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.

Marden Kent - a wool town

Marden in Kent not far from Maidstone was a wool town. Today it is a pretty village and on the commuter run with the rail line passing close by.  We decided to take a quiet stroll around the place and hope to re-visit for a much longer walk when the weather will allow easier walking in and around the village on the public footpaths.  In the meantime first impressions suggest that there is much to enjoy in this weald town that still offers the stocks outside the church.

The sign proudly declaring Marden is set in the centre of the village on a triangular island on which stands a building now used as a farm shop.  You could say this is the village square and on this Saturday we found the place was quiet with the occasional bus and a few vehicles driving through.

We parked close to the Library and walked west along the road past the church and the railway station to return the same way.  Sister D was suffering from a recent bout of the lurgi so we allowed ourselves the luxury of a casual and careful walk to allow for the chill although it was a sunny day.  We stopped for a drink and a light lunch in the West End Tavern which from the outside did not appear to be anymore than a local pub. Surprisingly the place turned out to be a combination of local pub and pleasant restaurant wirth a friendly Saturday afternoon atmosphere that was most welcome. 

The locals in Marden seemed to be friendly and willing to make conversation.  The picture of the Old House showing a ladder leaning against a window from which a man was working was one such experience.  We chatted about how the house was to have a former extension replaced and how the work to restore the rest was progressing.  Such things make the trips worthwhile apart from the pleasure of walking and exploring our county.  (And drinking the local beer)

The Church is unusual in that it has a wooden top to the tower and from research the church was begun at the time of Bill the Conker's invasion ( that man gets everywhere)   although I think the set of stocks shown were given to the village in 1882 - the local gentry apparantly liking age old traditions. 

We will return to Marden later in the year as there is much in the area to explore and perhaps we will combine some of the exploration with river walks.  Whatever we do it would be a treat to return to a place we have only glanced at.  

Abbey Woods - Langley

Orchards and worker's huts - Langley


As they say, Christmas comes but once a year and this year it came with snow and other considerations for a pair of walkers. We had a task to do at Boxley church and visitors that needed attention. So on the last Saturday of January we finished the task at Boxley and found lunch at The Plough in Langley. Good sandwiches although there was plenty of excellent food on offer and pleasant beer and friendly service. The Inn was comfortably busy with a family atmosphere that adds pleasure to a bright winter day. The problem with our choice was the traffic noise on the main road that was a guide to location as we wandered the woods more or less casually for a couple of hours.

We passed orchards where itinerant workers are based - only a few in evidence as there is little to do at this time of the year and a few workers can cope. The tracks were muddy having thawed out a a little in the sunshine but the icy grass and the hard frosty surface of the woodland paths soon sorted out the mud and walking became a pleasant and welcome thing.

The intention was to stretch our legs a little - although the Spanish Inquisition might have been the best resource for that sort of thing - and to enjoy the clear blue sky, fresh air and the chatter of birds.

A Christmas Tree?

The paths are a bit unclear but are marked and although we more or less made our own way we discovered a public footpath leading from the Leeds end of Langley which will take you through the woods to Leeds with a diversion if you wish it to Kingsdown.

A view of the woods

The George at Leeds is a great place to stop but on this day the place was crowded out with no chance of getting the car in to park. Nevertheless it would be a good idea to get there earlier - we had been in Boxley until after mid-day - and try their cuisine as well as perhaps walking the tracks to Langley for a pint at the plough before returning.

So, we have started walking and blogging for 2010. Enjoy.

Charing - the tale of a Christmas Tree

It seemed approriate that at this time of the year we take a short walk close to home so we went to Charing close to Ashford and on the road to Canterbury. Charing settles on the pilgrim's way and part of the North Downs Way and was once a resting place for the Archbishop of Canterbury. The old place was built there as a way station for the Archbishop of Canterbury on his trips between London and Canterbury. It was sold in 1629 and since then has deteriorated to the point where no self respecting Arch bishop could live there any longer. I believe in 2003 or thereabouts there was an unsuccessful attempt to gain funds to refurbish it and of late the Trust has collapsed which means that the place will be likely to fall apart even further.

Above: The arch leading to the Palace

- fat pigeons in hole to the right.

However, we stopped in the car park beside it and the church and saw an sign offering Christmas Trees so we went in through the arch, guarded by a couple of plump pigeons, and had a rare opportunity of seeing the ruins. My sister was looking for a tree and found one to her liking complete with roots for an exchange of monetry goods to the tune of ten pounds. It was a good looking tree and hopefully can be planted instead of chucked out for re-cycling.

Above: The old Palace Barn and store rooms

with Christmas trees on display.

Charing is a charming place and after we had explored the area around the church we headed for the village stopping at the millenium sun dial which didn't work - note there is a sundial on the church as well (that didn't work either) - maybe we needed to wait for the sun to shine?

The residents we met were very friendly including the people in the palace, and were willing to talk about their home village and some in particular were proud of the Christmas lights. There are a few shops in the village including a most comprehensive village store, a butcher's shop that also sells bakery products, a cafe where we had home made soup and local bread and a gem that nobody should miss. A chocolate shop! I can personally recommend the chocolate mice hand made by the owner. The chocolate is not only smooth, solid to the crunch and sweet but it is not sickly and affordable. A family went past us as a we were gobbling our mice and the children were running to get to the chocolate shop - I cannot blame them.

As a nice little stop on the way to somewhere Charing offers the charm of a historic village and a pleasant place to stroll - there is a pub in the high street and crossing the main Canterbury road there are some walks up to the hills and down again. It is a typical Downs village and one that many people would pass through but can offer some good walks - we will do some in the warmer weather and post them here.

It appears that a certain Mr Cackett was a manufacturer and engineering inventor who devised the diamond frame bicycle and made a motorcycle from parts he named the Venture. When we bear in mind that Ashford was once a railway workshops town and also had a thriving manufacturing industry that included making bicycles and mopeds one can understand the connection.

Wakeley House

Lamberhurst

Wher do you go on a cold autumn day when you have explored much of East and West Kent and do not fancy freezing on the coast or wanderinbg around a city such as Canterbury pretending to go shopping? We have enjoyed much of our local area and have sorted some routes so that we can travel quickly to favorite places. We decided that Lamberhurst was a good place to go with the intention of exploring the village or town casually and plan further visits when the weather and the season is more friendly to casual walkers. It proved to be a pleasant trip although with not a lot of walking but enough to enjoy. We also discovered a leaflet in the local shop described as the 'High Weald Welly Walk' that guides the walker to Scotney Castle estate and to places of interest around Lamberhurst and Kilndown.

Lamberhurst, just off the A21, not far from Goudhurst and close to Scotney Castle. A pretty place in the summer and naturally we visited it in the late autumn. The day was sunny and cold and therefore ideal for walking although we did not want to tromp in mud. We are not that intrepid without a guide either in the form of a map or a walk plan. We stopped in the car park in town and strolled the main street taking a look at the wonderful church built of sandstone.

The rain during the week and the night before was so heavy that golf courses were closing for play so when we walked across the course on the buggy path and public footpath we were glad there was nobody at play. We did not linger in the church as there was a group inside doing what groups in churches do but it is worth a visit.

Lamberhurst has managed to do something unique with its buildings in most of the places we saw close to the centre. Firstly the old houses are well preserved and tidy which is a great asset for the place given the number of visitors it has in the summer, and secondly many new buildings have been tastefully designed to fit in with the older styles and do not look out of place. There are some modern styles but these are gratefully suppressed and the whole place is a picture - a photographic delight. The new mixes with the old gracefully.

With sunset getting earlier the problem with our jaunts is, apart from the walking conditions, is time. We have to adjust so if we want lunch we have to work it so that we have a return to the car with a short walk and make the longer one before. The problem with that idea is we often need a warming cup so this day we walked from the centre up to the church and back and stopped in the Chequers Inn for a coffee intending to eat there if needs be. The Chequers is a grand place with a polite and pleasant welcome, a good lunch menu if somewhat on the high side for price but quality seems excellent.

The bars of the Chequers are hung with paintings by local artist Jane Grey and worth a look. She uses colors and adds a wonderful excitement to her scenes. The paintings are well framed

and for sale. We didn't lunch there as it turned out finding the rest of Lamberhurst more interesting than hurrying back part way for a meal. Instead we nipped into the Swan where the locals were watching the Irish beat the South Africans at Rugby. A pint of local Sussex ale and a light lunch was taken and recommended as a place to go for food. We were treated to a pleasant, unobtrusive service, good food served by cheerful staff and heated by a warm open fire with a gentle reminder that Christmas is coming.

In all the day was pleasant and intruduced us to another part of the Weald that needs to be visited. Filled with history of Iron making, charcoal burning and clay work this area also has the Scotney estate and was once a Hop Growing area. I am glad because the beer in the Swan was good.