. Stop at the Sun for a drink and a meal and take a walk around and view the pretty church and the 14th century Chantry building and cottage opposite. Unique in this group of villages in the area it has a pond and its share of modern and ancient buildings ranging from the church and the Chantry, through 16th C to the present day. Bredgar can also boast a functioning, and well respected primary school whose staff and pupils have created an environmentally friendly garden which is. as you can imagine in this day and age will go a long way to make young people aware of the larger questions besides economic ones that we face today.

The village is more or less centered around the pond with the church dominating its skyline

But the buildings are not all that Bredgar has to offer. A walk from the tea shop by the pond took us, my sister and myself, along a public footopath past some of the oldest buildings to Silver street and then on up to Blind Mary's lane where we turned toward Deans Hill to enjoy a cold winter's walk on roads and contemplated a hike later on when shod with good shoes on a semi circular route leading out past Deans Hill down over the motorway and back.

We spent the morning at the Christmas Fayre; my sister being domiciled in Bredgar desired to support local fund raising so, on the promise of a stroll around the village I went with her. The surprise, apart from the running commentary from her on who lives where of her friends in the village, the walk revealed some pleasing sights. These included a somewhat hazy view over the landscape; hazy because the afternoon sun was watery in the lowering dew. We could see across the estuaries to Sheppey and as far as Southend with a magnificent view of Bredgar nestling in the slight valley below Deans hill.

The house on the way out of Bredgar is older than it looks.

The view from Deans hill on a winter's day hides the imperfections of industry and the M2.

Nevertheless it was a pleasant walk and I am certain that in spring next year we will take the opportunity to explore the area and take a more thorough look at the countryside.

A walk around Ringlestone

The Ringlestone Arms has a history well known in Kent for the oddities of the two women, a mother and daughter, that once owned it. The pub is ancient - we sat in a bench chair dating from 1620 - with brick floors and wooden beams and this time of the year a huge welcoming fire.

However the objective of what was a cold November day was to walk and enjoy some exercise. We set off, wrapped up warm with a map for guidance intending to follow a route that took us in a loop touching closely on the village of Frinstead and Wormshill. The intention was to enjoy a walk and a lunch with perhaps the option of another walk afterwards.

Instead we walked to Frinstead via indifferently marked footpaths and then to Wormshill. From there we walked along the road to Ringlestone passing the point where we had expected to emerge. Yew Tree farm was the targetbut not to be. Blame it on the Sat-Nav.

As it turned out the walk was worth it when as we walked alomng the top of the hill exposed to the wind and the as yet un-melted frost the sun bravely warmed the land adding color to the mid Autumn scenery. Trees not yet totally stripped of their leaves caught the sunlight that glinted off the yellowing foliage and gave the grass and undergrowth an extra fillip of brightness.

Passing through Wormshill I posed for a photo beside the still used Victorian red postbox; reflecting on the existance of post boxes in Downs villages and wondering how many are pre ER. I know some are GR but not all are in use.

Returning to the Ringlestone Arms my sister changed her shoes for clean ones that she had in the car and I politely allowed my shoes to be covered in thoughtfully supplied boot covers in the lobby before entering. Serving a modest lunch menu we chose a vegetarian pie which was tasty and of the right size serving to fill but not to bloat. On a Summer day a pre-lunch walk taken and to eat and take some of the Shepherd and Neame beer is a good recipe with the right size serving to enjoy a full day hiking. This must be a date for next year.


In addition Ringlestone is small and pretty and even in the cold weather is well worth a visit. The view from the pub car park is magnificent.

A Walk on the Quiet Side

A gentle introduction to Autumn in the Woodland Trust Estate at Hucking on the North Downs.

The Woodland Trust area at Hucking covers 232 Hectares of land dedicated to the management of natural woodland. If this seems to be a contradiction in terms please forgive me because in fact this is what is happening here. The Trust has created a mixture of woodland that is integrated with grazing where the animals are allowed to wander through the paddocks with the occasional restriction, a natural woodland area suitable for wildlife and by copsing it creates a platform for natural regeneration and preservation of species reliant on the general deterioration of forests. The forest grows old or is burnt through fire, damaged by wind and species use the natural cycle to survive. In our modern day this has to be artificial in places because so much is in farmland and so much split by roads and urban development. The Woodland Trust at Hucking has done a wonderful job of combining all these points and at the same time created a place for people to walk end enjoy the changing seasons.

Park at the Hook and Hatchet ('ook and 'atchet at 'ucking) at Hucking and walk from there. In the picture above you can see rails for hitching horses and the open air eating area. Lunch is excellent with a variety of affordable dishes and more expensive meals but the quality is good so is value for money along with the friendly service. Maybe I like English pubs. The walks begin from where the photo was taken where a gate leads into the open paddocks.

Opposite are a pair of magnificent Beeches that can be seen along the Blue route which my sister and I walked before taking unch at the pub. The day began cold with sunny spells and wind that was fresh and made walking wrapped up as we were pleasant - the heat energy produced by walking was cooled by the wind yet there was none of that eye-watering bitterness that can be so unpleasant in cold weather. The pleasure was in the display of early Autumn colors and the sudden panoramic views of the Medway and Thames Estuary to the north and the splash of color of the woodland surrounding the paddocks. We met a number of middle-aged walkers as we wandered around and swapped banalities as you do realising that perhaps this is a middle-age thing - you go walking in the countryside. That was until we saw a family group walking in the opposite direction all enjoying the experience. Soppy and sentimental?
Maybe I am but the tranquility of the area and the beauty of the hills as they unfold in front of you although puncuated by the distant wail of the Euro-rail trains is worth avery footfall.


As usual we like to take a look at churches and so naturally after we left the pub to find Hucking itself we stopped at St Margaret's church and had a whale of a time looking at the gravestones (as you do) pleased by the attractive church building and the mundane police warning that the lead fitments were marked for identification. The warning to would be thives is obvious - like the oppressive menace of the TV licensing authority there is no doubt that You Have Been Warned and You Will Be Caught. Most reassuraing. Anyhow, imagine the church in sunlight as by now the day was getting dimmer.

The Woodland Trust area at Hucking can also be reached from the Pilgrim's way, or for those who want a good long summer or spring walk begin at Hollingbourne - park near the church and walk either left past the Manor House choosing the public footpath to the Pilgrims Way, or the Pilgrims Way itself to Allington Farm and the footpath which climbs the hill crossing the North Downs Way which will lead you into the Woodland Trust area. The routes are marked in Red and Blue with marker posts that are easy to spot.

If you want to lunch at the Hook and Hatchet then take the North Downs Way from Hollingbourne ( still parking at the church) which you will find crosses the Hollinbourne Hill above the Pilgrms Way to Broad Street Hill and then follow the road up the hill past Hucking Hill House and the Pub is on the right past the end of Scragged Oak Road. After lunch walk back through the woodlands to Hollingbourne. The fun is to try and find your way back and the pleasure is the magnificent views you get as you walk over the hills.

Walking on the designated pathways preserves the nature of the woodland and adss to the experience.

Oare Marsh Walk - a search for sausages and chops

The village of Oare close to Faversham sits at the head of Oare Creek overlooking the creek and the marshes down to the shore of the Swale. For an October day the weather was more akin to late summer day. We parked at the Three Mariners Pub with the intention of lunching there later and, shedding warm clothes, we set off along the Uplees road enjoying the clear skies and the cool breeze.












Saint Mary's at Luddenham.


The intention was to walk past Broomfield Farm on the road and then take the pathway across from Little Uplees to Luddenham Manor and the church thereby. The walk was interrupted at Little Uplees when as we passed an orchard where sheep were grazing we saw a lamb (last year's lamb) trapped in brambles by the hedge. We spoke to a local resident, a casually dressed man who told us he would contact the farmer. The farmer arrived and with his daughter attended to the distraessed animal who did what sheep ususally do - panicked and freed herself with a ripping sound from the brambles. She ran off to join her friends and the farmer and his daughter cut the offending brambles away. Boy scouts and Girls Guides doing their good deed for the day - no shilling but a friendly local contact.


The church and the Manor with the farm alongside is well worth a visit. The church has a visitor's book which is worth signing and also a locked begging bowl set in the wall for donations. Please put a penny or two in as they need the money and the place is worth the effort. You can even play the organ there if first you pump it a little.


Now for the sausages and pork chops.


There is a farm shop that sells meat produced on the farm and so I bought some sausages and my sister bought some pork chops. The quality of both was high and we discovered that not only do they feed their animals from food produced on their farm but that the farm itself is one of the most well organized and managed farms I have seen for many a year. The animals look healthy and clean, the pig sties are large and clean, the fences and the buildings look well maintained and all things such as hay, straw, implements and machinery appear to be well managed.



I was looking for decent sausages and my sister likes farm produce - you know where it comes from and at Luddenham it is presented well. The place reeks of quality! From the farm and the church we followed the map, downloaded from faversham.org/walking with the title Walk on the Wild Side. The guide is clear and the walker will find the descriptive passages useful.


The Three Mariners Public House - the food here is scrumptious. The staff welcoming although on the day we went - extremely busy.






We took a second bite at the cherry and took the path alongside the creek ( all part of the Saxon Way) keeping to the Oare side and wandered down to Harty Ferry Cottages via the bird sanctuary past the twitchers watching the sweet little dicky birds. On the walk back we had a look at St Peter's church in Oare and we can reccommend stopping there for the view alone. There was a fashion shoot for a wedding gown going (or something) with two pretty young women making their creative mark on society who allowed me to take pictures of them against the setting of the landscape, and I have to admit the photographer had chosen well.







St Peter's church - you can see the wedding gown.
















The girls sorting out the photo shoot







The amazing thing about this particular walk, apart from acquiring some decent sausages, is that we encoutered some pleasant people, the weather was excellent - we even ate blackberries along the way - good food at the Mariners but most of all some spectacular views topped off by the marvellous display of birdlife (we are part time twitchers).






A View taken with the girls and their photo shoot set up.












This view of Oare Creek and the boats is a fine example of what to expect on this particular walk. Even at low tide the place is interesting but a high tide when the boats are afloat and the sun shines on the water the view from the church is spectacular and as I remarked to the two girls - what a lovely place for a wedding.

Our two walks covered approximately 11 Kilometres and we spent approximately 5 hours messing around looking at churches, taking photo's assisting sheep, buying meat and eating a tasty lunch - oh and not forgetting the Shepheard and Neame beer consumed by yours truly.

In all a good day.

Leeds Castle

The great thing about Leeds Castle is that the punter can buy a ticket that lasts for a year and will allow entry to all but the specialist events. Last year my sister and myself visited the display of flower arrangements in the castle. We enjoyed the experience despite the bitterly cold day and so this year we made the trip again.

Geese on the greensward

Not only did we take in the castle but we also took a walk around the estate and had the opportunity to view the castle and lakes in passing. We dined at the castle on soup and bread so instead of doing the usual and parking in a pub car park to lunch there and walk we parked instead beside the Leeds church. From there we took the public footpaths past Battel Hall and on
to the Leeds estate.

Autumn is beginning to bite.

We walked to Broomfield village and saw the row of cottage that were once the barracks for the soldiers of Leeds castle. The day was wet and windy so to linger was not an option although we did have a wonderful chat with the verger of St Mary's Church. He described how he had cycled to nineteen churches in one day from nine in the morning unto six in the evening. The man, who was not that young, had cycled up hills and along the Pilgrim's Way to complete a forty-seven mile trip. We were impressed.

The most notable thing about Leeds is that when you are on foot travelling around it instead of joining the steady stream of traffic passing through is that the buildings and the village itself begins to impose themselves on you. You see what is there rather than a glimpse as you pass through.

A view of the castle from the sheep paddock - to the left is a magnificent Chestnut tree.

The place deserves a better look and for the intrepid walker I suggest a combination of a stroll around the village that takes in a route from Leeds via the church across the Leeds Castle estate to Broomfield including a visit to the church and then up to Park Barn Road taking a cut across via the edge of a farmers field (There is a way there) - find the footpath from Burgess Hall drive and walk to Back Street . You can then go along Forge lane to the path to Foley's Farm and back into Leeds and once there explore the lanes around the Priory - not forgetting to eat at the George.

Inside the castle, and the main reason for the trip, was the annual flower show and here is an example of an award winning display. Set in the Catherine of Aragon room this display was a stunner. Flowers were crafted to the shapes of hats, shoes, handbags and parasols in the most vibrant orange, red and yellow with white and green foliage as a counterpoint. Our popular choice on the voting slip!

A Short Stop in Bearsted

The traditional cricket match - an English institution

Bearsted is a village surrounding a green complete with a pond, pubs shops and that old English tradition of a saturday Cricket match. We had had a traumatic day, my sister and I, her little Jack Russell bitch was suffering from multiple wasp stings and was very ill. This 'rotten dog'; a Jack Russell with attitude at eighteen suffered a dreadful shock to the system and despite the fact that she has never been an obedient dog, will fight any dog in front of her, is totally and embarrassingly loyal to my sister, I felt sorry for her. We had to take her down to the pet hospital for them to look after her and from there, the place is at Newham shopping centre, we wandered on to find a place to eat and maybe a therapuetic stroll.

We parked in the White Horse pub car park and went inside looking for refreshment and sustenance. A pleasant surprise. The pub is beautiful inside, is located overlooking the green with tables outside where we could watch lovers and children on the green and idly follow the progress of a cricket match. It mattered little who the teams were or how good they played, what was so pleasant was the sunshine, the excellent shared meal, the good and friendly service and in spite of the passing traffic, the tranquility of an English village. As can be seen from the picture on the right it was a beautiful day for a drink and a snack outside.

Right - The Old Manor House

The contrast with our last visit earlier in the year when we were rained out, had a meal in the Oak on the Green and cut short our walk beacuse of the weather, was that this day we had the best of a late September sun. From Bearsted, if you wish to dine first at the White Horse which I can recommend you can take a stroll around the green and then on up Thurnham road. Take the public footpath across the golf course to honeyhills wood and tthen down to Chapel Lane farm and the lane back into the village. Or, if you wish you can carry on up to Thurnham and up Castle hill to the remains of Thurnham Castle. From there you can walk a part of the North Downs Way or return to the Pilgrims Way and take the footpath leading past Thurnaham Keep farm to Water Lane and back to Bearsted for a reviving pint in The White Horse.

Of course if you are feeling really intrepid you can walk across the hills to Detling and make your way back to Bearsted from there.

Whatever you do take a little time to stop at the White Horse and watch the activity on the green. Most relaxing.

A Brief Walk Around Detling

Detling lies at the bottom of the north downs where they are crossed by the busy A249 from Sheerness to Maidstone. My sister and I had called in at Boxley Church where our parents are buried with the intention of placing some flowers and tidying the grave. The Kings Arms in Boxley was full and busy so we elected to have a look at Detling and lunch there instead.

You could say that Detling straddles the A249 but in fact the A249 splits Detling in two and the village straddles the Pilgrims Way.






The centre of Detling where The Street crosses the Pilgrims Way. The A249 obscures it and for those on foot the two parts are linked by Jade's Crossing, the footbridge that was eventually built across the busy main road.

We lunched at the Cock Horse Inn and dined on one of the specials of the day, haddock fish cake with cheesey peas. Now, if this was an example of their cuisine I should say that a walker would be missing out if they did not stop there for lunch. The service was friendly and prompt and the food is cooked on the premises and not heated up. Our meals were well presented, not too large and if we were at the end of our walk we would have taken a starter, main course and dessert (at least I would). Highly recommended. In other words, pay the Cock Horse Inn a visit and check it out.

A view, on this rainy afternoon of part of the area called The Larches, a walking and horse riding area linked to the North Downs Way.










After lunch we strolled from the pub, feeling somewhat mellow, to Jade's Crossing and walked a short way along the Pilgrims Way to where the North Downs Way is posted. The weather was a little overcast then and a light rain fell which made photography with my small camera rather hit or miss so you have to imagine the dense woodland and the narrow slightly overgrown pathways with young silver birches filling the once open spaces and undergrowth covered in strong green foliage, birds busy in the woodland and the open spaces filled with wild flowers such as willow herb and ragwort with the odd wild buddlia, and the inevitable bramble bushes.

The pathways wound through the hills zigzagging up the steep slopes which helped in the high humidity. A notice at the beginning of the trails warned, or advised us, of a prolific number of Adders but unfortunately we saw none which for me was a disappointment but for my sister was a mild relief. Some likes snakes and some don't.

But let us cut to the chase. Detling is a great place to stop, have a meal in the pub and take a walk to through the hills - that is if you can ignore the attraction of the shows on Detling Hill and remember that during WWII many young fliers based there did their bit for the Battle of Britain, some dying as a result of it, and the place was a stop on the way from Maidstone to Canterbury. The village is old and as you can see from the picture on the right once included a mounting block for travellers. (On horseback) A point is to look for these in villages and ancient houses. And note too the ragstone, flint and fine brickwork of the gate.




The Cock Horse Inn. Note the monument beyond the parked cars - it honours the RAF who were stationed at Detling airfield.
















The interior of the Cock Horse - it is an old inn like Detling itself it has been there long time in one form or another.












If you think I am harping on too much about the inn then you are probably right. But opposite is the Pilgrims Way along which we walked and for a few moments watched village cricket at the local grounds and enjoyed the wonderful views offered by the downs. To the south there was a view across the flats to the outskirts of Maidstone and to the north the markers for the North Downs Way and the gate to the White Hills Forest project. Beyond that at about a mile or two is the Thurnham castle - and the Black Lion pub - another recommended eating house - and a walk across the downs to Hucking and the beautiful Woodland Trust area above Hollingbourne.

The amazing thing is that all this is within cooee of the M20 motorway and the Eurostar Railway. Yes, you hear them but after a time you dismiss them and get back to the days of Chaucer and a much more liesurely form of progression, and probably bawdier, but natural experience.

And finally check out the Cock Horse by visiting its website: http://www.cockhorseinn.co.uk/ and see what they have to offer.