Spring is upon us!
We made it through the cold and the mud, and have now returned to my favourite season. Weeks of flowers, lambs and blue skies lay ahead, and we couldn’t wait to get stuck in.
For our first spring outing, we decided to go for a longer route, starting at Sissinghurst Castle. This ‘walk through time’ is one that I had done once before with my mum and dad a few years previously, but couldn’t remember clearly, so would be relying on the map to fill in the gaps.
We set off from the National Trust car park just after half past ten, beneath a clear sky and warm sunshine. After a short paddy from Beth as she struggled to find us on the map, we made our way past the gardens down a familiar track, which was part of one of our former walks. Once we had made it to the road, leaving the Sissinghurst grounds behind us, we turned left, and saw a heron flying overhead. We again crossed the other route, then turned left across the neighbouring fields, the way markers (helpfully labelled ‘a walk through time’) pointing us across the countryside. A flock of sheep watched us as we crossed their land, and we began to feel the strange sensation of heat growing. We passed into a short stretch of trees on the other side where we disturbed a few unexpected moorhens and a couple of ducks, before arriving at another lane.
Our next path awaited us about a hundred yards on the right, and a little way down I came to a halt and made a decision; it was time to take the thermal off. Not only that, but my jumper remained off too, as I enjoyed the sensation of the heat and the cool air mixing on my skin. It was perhaps because of this burst of joy that we managed to miss our next footpath, and merrily carried on our incorrect course. At this time we also made a significant decision. Previously, Beth had taken the bag for the first half of the day, and I had it after lunch (this was of course weighted in my favour). Now however, with Beth too getting warm and the bag very full, we decided that we should start swapping every hour – and this turned out to be a very good system! As we made our way along the edge of an orchard and the path ran out that, we finally noticed our mistake, but fortunately, a hole in the hedge at the corner happened to line us back up with the footpath we were supposed to be on! I feel it only fair to note that Beth handled this misstep with admirable calmness and grace. However, it’s fair to say that we were both relieved when we came across a marker confirming that we were definitely on the right route. This came in the form of a very random tree swing and table and chairs just off the footpath, which looked like a real-world version of the Mad Hatter’s tea party. Fortunately, this was enough to confirm to me that we were on the correct route, as I remembered having a go on the swing last time – I promptly did the same on this occasion too.
A little around the corner we arrive at a road which we had driven up that morning. This was the trickiest road crossing of the day, as the road is fast and required us to walk around a bend to get to the next path. Fortunately, visibility wasn’t too bad and there was enough of a verge to stay off the tarmac, so we made it across and all was well. On the other side awaited a woodland, and we found a spoon wedged behind a way marker reflecting our adventure, as well as the first truly muddy paths of the day, although they were easily navigated. We made our way past thousands of green sprouts poking through the litter of leaves, promising the bluebells to come, before the trees gave way and we arrived at something peculiar; a tall, metallic fence running around a large area, with an electrified wire at the top. The footpath however went right through, and so we opened the door and entered the paddock, unsure what was going on. The mystery didn’t last long however, as after leaving through the opposite gate Beth read one of the signs which explained it was to protect hens, and crucially to keep the foxes out. This was good to know, as a minute later we arrived at another, larger fenced area, only now we crossed it without worrying. Sadly there were no hens to be seen, and we were soon on the other side. We stopped for a drink, before leaving the field and entering our next patch of woodland. So far, this route had had plenty of way markers and been very well kept. It came as a surprise therefore, when this next section turned out to be muddy and overgrown, with several trees across our path which required ducking low. This was the only part of the day where water entered my old boots, and I quite enjoyed the bushwhacking! We made it to the edge of the trees where one last obstacle awaited us, and we had to swing our way through an old gate which could just about support our weight.
Back out in the open and we returned to a nice easy stretch of open fields, and way markers continued to reassure our passage. We arrived at a short stretch of road which quickly ran out and returned to path, just as the sound of running water tickled our ears nearby. We carried on up a slight incline, and when it levelled out we found ourselves amongst a sunny, open patch of woodland. A short way along, we came across a patch of wild garlic, as teased by the flowing water, and I stopped, squatted, and sniffed the leaves appreciatively for a moment. The birds sang, the sun shone and garlic grew – I am so glad spring has returned. We carried on through the trees, which eventually gave way to a quiet driveway and a few houses hidden amongst the countryside. We admired the cottages as we went, eventually turning right along a sunny path running along the edge of a large, rising field. The world was a long-missed green and blue and all was well, as Beth got a little out of puff and began to wish for lunch. We knew that Cranbrook was not super far ahead, so decided to aim for there unless we spotted a likely looking spot beforehand – so we carried on. This soon brought us out to another long driveway lined with quiet cottages, at the end of which we crossed the next road. It was at this point I recalled another memory from the walk with mum and dad, and as the path looped around, I listened anxiously, hoping to hear a particular sound. Right on queue, a loud honking could be heard. Seconds later, a large goose came into sight, waddling quickly and aggressively toward the fence running closely beside our path. This was the same goose which we had come across last time, and he was not pleased to see us then either; can confirm, still angry!
After the goose had well and truly seen us off its property, we carried on toward Cranbrook. This was mainly through a gently inclining and in parts muddy track through some woods, during which time we stopped for some sweets and a sugar boost to push us through to lunch. This did the trick, and after we had crossed back over the busy road (just up from where I had rescued a pair of goats a couple of months before) we soon found ourselves in the familiar surroundings of Cranbrook. Both the green and the churchyard provided obvious spots for lunch, however Beth had remembered a particularly scenic bench a little way further on and so we pressed on, as we joined part of the route of another of our previous walks. The extra few minutes were well worth it. The bench was a little outside the village, overlooking the countryside and bathed in sunshine. After all the damp lunch spots of the last few months, this was perfect – well done Beth!
After our late lunch, we carried on along the very familiar path, waving goodbye to the Benenden route after climbing up a steep field. The walk then led us along the top of a long, open field and the sun continued to shine, and here something shocking happened. We spotted a path running parallel to us just on the other side of the shrubbery, which was probably where we were supposed to be. Yet rather than freaking out, Beth said she was happy staying out in the sun – regular readers will understand how major this statement was…
The field ended and we entered an alley way running amongst a few houses. I thought this was still the outskirts of Cranbrook, but was surprised to find that we were already back in Sissinghurst, confirmed by the sight of The Milk House pub ahead of us (I did not realise that Cranbrook and Sissinghurst were quite so close!). We bypassed the pub (for the moment) and after making our way past the church walked down an awaiting byway, where the tall tower of Sissinghurst poked its head above the trees, signalling the approaching end of the route. The byway ended at a stinky sewage works, and we entered an orchard. A short way up we crossed a bridge, on the other side of which we faced a choice. To our right was a gate entering National Trust land along an easy-looking path, yet with no way marker. Ahead however, was a path running with water, and was much less inviting. The map however suggested it was this way, so we decided to give it a go, Beth saying we could find out and go back if it were wrong (again, a very impressive statement from my co-adventurer). This did turn out to be the right way and we carried on along the edge of the next orchard beyond. We did almost miss our path cutting diagonally across the orchard, and then again thanks to a fallen way marker where it straightened out again. Super-Beth again came to the rescue, stopping me from merrily marching in the wrong direction and redirecting us back along the correct path. It was around this time that she really began to feel herself, and strutted and swaggered her way through the orchard – she had one hell of a day, and had well and truly earned her moment.
At the top of the orchard, we turned right down our final byway of the day, as the shadows began to grow longer and some sheep watched our passage. A few minutes later, we arrived back at the carpark, about four and a half hours after leaving. This was a pretty good pace over one of our longer routes, and was a great walk to kick off our spring campaign. The weather was perfect, the paths were much drier than other recent walks and the signs of spring were all around, and with a nice amount of variation and a perfect lunch spot, there was lots to be happy about. Also, special shout-out to Beth for all the character development on display – proud of you!
Fortunately we had made it back in time for last entry to the gardens, so after changing shoes we went for a quick lap to look at the flowers and get a stamp in our National Trust passport. After this, with the sun still shining, we jumped in the car and parked up at The Milk Shed which we had passed earlier. We settled ourselves down in the sunny garden, for our first post-walk pints in a while. At this point, a very bizarre and never-before-seen event occurred. For the first time in five years, Beth finished her pint before I did! This is simply unheard of, and we were both very proud of her. As the cider made her giggly, and I admired the sun shining through my beautifully bubbling cider, we continued to enjoy the last of the day’s sun as birds tweeted about us (including a tawny owl hidden away somewhere!). Only when the heat finally began to fail did we call it a day. We arose from our table, and made our way home, satisfied with a Sunday well spent.
This was a fantastic day, and a wonderful way to mark the new season!
Matthew G. Huggins 
walking in spring is the best.
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