It had been three whole weeks since our last venture out into the countryside, and the change in that time was noticeable. Gone were most of the autumnal colours, and the first real mud had arrived in place. However, as we pulled up at Ightham Mote, we were pleased to be outside, beneath a clear blue sky on a bright, chilly day.
The midday bells tolled as we began, leaving the National Trust property behind along a country lane, before quickly picking up a footpath on our left. It had been a couple of years since we had last visited this route, and whilst I remembered the steepness of the inclines, time had softened the memory. Almost immediately the path climbs steeply and is fairly relentless. This is certainly one of the toughest (possible THE toughest) starts to our regular routes. No sooner do you arrive at the top of the first climb do you begin the second, even more severe and significantly more slippery one. Needless to say, by the time we had reached the first true hilltop of the day, we were well and truly warmed up and in need of refuelling.
This was followed by a pleasant stint of flat walking along the crest of the hill amongst the trees, which was nice and easy until we reached some thick, path-wide mud. My first attempt to swing wide around it was a failure, so instead we proceeded slowly along the edge, clinging to the fenceline for support. Other than these patches, the going was easy until we reached a downward path to our right (where, in a fit of rebellion, Beth stood behind a “Private Property” sign, with a look of proud naughtiness on her face). This slope was both steep and very muddy, requiring further fence-based support, concentration and slow, careful steps to descend without slipping. I was also treated to a Geography lesson as we went, which at least helped me understand why this path was so slippery.
At the bottom we arrived at a long, concrete driveway, along which we stopped and said hello to a fluffy, chunky horse. This was followed by the first of two busy road crossings, on the other side of which we continued through woodland. Just like last time, we are unsure if we took exactly the right path through the trees, as the track we ended up on felt distinctly “bikey”, but we ended up where we needed to none-the-less. We were then presented with the next significant climb, all the way up Oldbury Hill itself. The path led through the continuing woods, although there was plenty of evidence of recent woodland management, including large, deep tyre tracks that required careful navigation. The climb was steep, but we picked up some steps and soon enough were at the top. Here, we found some relatively dry roots, so we stopped for lunch with a view back down through the trees.
We did not stop for long, as the day’s chill quickly crept back to remind us of its presence. We continued along the ridge for a while before veering off amongst the woodland, eventually arriving at a five-way crossroad. Unfortunately, our path was the one which had yet again been churned up by large machinery. This made the going challenging, as we did our best to pick out the best route, be that clinging to the edge through foliage, or attempting to find the most solid footing through the middle. Where the machine had eventually veered right, we carried straight on down the bridleway, and the going (physically) got easier. However, we then arrived at another five-way crossroads, and we began to question ourselves. We proceeded along what we thought was the right way, however something didn’t feel right. As we began to descend back toward the road, another path appeared to our left. We were sure that was the way we had come previously, and as we thought about it, we concluded that what we had done last time was veer off slightly to the left on a different path, which brought us to the second crossing at a different angle, resulting in a different choice of path (the one currently to our left). Whilst this first attempt was technically incorrect, we both agreed it was the better of the two, due to the views it offered.
After crossing back over the busy main road, we entered the trees on the other side. The light had begun to turn a little golden by now, highlighting the bronze of the surrounding bracken. The path was level and easy, until we reached yet another significant slope. We began, muscles already aching, and climbed up a flight of large steps back to the top. We emerged back onto the ridge from the route’s start, to find the bright, airy and inviting wooded hilltop waiting for us. From there, it was a simple return trip along the same paths which had begun the walk. Whilst much easier going downward, their steep, slippery nature still provided the challenge of not slipping over, and so we zig-zagged ski-style back down the steepest section. Once this was behind us, the remaining downhill stint was nice and easy, and we arrived back at Ightham Mote just after half-past two.
This might be one of our shorter walks, but it was certainly technically challenging, particularly at this time of year. Yes, it was only five miles or so, but there was plenty of steep undulation and deep mud in paces, occasionally at the same time. As a result, we were both surprisingly tired at the end. It is also worth noting that, unlike most of the routes, Beth had a fairly good working memory of this one – largely because of how difficult it was last time!
Thus ends another Autumn. The trees have dropped their treasure chests, and the earth shall claim its bounty.
Yes, brace yourself, for Winter has arrived.
Matthew G. Huggins 