Two glorious days on the North Downs Way

With the days rapidly becoming shorter, and the clocks due to change at the end of the month, I thought it high time to get a couple more sections of the North Downs Way under my belt. In addition to shorter days, there was the ever-present chance that the weather would turn and, more importantly, the even greater danger that our hapless government would inflict even more misery upon an already beleaguered hospitality sector.

So, what better way to show support for our pubs and hotels, than to combine a couple of days walking, with an overnight stay at a fine old inn, with a few pints to be enjoyed along the way? I therefore treated myself to a couple of much needed days off from work and made my plans accordingly.

Until this afternoon, there was a glaring gap in my east-west progress along the NDW, that missing piece being the section between the village of Wye on the River Stour, and Blue Bell Hill – overlooking the Medway gap. I’d worked out that covering this gap would require three days walking, although I accept that faster walkers than me could probably complete the 27-mile section in two days.

That’s fine, I don’t do rushing at my age, preferring to take my time and enjoy both the walk and the scenery. And that is exactly what happened this Thursday and Friday, when I walked from Charing in East Kent to Kits Coty, just below Blue Bell Hill, in mid-Kent. I was lucky with the weather, with some glorious sunshine the first day, and although today (Friday) was rather overcast, the rain held off, allowing me to experience some of Kent’s finest scenery, at close hand.

With only two days at my disposal, it made sense to cover as much ground as possible, but I was also slightly hamstrung by the availability of suitable overnight accommodation and, more importantly its proximity to the NDW. There is little point in having to deviate from the trail by anything more than a couple of miles, as otherwise one is adding additional miles that could have been spent on the NDW itself.

I therefore chose the excellent Black Horse Inn at Thurnham as my overnight stop, even though the village of Hollingbourne, which is

equidistant between my start and finishing points, would have made more sense. As things turned out, a 13 mile stretch on the first day and then an eight mile hike on the second, was the right ways round to be doing things, and in addition, my stay at the Black Horse gave me just the break I was looking for, from the madness which is gripping the world today.

So with plenty to write about, and even more photos with which to whet your appetite, I’ll sign of now, finish my unpacking and jump under that shower before Mrs PBT’s confirms I smell like a pole cat, and that I’m sleeping in the summerhouse tonight!