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.

Lynsted - Cantiana Festival of the Arts - July 5th

Going to church on a saturday normally means a wedding or a funeral but for my erstwhile friend Bob Collins and myself it meant exposing ourselves, Sorry, don't panic, we took some paintings along, a tall hat and a rat and exhibited our works of art. We had fun, explored the area a little and enjoyed the music.


Perhaps we were a little over-priced for the visitors but for me it was an experience not to be missed as this was the first time I had shown my work in public. We were noticed by the press and with top hat, paintings and a ship's rat we managed to get our picture in the paper.

Please note the rat in the centre taking up its position as The Right Honourable Pest. Just a brief aside but during our performances in public we refer to poems about rats - Plague Rats and Enchanted Rats.

So, other than the festival what was the attraction of Lynsted?

Set behind the A2 and the small township of Teynham the village is a little of a backwater but has a surprising beauty as you can imagine of these ancient Kent villages. Some houses date from the late 15th C and there are others more modern and as yuo can imagine the village is surrounded by farm lands. Not far from the Kingswood area and sporting a manor my sister and I decided it was a place to explore in the cooler times of the year. My sister joined us for the exhibition and natuarlly we went for a stroll.

Bob Collins and my Sister outside a Tudor house in Lynsted village. The owner was gardening and although he declared that the upkeep was difficult the place was a treat to live in. His garden was a treat too.

The pleasure was to walk around the village with no problems with traffic density, the occasional vehicle was moving at a reasonable speed. But then if you pass through most Kent villages the temptation is to slow down and gawk.

As you can see this is much of what Lynsted is like - neat and tidy with people taking pride in their gardens.

As an added bonus the local pub is famous for its food. The Black Lion pub has a reputation in the Sittingbourne and Sheppey area as the place to eat. As a treat for blog readers I have included their website address.

http://www.pubsandbeer.co.uk/index.php?ID=P&pub=104

Hollingbourne - Eyethorne

It is a pity that the two villages are so close to the roar of the M20 and the rush of trains from the Euro-star. If it wasn't for those two problems a walk around Hollingbourne and its precincts is most pleasant.

Cottages in Hollingbourne High Street - probably Eyehorne in fact but we call it Hollingbourne.

This ancient village set close to the river Len has a charm that unless you stop and look is easily missed. With three pubs serving food and a church that is open to the public Hollingbourne is a little gem. We parked outside the church knowing that we would probably be too late for lunch at any of the pubs and bought sandwiches to go from the Motorway services to eat somewhere in the hills.

Our route took us from the church through the village with a short excursion around the Millennium Park past the services and then on to Broad Street. Now this was a pleasant walk though green woods where we spied native orchids and a sign that informed us that wild boars could get quite upset if disturbed - panic! Fortunately despite the warnings we saw no boars and arrived at Broad Street unmolested by tusks and angry teeth. I thought fondly of roast boar.

The picture on the right is of a native orchid - a most lovely plant.

We climbed from Broad Street to Hucking House and walked through the beautiful woodlands back to Hollingbourne via the Pilgrim's Way. We ate our sandwiches on the Woodland Trust lands and watched a herd of well fed cattle wander on their own from one paddock to another ready to eat grass that was not only rich but plentiful. The Woodland Trust has some 135 Hectares of land most in woodlands and coppice and the rest in natural grasslands - hence the healthy looking cattle. You can get on to the estate from a pathway close to Hucking House and follow the tracks. We passed through.

But, for those wild boars and dreams of spit roast pig this was the notice we saw after we had passed through the woods where the wild boars were living. Note that the tree has no low branches and my sister and I being somewhat middle aged appreciated the difficulty of climbing said tree if attacked by one of the animals.

Hence the panic.

The Yew Tree Inn, Sandling

If there is a pleasure to be had in Kent that is to be enjoyed above all others then a pub meal after a walk has to come high on the list. Hence after the walk around Maidstone we decided to eat at the Yew Tree Inn just outside Maidstone not farfrom Peneden Heath and Sandling. The only drawback to the place is that it is now close to the busy M20 motorway which makes sitting outside a bit of a chore - noisy.

Nevertheless I can recommend the pub - what am I saying? It's a great little place and years ago when I was a callow youth my great friend and myself hied us to the place to sample its Shepheard and Neame Old Ale. The pub was typical of the sixties, two bars, a public and lounge bar but it had the attraction of a warm fire - this was a winter trip on our motorcycles - and sold beers and ales and fine spirits with the usual bar snacks of warmed up pies and scotch eggs etc.

It's dark interior and the quiet atmosphere was an attraction to us and I have fond memories of the occasional drink there. The feature of the place has always been the Yew tree and on occasion when I was first married my wife and I walked there for an evening drink at the weekend. Unfortunately the pubs then rarely sold meals and relied on the usual snacks being drinking places rather than restaurants.

Today it is different. The Yew Tree has a single bar with a resaurant and a comfortable seating area where you can drink or snack.

Why am I talking about the place?

Simply because this is the second time my sister and I have dined there and enjoyed our meals so much we can safely say that we would go there again. (Cripes - I even left a tip!)

The Fishereman's Pie is exquisite! Eat it! Enjoy and the Ommelette is delicious. Not over large portions but tasty and filling and worth the price. In fact I was so impressed that I asked for the pub website address and promised to post it on this site.

Here it is: http://www.yewtreesandling.co.uk/

A Walk beside the Medway

In the centre of the busy market town of Maidstone in Kent there is a tranquil summer walk; a place where once the solemnity and pomp of religious expression dominated. Today there is the Church of All Saints with its magnificent brass plaques and myriad ancient tombs covered by their incumbent's donated flagstones and its presence that seems to add peace to the busy scene around it.

A corner of the Bishop's Palace gardens

This of a Saturday and a reconnoitre of the area for a wedding in the Bishop's Palace, now owned and used by the Borough Council, to find suitable car parking for guests wanting to witness the ceremony in the registry office. We, my sister and I walked the walk to time the trek from the car parks to the office and also the time taken on a Saturday to get through town. This task done we took ourselves on a stroll around the old buildings.

It was a pleasant, warm June day so we took a stroll along what was once the tow-path along the Medway watching the ducks and geese enjoying the water. The Lockmeadow shopping complex loomed up but within a less than a hundred metres this was hidden by green clad trees and the sight of recently built riverside apartments, some pleasing to the eye and others in need of some trees to break up their harsh, utilitarian lines. The contrast was the 'posh' homes across the river with their boat landing ramps, and landscaped gardens.

But I digress for on the town side of the river the council has created an amphitheatre that is, or should be a candidate for pride of place. Quiet and remote from the snarl of traffic that clogs the roads just a few hundred metres away this is a little riverside gem. To us, so familiar with our county town, the revelation was that we had never explored the area around the Palace enough and we were pleasantly surprised.

The Amphitheatre

Of course if you wish you can take a ride down the Medway to Allington Lock and visit the Kent Life Museum but I recommend instead you take the effort to follow the river as far as you can and enjoy the pleasures of the towpath. Our only regret was that we had to return to avoid getting the car wheels clamped or a fine, but then if you are willing to pay a little more for parking and stroll further then you are in for a summer treat.

A View from the tow-path

A vist to Penshurst Place

A curse on the fickle English weather that drowns a holiday weekend, inundates the greedy land hides the sun with cloud, yet promising bright light scurrilously withdraws its favors. Ah, yes, a trip that brought me to Penshurst Place Gardens, the home of one of my favourite character in history, Sir Phillip Sidney, poet and all round useful bloke.

Penshurst Place was finished in1341 beginning with the huge Baronial Hall and in later years added to as a residence which, I am pleased to say, is still in use today. Surrounded by farm lands and the lovely Penshurst village in what I call ‘Posh’ Kent, the building is imposing and worth a visit.

However, although many visitors want to see the house it is the gardens that are the attraction. Started when the original building was built the gardens have remained, if not exactly the same, more or less original with themes adapted to the times. The attraction is that it was untouched by Victorian cultural vandals and as a result we can enjoy a garden that like any gardener tending an original garden has developed with the gardener and not subjected to the fickleness of newcomers.

For me the highlights of the gardens are the Rose Garden, the unique Union Flag Garden and the Peony Beds. Which is why I am moaning about the weather. I wanted to take pictures of the peonies in full sunlight but, fickle the weather was and fickle it stayed, defying me to grant me one small burst of sunshine, and one I missed because I was inside the house at the time. Bah! Humbug!

One pleasure, out of many, was talking to a Dutch visitor, one of a party, who were visiting gardens by the coach load, and enjoying the conversation beside the peony beds.

I note that for the garden watcher a season ticket is the answer because like many such gardens they need to be seen at all seasons to appreciate their special beauty. A few years ago I was at Penshurst in high summer. In contrast my recent visit gave me a taste of what was to come – a garden that is so vibrant with summer colors that it takes your breath away.