For today’s adventure we returned to one of our old favourites, the Matfield circular. This would be our fourth (we think) lap of this particular route, having been one of the very first we did together, and this may have been the best one yet! As far as we could recall, this would be our first time around in spring, which of course offers up a range of delights.
We set off from the oh-so-familiar car park at the edge of the Matfield green at eleven o’clock, leaving the village and entering the countryside only a minute or so later. Immediately we spotted the day’s first lambs in a field to our right which hadn’t had sheep in at all previously, before going diagonally across one which almost always did. We had actually been along this section recently, as it also made up the first part of the Brenchley circular. It was this time however significantly drier beneath our boots, as well as decorated with a spattering of bluebells (albeit now looking slightly tired as the season draws to a close).
Where we had turned left a couple of months ago, we now turned right to enter the day’s first woodland section. The shade beneath the green leaves was welcome, as the morning was blue-skied and hot. As well as continual spatterings of bluebells, we also found a stretch of wild garlic lining the undulating footpath. As the path levelled out and steadily led us from the trees, the garlic changed to thickets of cow-parsley, as well as thousands and thousands of tiny fluffy seeds blowing through the air, which gathered at the edge of the track like great clumps of spider webs. They also got caught up in my beard, which was mildly itchy.
The next stretch across the orchard was familiar as ever, although it was too early for the apples to be shining from the trees. One difference this time was that we stopped in the farm shop across the road for ice-creams, as it was such a warm day. Beth had pistachio flavour, and I had mint choc-chip, and we ate the refreshingly cold treat gratefully as we carried on toward Kent college. On our way up the hill, we again found a normally empty field full of sheep and lambs. We then turned to walk across the field in front of the college, which always contains sheep, and were pleased but not entirely surprised to find an abundance of lambs. We spent a few minutes in this field enjoying the scene, with many of the flock choosing to spend their day in the shade beneath the trees; apart from 33, who seemed to have lost her lamb – we hope very much that she has found them by now!
After this we entered another small wood, where we had managed to get lost a couple of times before. Of course, we know what we are doing now, so no such problems on this occasion. Our choice to try this one in spring however, was very much rewarded even further here. Last time, we noted a faint waft of wild garlic and wondered if there was a good colony that grew here in springtime. Well, we were right, and there is! The bloom of delicate, white-starlight flowers stretched out of sight through the undulating woodland. What’s more, I could smell their scent clearly for the first time this year, much to my relief. We enjoyed making our way through the extended colony before coming out for the next passage of farmland. We soon came across our usual lunch spot, but having eaten our ice cream less than an hour before, decided to press on.
The next stretch was a series of orchards, although we found that the third one had now been converted to a crop field. We managed to collect a lot of wool for our upcoming wedding before coming across the culprits lazing amongst the shade of the trees. Our presence did disturb them somewhat, but they did not go far and we stood and watched them bimble about enjoying their lazy afternoon together. Across a quiet road, we descended steeply before climbing back up through a small wood containing the day’s best patch of bluebells. On the other side, we came across a large sheep field. Many ewes and lambs monitored our passage as we made our way up the edge, and plonked ourselves down with our backs to a tree at a crossroads of paths to enjoy our lunch in such an idyllic setting. We watched the flock wander about the fields as we ate, with two mums and four lambs even accidentally stumbling upon us a little closer than they might, having not spotted us until they poked their heads around one of the nearby trees. One of the ewes stood and baa-ed at us for a while, before deciding we were safe and turning away. As we got up to continue, one of her lambs also bleated, and together Beth and I replied instinctively with perfect bleats back. This obviously greatly confused the poor lamb, as he continued to stare at us intently for quite some time as we carried on up the field until eventually we were out of sight.
At the top of the field, we crossed the day’s busiest road, which took particularly long today, and then made our way to the next patch of woodland. This one always puts us in mind of Jurassic Park and rises and falls quite sharply before you exit out into the countryside on the other side. From here, it is not far until Matfield, and the path continues to rise and fall through patches of trees. There are occasionally beasts to see in this last section, but not today, and we soon found ourselves walking down the lanes of Matfield, and back across the green. The day’s walk took us a little over three hours, and it was a very enjoyable and also very hot one. We were both sticky by the time we got back, and so when we got home, after stopping for supplies on the way back, Beth decided to make some ice-cold fruit smoothies. They tasted very good, although they were possibly more like eating than drinking!
Matthew G. Huggins 