For as long as I have been writing this blog, and probably
an equal length of time before that, it has been my habit to kick-start Easter
by taking part in a ramble. Not just any old ramble, mind-you, but the annual
Good Friday Ramble, organised by Maidstone & Mid-Kent CAMRA.
This event is now in its 42nd year, and it can be
safely said to be an established tradition. It was therefore with a tinge of
sadness, coupled with more than a few streaks of regret, that this year I
decided to give the event a miss. My reason was the good old British weather
which this spring has been unseasonably cold and extremely wet.
Now before anyone calls me a “fair weather walker”, let me
say I can put up with the cold, and I can also cope with a drop of rain, but I
had seen with my own eyes, just how saturated the ground was underfoot, and
Maundy Thursday’s incessant rain provided the last straw. The area the group
were planning to walk through is low-lying, and almost certainly damp at
the best of times, so as someone who prefers walking to wading, I reluctantly
gave the ramble a miss.
I left it until first thing on Good Friday morning though,
to make my final decision, but with increasingly heavy rain forecast, I called
my friend John, who almost always goes on these walks, to inform him I was
bailing out (if you’ll pardon the pun).
There was however, another option in which to enjoy a few
beers at the start of the Easter weekend, and that was to join friends from my
own West Kent CAMRA branch on their annual trip to Margate,
in order to enjoy the day at the “Planet Thanet Beer Festival”.
A select bunch of members have been attending the event,
this past 13 years, but this would be my first time. This is due to the clash
of these two events, as given the choice I would rather be out in the fresh
air, enjoying seeing the Kent
countryside slowly bursting into spring. Being up to my ankles in mud, or possibly
even my knees though, swung the pendulum firmly in favour of a trip to the
seaside.
I will be writing later about how I joined “The Jolly Boy’s
Outing”, on their trip "Down to Margate", but in the meantime, the photos above should provide
a nostalgic look back at some previous Good Friday Rambles, undertaken in much
more clement weather.
2 comments:
"The area the group were planning to walk through is low-lying, and almost certainly damp at the best of times, so as someone who prefers walking to wading, I reluctantly gave the ramble a miss."
Can't argue with that. We're waiting for the weather to dry out a bit before we can resume walking to the nearby forested lands via behind our house as it's a tad tricky with the soft ground and built up streams.
"to inform him I was bailing out (if you’ll pardon the pun)."
(slow golf clap) :)
"I will be writing later about how I joined “The Jolly Boy’s Outing”,"
Hopefully yours went better than the one by Chas and Dave. :)
And nothing wrong with mixing it up once in a while. Going on the walk or going to the festival in relation to the weather makes perfect sense to me.
Cheers
PS - Hopefully in your report you can tell me what "quit Hall" means on the Festival notice website. Personally I think they meant to type Queens Hall. ;)
It could have been "Quiet Hall" Russ, although you're probably right about it being "Queen's". The hall we based ourselves in at Planet Thanet, was definitely the quieter of the two, although I have to say the band playing in the main hall (where all the beer was), were pretty good.
No sign of the weaher drying up here, btw!
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