Countryside Access Wardens are asked by Kent County Council to deal with issues reported by members of public. June 16th i looked at path CB15 in Tyler Hill. “Remove vegetation to make finger visible from road”. Not clear which end. Planned to walk CB15 and nearby CB43 making a walk of one mile.
Parked in Fleet Lane, Blean which leads to Well Court Farm, by some houses. Warm and sunny. Walk CB43 to Hackington Road and back, a little pruning. North on Fleet Lane, interesting wood sculptures. CB15 on left by bungalow. Pruned to make fingerpost visible. Path between concrete wall and fence of bungalow. Gravel. “Do not park”. Earth and grass path. Big drain cover. Stile. By Tyler Hill Meadow, 0.8 hectare local nature reserve. Unimproved grassland, wood and scrub. Slow worms, lizards, 11 species butterfly. Owned by Hackington Parish Council, managed by them with Kentish Stour Conservation group. Years ago Did some work with them, mowing and removing hay/grass.
Three brown cattle in field on left. Oaks are labelled, eg English Oak, about 150 years old. Duck under tree branch. Something has dug two holes in path. Cd fill with stones?
Oaks labelled, eg English oak, about 150 years old. Three brown cattle in meadow on left. Stile. Have long said if anything stops me walking it’ll be stiles. This one didn’t look difficult but i had to crawl between fence bars. The step is too short. Right on access road to The Halt, bit of disused Canterbury &Whitstable Railway. Is pond in front of house where there was a winding engine.
Left on grassy path. Lots of pigeons in field on left. Three buildings, prob pigeon lofts. Wide grassy path with buttercups and daisies. Tyler Hill Road. Oppositehouse: Nickeldene. Fingerpost indeed hidden in vegetation. Mostly not prickly. Used secateurs and pruning saw so that footpath finger visible from road. Issued with loppers but not easy to carry. Saw deals with thicker branches.
Retrace route: stile easier this way. A mile walked. An hour. Drove to Meadow Grange for coffee and compost. Later at home saw a swift, first of year for me.
Thursday Jun 23rd. Warm and humid. Met office forecast <5% chance of rain but YELLOW WARNING for thunderstorms. Decided to chance it, taking waterproof coat.
This “issue” to remove vegetation from bridge and stile on CB19, a short path off Chapel Lane in Blean. My card index tells me i’ve done this before. Don’t remember.
On the way took picnic box to storage garage, Red Lion cottage for bags manure. Red Lion House, once a pub. Home of Oliver Postgate who designed adjacent cottage for his father Raymond. Peter Firmin lived a mile away. Together they made Bagpuss, Ivor the Engine, and other classics. Cd in car “A vision shared” songs of Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly, sung by eg Dylan, Springsteen, Emmy Lou Harris.
Eventually parked in Bourne Lodge Close, residential. Short path CB17 between houses to Chapel Lane. Some prickly pruning. Barnfield, Kent Fruit Services. Short walk on Chapel Lane, which leads to Walnut Tree Farm and Amery Court and paths in Clowes Wood. CB19 on left. Earth path across beanfield. Lost my will forcing between plants. Could revisit from other end, or wait till beans harvested. Fact is, i gave up. Back to car, Headingley Test on long wave radio. Delivered manure to allotment. A day of rail strikes and two byelections. Both showed voters rejection of Johnson’s government. Hayfever bad.
No thunderstorm.
Sunday June 26, a bluesky day with a few white cumulus. Past the solstice: days getting shorter for six months. But height of summer is yet to come. Visit to nearby paths south of Cant. Expected easy walk with light pruning as often visit these paths. From St Mildreds Place on CC52, fork right at allotment gates on CC56 to Hollow Lane. An ancient route in a deep cutting. CB491 above the lane. To Iffin Lane junction. CC53 north from junction with Merton Lane leading to CC52. Easy except for hefty old brambles which needed gloves and pruning saw. Scratched because i won’t have longsleeves in summer. Two miles in two hours. Paths now more walkable.
Pleasant walk. Little traffic on Sunday. Path by Hollow Lane is in a strip of woodland. Rest on bench at end of New House Lane, in memory of Dennis Gould, clerk to Thanington Without parish council, 1989 – 2001. Later path through apple orchards, views of cathedral, Club Chemistry,Simon Langton Boys School.
Two miles in two hours. Time to make coffee before play in Headingley Test
Rambling Brummie 