IGHTAM MOTE/ONE TREE HILL/KNOLE PARK

MILLING AROUND
AFTER OUR COFFEE
AND SANDWICHES

GREENSAND BOULDERS

ON THE GREENSAND WAY

IS THIS THE TREE

IN ONE TREE HILL

A lovely autumnal sunny day,slightly cold but OK in the sun.We set off along the Greensand Way,and found it to be a very good footpath.A surprising number of walkers coming from the other direction,about 40 in all!Through One Tree Hill national trust and into Knole park ,where we stopped at a covenient log,to eat our sandwiches among the deer.Through the well manicured golf course and onto obscure,little-used footpaths across farmland.No wayposts or markers made it a trifle difficult,and we took a slight diversion but ended up in the right place.I then proceeded to get lost and blundered around an orchard filled valley looking for the path.We all had to traipse back up the hill to the point at which the footpath veered off,and with knapsacks filled with apples,relocated the footpath and carried on down the steep path back to Ightam Mote.

I'm tired out, A walk of about 11-12 miles with 7 of us .

CHATHAM--SO GOOD,THEY NAMED IT ONCE!

Unfortunately, everyone has had a better offer ,so we didn't walk.
A couple of us took a bus trip to Chatham,and had a quick snack,just to remind ourselves how nice Maidstone is in comparison.here is a short clip from the top af a double decker!

What a palaver-I don't think I'll upload anymore videos,they wanted to know too much info

of a personal nature.Maybe they've had dubious stuff posted.

Linton circular walk

Well,I thought it would be nice to pop down to the baker's and get some doughnuts before the walk.The ladies wanted to know why I wanted 5 doughnuts and 2 chelsea buns.What is this a police state?has food rationing started?

Any road up ,it was raining ,the rain was warm at least and we set off from Linton church down the greensand way.A bit slippery underfoot,but not excessively muddy.We passed through several unharvested orchards and stole some apples from the trees.Problem was,we then had to lug them for the rest of the walk.A pleasant meander through the country side and then back up a bloody hill.We were obstructed by three friendly horses beyond a kissing gate they could smell the apples and tried to get into someone's knapsack.Some pleasant views over the weald of Kent and then back along the ridge to Linton .

about 7 miles and 5 of us

Folkestone Warren to Samphire Ho ,and back

A perfect sunny calm october day with only a slight breeze

We RV'd at the Cafe at the Eagles Nest, Caple le Ferne ,had light refreshments,traded insults and then set off.France was visible across a flat calm blue English Channel.The cliffs are about 500' at their highest point ,and very steep,and have a tendency to induce knee trembling and bowel-churning.

We set off down the steep path and steps to the railway line and crossed over the footbridge(its sounds easy doesn't it?-well it wasn't)and made it to the beach/breakwater,which is an enormous slab of concrete dating from 1915 when there was an enormous landlide that blocked the railway line.We were not 100% certain that we could make it to Samphire Ho,as we needed to traverse the beach at low tide.We struck out and made it ok in the end.We found some iron pyrites i the fossilised mud and some black pumice.We met a fellow walker who was bravely going all the way to Dover along the beach.We stopped at Samphire Ho for sandwiches and then set out through the area to the tunnel up the cliff(steep and long)the smell of burning chemicals could be detected from the air filtering equipment ,from the recent train fire.We made our way to the top of the cliff and walked along the grassy path ,looking at the stomach-churning drops over the edge .About 9 strenuous miles for 6 of us ,a good but tiring walk.