May is here

A curious May Day. No morris dancing, no political marches. Still, Sumer is icumen in.

Today’s walk is three miles long, to the west of Canterbury. In normal times, i would walk three miles every Sunday, either with Datrows walking group or as a countryside access warden. This isn’t about my health, but i am restricted by arthritic left foot and right knee. Worse, i run out of stamina after about two hours.

From home, i walk to Toddlers Cove, a children’s play area where the equipment is out of bounds. Along the river bank, on the Stour Valley Walk, also cycle route 18. Leave the river to cross Hambrook Marshes, drier than on my last visit, across the fire damaged boardwalk to Whitehall Road. Cross the Ashford to Canterbury railway, having just seen a Javelin high speed train. Past Whitehall Farm, one an inn i think. A robin. Culverted stream on the left. Under brick arch carrying the Faversham to Canterbury railway.

The road ends at an equine establishment. The footpath continues next to the stream, but separated by a fence.

Turn right onto the North Downs Way, a national trail from Farnham in Surrey to Dover. Most of it follows a neolithic and bronze age route along the chalk ridge of the North Downs. Here it goes steeply up to Golden Hill, a grass area with seats. I sat and ate my daily apple, enjoying the view of farmland and orchards to the west. Think the National Trust bought this land to preserve views of Canterbury to the east, but house building spoiled the view.

Down Mill Lane: presumably once a windmill on the hill. Onto the tree lined Rheims Way, named after Canterbury’s twin city, though the French spell it Reims. Pope John Paul II landed on the recreation ground here on his historic visit in 1982.

Cross the railway by an old bridge now closed to motor vehicles.

By now fatigue sets in. I plod through the Westgate Gardens. Mallards. Toddlers Cove again.

Home, needing coffee.