This was the first time we’d been to Palace Farm for a few years, and it was a splendid reminder of why we love visiting here so much. Doddington is situated amongst the rolling green hills of Kent with a very nice pub just a short way down the hill from the hostel. It was at this very pub that we all met on Friday night for an excellent meal washed down with some excellent ale.
After a good night’s sleep, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast courtesy of Dave P, but supplemented with fresh bread and all the pain au chocolat we could eat. This was in effect a farewell from Liz who was in the process of selling the hostel after running it for over 20 years. This was the perfect preparation for a splendid walk on a rather chilly February day.
We started with a walk over to the Beheading of John the Baptist in Doddington. Sadly, we were too early to go inside and see the wall paintings, but we did see the fantastic display of snowdrops in the Churchyard. From here it was a walk across the fields to another charming village with another very nice pub: The Carpenters Arms at Eastling. It was great to have a chance to warm up, but with these short winter days we couldn’t afford to stay too long, or we would be getting back in the dark. Not that it stopped us when fate delivered us at the door of The George Inn, Newnham at the very minute of their closing time. Luckily the barmaid took pity on us and soon I was warming my hands on a nice cup of tea. It was a bit touch and go, but we arrived back in Doddington in the half light.
The forecast for Sunday wasn’t quite so positive, but ultimately it turned out to be not that bad. We dressed up in thermals and rain gear and headed out to the Isle of Sheppey for a nice little coastal walk, taking in shell beaches and salt marsh and more birdlife than you can shake a stick at. None of us had been to Sheppey before and we weren’t sure what to expect. As we were parking, we struck up a conversation with a local guy (apparently, they call themselves Swampies) who was fishing off the sea wall. He gave us some sterling advice on avoiding the posh people at Shellness and was full of how wonderful the island landscape was. It was hard not to agree as we rounded the point and crossed Harty Marshes to the isolated church of St Thomas’. By lucky chance we arrived there just as they were finishing a service and a couple of the locals were only too pleased to point out some of the interesting historic features. The most exciting of these was a 14th century oak muniment chest depicting a jousting scene. A beautiful object in its own right, the story was worthy of a film script. It was pinched in 1987 and thought lost forever until an observant assistant in Phillips Auction House recognised it. On its return in 1989 they installed a very sturdy iron gate to protect it, so if the locals hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t have got a proper look.
After a warm up in the Ferry Boat Inn, we headed back to the sea wall passing the monument to Brabazon, Britain’s first home-grown aviator. There was a second less formal memorial commemorating another flight Brabazon took in 1906 accompanied by a piglet lashed to the wing strut, in order to prove that pigs could fly. Fun over and it was time to brave the M25 and get back home. Another fabulous weekend.
Ali
Walking with Dinosaurs
Thank you to Tae for organising a very entertaining walk around Crystal Palace, Sydenham and Dulwich. Crystal Palace Park is famous for the first dinosaur sculptures in the world - unveiled in 1854, they are now grade I listed buildings!
The weather was a little unkind in the morning, even the dinosaurs in were swathed in plastic – all part of a drastic re-vamp of the whole park – but by the afternoon the sun was peeping out from behind the clouds. We were treated to panoramic views across central London with the skyscrapers sparkling like a fairy tale city. It was worth the soaking first thing.
Ali