Lived in Canterbury over fortyfive years. Walked most streets, partly because my last job was delivering leaflets for Safeway. Always possible to find new routes, in this case part of daily life not for pleasure. Need to take car to Halfords, water plants at allotment, do a few things in city centre.
Tues July 12th. Warm and sunny. Devised route, about 3 miles my current limit. Thanks to decreptitude. Time constraints: Halfords like car soon after 8, library opens at 10. First drove to Norfolk Rd, near allotment to reduce walking. Short walk to water seeds and broccoli plants. Drove to Broad Oak Rd, most traffic going the other way. Halfords looking at aircon, because son and his partner like cooling. Remember driving around Australia with no cooling or heating. Open the windows.
About a mile to city centre. Broad Oak Road busy at this time, being popular route from Herne Bay to Canterbury. Walked on right hand pavement to reduce noise and exhaust pollution. Trading estate. Once spent a day photographing these often ugly buildings. Housing. Big hedge by allotments. Turn left on Stonebridge Road, crossing river Stour into newish housing where football ground used to be. Kingsmead field, saved from developers after big protests. Open field with small nature reserve.
Cross Kingsmead Rd. Through carpark of leisure centre. Used to swim in pool here. Riverside path. Past Millers Arms. Palace street. Cash From Natwest. Central Canterbury has plenty of cash machines. Primark. Slippers. £2.50. Feet need protection even in summer. Remember to look at list. Trying to maintain distance from people. Covid hasn’t gone. Smartly dressed young people: degree ceremonies in cathedral. Wilko for radish seeds, 50p. Wholefood for baguette £2.40. Library not open yet. Excellent espresso in Jewry Lane. Still not 10. Small park opposite library. Sat on bench to eat daily apple. Need energy. Library. Canterbury pottery show. Books borrowed: Jonathan Rice on famous cricket painting. “Haven” by Adam Roberts, about England after asteroid strikes.
Now headed for Halfords. Quiet route by The Friars, past Quaker meeting house cross a branch of river. By Marlowe theatre. Statue of Dave Lee on bench. Local actor, especially in pantomime. “Keep smiling Dave” with pat on shoulder. By river, through Sollys Orchard. Two punts and a rowing boat by site of mill, opposite Millers Arms. Riverside walk on the west bank, under Kingsmead road. Big willows. Ambleside Place then Stonebridge Road again. Hugged a sycamore. Have to go back along Broad Oak Road or make walk longer. Much less traffic now, about 11 am. Collected car with aircon working, and home.
Important lesson: took two days to recover from that three mile walk in hot sun.
Rambling Brummie 