Back in the South East and a welcome return to normal service this week – although this route was a similar length to Ben Nevis, it was significantly flatter, so we very much hoped it would be easy in comparison. As we now head into what is undeniably late spring, today’s walk suddenly brought with it a heat we hadn’t yet experienced, and conditions began to feel more akin to those of summer, than of the busy but soggy spring we have been enjoying.
Parking along the street of the pretty little village of Penshurst, we set off into an already hot day just gone eleven o’clock, after spotting the location on our way back from the Cowden walk a few weeks previously. After pausing just past Penshurst Place for our customary deleting of photos off the camera’s memory card, we got going in earnest, the path drawing us out into the countryside.
After leaving a very busy, wide and well-established farm track full of cyclists and runners, our first notable point in the day came when we crossed a small bridge over a pit of dragons. Beneath us and about us there we Damselflies and Dragonflies of all colours everywhere we looked, glimmering emerald, ruby and sapphire in the sunshine. We then continued to follow the little river for some distance, still regularly seeing the dragons, before veering out across a large field of cows. At this point we were already feeling the heat, and soon we reached our first tricky point. Aside from the mountain and the Bewl Water circular, this was the first new route we had done in a while, so it took us a moment to work out what was going on before choosing the right direction. This led us across a field of crops and through a small copse. As we emerged into the sunshine on the other side, we stopped in our tracks as we spotted a deer peacefully grazing amongst the growing meadow before us. We were as quiet as we could be, but as you’d imagine we were soon spotted and the deer turned and trotted away, revealing a handful of companions running through the long grass alongside. Amongst the small herd was a very bright, albino deer, which duly disappeared amongst the trees alongside its friends.
The field soon turned into a wash of tall buttercups, the first of many throughout the day, before crossing over a road into a large, very open and very sunny, sloping field. Fortunately, the ascent quailed to that of Ben Nevis, so was promptly behind us, before emerging into another, small paddock of yellow. Not long after we came back out onto a road, which led us uphill past a pleasant feeling field of sheep and their young, all the way into Bidborough, the halfway point of the day. After navigating a couple of roads, a small fishing lake and some convenient alleys, we arrived at an open area with a pair of benches at the top of a small, steep field, where we stopped to refuel.
The second half of the day began with a gentle climb through a small wood before the route opened up onto a field of wildflowers and sheep running alongside a small cemetery. This promptly turned back to a woodland containing a large amount of squirrels and then into a small row of houses and back down to the road. Here began the longest bit of road walking for the day, and it started with a sharp climb. Fortunately, the tree-lined road provided plenty of shade which did take the edge off, however this gave way at the top to the heat of the day. We were both grateful to see our route turn down a smaller, cooler road on our right which sloped a little way downward. This eventually brought us to another footpath, marked by not one, not two, not even three, but four way markers AND a signpost AND a stone footpath marker for good measure – a thorough job.
We walked through yet more buttercups and down through a dilapidated-looking farmyard past a few more sheep and lambs. A large tree appeared to our left, wafting thousands of tiny wishes away through the air, highlighted by the bright light of the clear day. The path then went slowly downward before we crossed a little stream where Beth was attacked by a pair of dragons, before continuing along a clear farm track through a very green world. It was then across a road, through more colourful fields and past a couple of swampy ponds – one of the kissing gates in this section was a little overgrown, which was a challenge for us in our shorts (a glimpse of things to come I’m sure!).
Across another quiet road past a nearly 500-year-old house, we entered the last segment of the day. After passing a few more distant cows, we found ourselves in the day’s familiar world of yellow beneath blue, which Beth was particularly enjoying. However, so distracted were we by the decorations of late spring, that we merrily crossed a large wooden bridge, failing to notice a path forking off to the right, and only realizing our mistake a few minutes later. Doubling back on ourselves, we got a chance to appreciate the fields for a second time, before continuing in the correct direction. Ahead, the summer crops were growing nicely, beginning to resemble a soft, gently waving ocean in the breeze. After disturbing a few sunbathing lambs in front of a gate, we walked past a few, quiet cottages and onto the final long stretch of footpath of the day, taking us past a mixture of crops and lambs, many of whose bleats had begun to sound noticeably more adolescent than the sweet bleats of newborns.
After leaving behind the footpaths for the day, the road took us down and across the river for one final time, before ascending back up into the familiarity of Penshurst. Here we stopped for our customary well-earned pints in the Leicester Arms Inn, which looked pleasant inside, was serving yummy smelling food and had a very well-kept and extensive garden – one to go back to for sure. For a nine-plus mile route, this felt pretty easy, although my feet were definitely sore when we stood up to go home. This may be because of last week’s adventure, but the simple, rolling countryside travelled smoothly beneath our boots on this occasion, aside from a few muddy gateways – the last remnants of what has been a very wet season indeed! A little more variation in scenery would be my only note, however it was a great route to display the final act of Spring – glowing fields of buttercups, fresh greenery and chunky lambs, all beneath a brilliant blue sky.
Original route was provided by Kent Ramblers and is available at http://www.kentramblers.org.uk/KentWalks/public/walk_055.htm
Matthew G. Huggins 