Countryside access wardens are asked to deal with “issues” about public rights of way. This one, at Harbledown near Canterbury, was a stile on CB485 obstructed by nettles.
I thought of a three mile walk including this stile, taking bus back from Blean. Am very wary of buses, especially as distancing seems to have ended. Also not sure i could walk three miles. Wore a longsleeved shirt, rare for me, and carried gloves secateurs and pruning saw.
A pleasant sunny Thursday. Drove to London Road estate, planning a mile walk. This was built as council housing with road names taken from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. I drove up Knight Avenue, parked on Priest Avenue and walked to Wife of Bath Hill.
There a short path between houses led to Mill Lane, part of the North Downs Way. A national trail from Farnham in Surrey to Dover. At the top of the lane impressive gates to Mindora Heights and Canterbury Barn. Then an earthen path steeply downhill. A stream when wet.
At the bottom, a bridge across a stream, which i had thought nameless. A newish information board told me it’s the Whitehall Dyke, 4.9 miles from Court Wood near Blean to Hambrook Meaadow in Canterbury where it joins the river Stour. It is a rusty chalybeate stream, containing iron salts once thought to have medicinal properties. The similar waters of Tunbridge Wells were said to cure colic, melancholy and flatworms. Make the lean fat and the fat lean.
Near the bridge was the stile i’d come to see. It had parts missing and could be walked round. I removed a few nettles, thinking it could be a seat for tired walkers.
Then walked southwards next to the stream. An earthen path with hoofprints. Was kept busy with secateurs pruning brambles. At ground level where they can be trippy or higher where they can endanger eyes. Used pruning saw on tough old brambles. Horses in field “please do not feed” Roar of A2. Bridge over the stream. Brick arch under the railway.
Onto Whitehall Road. After Whitehall Farm a path leads uphill to the left. Here stopped to talk with former Datrows member going the other way. She had done a lot of walking during the pandemic.
Steep path led to bridge over the railway and even steeper steps. Needed to use the handrail. An earthen path. Dead mouse. Among the houses and back to the car.
Only a mile. Good feelings, especially after a cup of coffee.
Rambling Brummie 