Bluebells are part of Spring. A few years ago Steve Tebbett told me best bluebells in East Kent are between Broad Oak and Sturry, about 5km northeast of Canterbury. Den Grove Wood on the map. Visited a few times before Covid. I then kept car trips to a minimum and avoided buses.
Thursday April 28th i found courage for bus journeys. Combined with visit as countryside access warden: i hadn’t walked these paths for three years. 11 degrees, dry, cool NE wind. No rain recently. No mud expected. Bus to Broad Oak turning, not many passengers but most were maskless. Path CB73 is close to the bus stop. Grassy path between fences. Pruned brambles. Three years ago i had to climb over ten fallen trees. Now reduced to big logs. Used saw on an ivy tree. Turn left onto Sweechgate. Soon left onto CB68. Refreshed path numbers with marker pen. This path was wider. Area of woodland. Ponds to left and right. Deadnettles. Mead Manor. Curious buildings. Halftimbered house. Broad Oak Chapel. Canterbury Rings marker.
Left onto Shallock Road. These roads are busy: alternative to A28 as route to Canterbury. At a bend, left onto CB60. This dullish walk is an intro to the main course. Dry earth path. Yellow route card for Duke of Edinburgh’s award. On the right fences of caravan park, or retirement trailers. On the left, bluebells. Eventually, spectacular. On my first visit a man advised me to turn right off the main path. A circuit through the best bluebells. Beech trees, hawthorn a sea of blue. Photos.
Back onto main path. Barbed wire fence on left, bluebells everywhere. Out of wood. View of cathedral and industrial Canterbury, trading estate i guess. Down short steep slope. Last patch of bluebells. Ate my daily apple.
Level crossing. Stopped while train passed towards Canterbury. Notice of proposed viaduct to take A28 across these meadows.
Through Junior Kings School, for the children of the rich. Past St Nicholas church onto Chapel Lane. Bus back to Canterbury.
About three km walk, of which about 500 metres among the bluebells.
But well worth it.
Rambling Brummie 