Weather: fine, warm, still
Distance: 24.0 km ( 14.9 miles)
Total Distance: 2099.5 miles
A quick one day jaunt down to
Kent. Having driven around the area of
Sittingbourne I wanted to park for a while and decided it was probably best not
to park in the large paper factory car park, I ended up in the station car park
- convenient because that is where I hoped to get to at the end of the day anyway.
After walking along a couple of busy
roads I cut down to the banks of the creek to find myself in peace and quiet. It was all low lying path, some of it quite
muddy but in the most OK. It only got
bad at one point when I lost the path and had to launch myself over an
embankment covered with nettles.
Kemsley
Down station looked deserted and only a few derelict buildings remained. Past that I was into industrial land -
walking over a tip and hoping it was not full of toxic chemicals! A sewage works and a couple of jetties were
to follow before I had to head inland along minor industrial roads, and back to
the Swale again. I stopped this side of
the bridge for a bacon roll and cup of tea from a caravan. Although I had to wait a long time because
the man in front of me was ordering a box full of mixed grill rolls, it was
worth it in the end.
I watched Kingsferry Bridge open for a
passing ship and then headed over it myself.
To get down onto the coast again I had to walk along the main road a
while and then found another steep embankment to tumble down. A group of gypsies had made this their home
but I was soon past them and onto the flood defences again.
It seemed to take a long time to make any
progress initially. The paths were not very clear and they were doubling back
on the walk I had just done on the opposite bank. Progress once I got to the RSPB reserve was
faster. I kept to the footpath marked on
my map but this ended up going straight across the reserve and disturbing a
massive flock of geese and other waders who took off with an incredible racket. I bet I was the most unpopular man in Kent at the time considering the number
of birders I had spotted in the hides.
Past the reserve at Bells creek I had a
decision to make though it was not all that difficult. The public right of way according to the map
appeared to end which would have meant a long six or eight mile detour inland
and back to the coast again. Instead I
kept on going and there was not much to stop me apart from an already trampled
down fence. I had almost reached the end
of the embankment and must only have been a hundred yards from picking up a
path when I was apprehended by a farmer who pulled up in a land rover. He initially told me to go back but I pleaded
with him gently and he said I could carry on providing I stayed to the coast -
easier said then done considering the path went on the high ground and the low
land was overgrown. He seemed to be
farming game birds and in going up to the high land I went past a couple of
shelters for them.
I could now see the ferry in and was
confident it would not be a problem reaching it as there was a footpath entry
in from my direction but I tried and tried to find a path but just found
fencing. I went north and south and
ended up jumping over a garden fence and into the pub that way. I thought I had got away with it and ordered
a pint but the landlady appeared and told me off. I looked sheepish and
promised not to do it again - a convenient excuse considering I was only
planning to walk around the coast once and not twice.
Beyond the pub was also a problem for a
while without any sign of a marked footpath on the ground but there was on the
map. I suspected a farmer not keen on footpaths across his land. The road went past and ancient church and
then veered back to the coast again. It
was a pleasant afternoon and there were a lot of walkers around. Shell Ness looked tiny on the map but turned
out to be a sizeable collection of cottages marked up as private. I decided against taking the detour to the
sandspit beyond Shell Ness and headed North along the nudists beach - the wind
meant I was the only person - clothed or otherwise, on the beach.
Leysdown came into sight - it was a
holiday town there was no doubt about that, caravans and chalets. I called into the chip shop to confirm where
the bus stop was and only had a while to wait for the bus to Sheerness - and
what a long haul that was - going to every nook and cranny on the way but not
collecting anyone -including at the prison.
From Sheerness I took the train back to Sittingborne and then drove back
to Coventry. It was a good days walk.
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