A slightly later start than normal for this one, thanks in no small part to the previous night’s Halloween party (Beth was a selkie, I went as Odysseus), which had left significantly more of a toll on one of us when the morning arrived. Our late night had seen us sleep in, and as such we did not get to the start of the day’s walk until a quarter to midday. Fortunately, by this point, the overhanging had dispersed, and we were fresh enough to embrace the day.
Returning for our third visit to this route, which starts at the Hucking Estate Car Park, the day was a little cooler than recent weeks had been, and the day was dark grey with plenty of cloud. However, the brightly coloured trees glowed brilliantly amongst the dullness, like flaming candles raging against the turn of the season; in short, Autumn be poppin’.
We left the car parked at the top of the North Downs and headed out into the damp day, almost immediately passing a fantastically pink tree as our boots left marks in the wet grass. For a few glorious minutes, the water remained on the outside of them; however, all too soon, we each had wet socks, and so they stayed for the rest of the miles (they stunk upon our return). Descending into a strip of ancient woodland, it felt somehow easier to navigate than previously, as did the woods across the road, which (possibly for the first time) we made it through without going wrong. Again for the first time ever, as we emerged back out into the open, we found the large field to have a clear and visible path across the middle. Everything was going suspiciously smoothly so far!
We passed a large bonfire, where a part of me (my feet) wished to stop and dry my socks, but alas, we pressed on. Instead of warming our toes, we made our way along a quiet road and up through a large orchard. We then met a slightly busier road, and we ducked off this through a gap in the hedge. This brought us out into Yew Tree Farm School. This is a little area divided up into paddocks, and on either side we could see ponies, pigs and some goats. We could also see, directly ahead of us and on the path, a small flock of sheep. As we drew nearer to a collision, they eyed us up, and whilst they were more confident than your average sheep, they began to back away once we were close. We paused to admire them and say hello, as they continued to stare. Then, enter stage left, a rather forward black sheep. He stepped forth and stood directly in front of me, staring at us. At that moment, I was not sure whether he was just curious or he had in fact stepped up to see us off. I stretched out my hand, unsure whether it would be received warmly or if I would soon find myself on the receiving end of a headbutt. I gave him a little scratch on his head. He seemed not to object, so I knelt down and scratched my fingers through his thick wool. We spent a few satisfying minutes in each other’s company, until the flock were called away for dinner time, and they disappeared together with a chorus of excitable bleats.
A few minutes further along, we stopped for our lunch. Thanks to out late start, this was much earlier than we had stopped on our previous two visits, but actually was a much more pleasant spot for it. We perched ourselves on some logs at the top of a sloping field, which, judging by the faecal matter present, had cattle in it somewhere. We however saw no other sign of them, so we were able to eat our lunch undisturbed. It was a good spot to stop, but by the time we got going, a darker grey cloud was looming on the horizon, and I could again feel the cold, wetness of my socks.
Enjoyable as the day had been so far, we were now about to enter a long stretch of footpath that, unfortunately, may be the least idyllic of our entire walking roster. Now, it is through no fault of the countryside itself. The trees are just as magical, the farmland tended. However, pretty soon after setting off a long it, we came across an abandoned vehicle, which had clearly been torched, dark singe marks up the poor surrounding trees. A minute or so later, we heard engines coming quickly toward us, and stepped off the path for three bikers. A little further along, we again had to step to the side for a pair of quad bikes; a pair of quad bikes which we again met moments later, after they stopped to join their friends. We came across a collection of guys who were clearly using the farm track with its large ditches to drive their 4x4s. Whether they were meant to be there, I don’t know, however, the tyres had churned up lots of mud for us to navigate, which otherwise would not have been present. Their influence could be seen all the way along this stretch, which was littered here and there with old bits of car. Once we emerged back out onto the road, it’s fair to say we were both pleased to be clear of the off-roaders.
Putting this behind us, we made our way across a wide and recently ploughed field, which was presently home to a great flock of seagulls, who were collectively flying from spot to spot presumably in the pursuit of worms. On the other side, we began the great descent of the day. Initially through woodland, where we had to duck beneath a recently toppled tree, we then came back out into open farmland. We were greeted with a tree bearing orange leaves, gently letting them go to the soft hillside breeze. Each would flutter a little way, before landing on the earth and nestling amongst the field’s furrows, so that colourful rows had formed along the edges. These blessedly dry fields also went a long way to removing the build-up of mud from the tyre tracks, which was a bonus, and so we made it to the bottom of the hill in good stead.
As we walked through Hollingbourne, we passed The Dirty Habit, which we are happy to report has now reopened, following its fire a few years ago. We did not stop for a drink today, instead turning our attention to the climb back up. It’s a steep one and begins immediately as you turn out of the village. Fortunately, you get the lion’s share of the up out of the way quite quickly. After a few minutes, you arrive at the top of a path, out of puff, with aching legs and a far-stretching view before you. From here, you do walk on upward, but at a much gentler rate, as you carry on along the hill. We did come across some cows, which are usually along this stretch, but they were plenty far enough away and totally unbothered. We enjoyed the views to our left, even on such a grey day, and saw a stray patch of sunshine streaming down onto the ground, as a pair of hot air balloons rose into the air in the distance.
We then returned to the edges of the Hucking Estate, once again back on the top of the North Downs. We wound our way through its network of tree-lined paths, and soon saw the car park appear ahead of us; huzzah-brains. We finished just shy of four hours after starting, which isn’t bad at all for a near nine-miler. Given that we have just entered November, we are now entering Autumn’s final and most beautiful burst; today, this was clearly on display. The colours were everywhere, and there were plenty of fungi dotted along the route to keep Beth entertained.
