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.

A symbolic trespass

On April 24th, 1932 the Kinder mass trespass took place. The Duke of Devonshire would not let walkers on his grouse moors between Manchester and Sheffield. Walkers and political activists challenged him with a deliberate trespass, battling with game keepers. Some were arrested and jailed. Folksinger and communist Ewan McColl wrote “The Manchester Rambler”, a song asking how can a man own a mountain?

After 88 years we have access to many wild areas of the country and national trails including the Pennine Way, which goes over Kinder Scout. In Kent we have the North Downs Way and hundreds of kilometres of other public paths.

There’s an annual commemoration of the mass trespass but not this year.

This rambling is my introduction to this Sunday’s walk, which included a symbolic trespass through an orchard.

A lovely sunny day, through orchards to the south of Canterbury, turning round at the top of a hill for views of the cathedral. Numbers of runners, cyclists and walkers, some with dogs. I chose paths where a two metre separation is possible, sometimes involving trespass among the fruit trees. Apples and pears i think, covered in blossom.

In one orchard i left the path and walked between the trees: my symbolic act. And why not? I was doing no damage.

Part of the walk between New House Lane and Cockering Road was in fields being turned into a housing estate. More traffic, more demand for water. And where will the residents work? But population increases and people must live somewhere?

Three miles in about ninety minutes. A great spring day.

The Rites of Spring

Spring is not a single event but a series. From maybe the first snowdrops to Morris dancing in the May.

An important stage is visiting a bluebell wood. This lockdown year my challenge was to find one an easy walk from home. The nearest is on the large campus of the University of Kent, about two miles away.

A cloudy start with a slight northerly wind. Along Wincheap and Rheims Way, eerily almost traffic free. Through Toddlers Cove, the children’s play equipment out of use. A few dogwalkers, runners, and cyclists. Through housing to Whitstable Road. After the March rains, i expected a muddy footpath by a small stream up the hill. Fresh woodchips had been applied .

Along University Road. Views downhill to Canterbury cathedral, much better than the view of the university from the city. Opposite the main bus stop is a wood with another stream. Full of lovely bluebells. Photos never seem to capture the contrast between blue and green.

Back through St Stephens area, meeting more dogwalkers. Through the pretty Westgate Gardens with formal flower beds. Signs of essential work: emptied litter bins, mown lawns.

My walk ended in sunshine. At four miles, my longest since February. Achy and needing coffee. Feeling good after exercise in Spring sunshine.

Easter Sunday

My Exercise Walk this sunny Sunday was a slow stroll around Canterbury, delivering Easter eggs to two of my sons and enjoying the ancient empty streets.

I’ll write of a longer walk, which i might have done but for the lockdown. The village of Chartham is about three miles southwest of Canterbury. Take bus or train. A short walk leads to a bridge over the river Stour. Just before the bridge, signs point to the Stour Valley Walk, also a cycle route to Canterbury. The path closely follows the river bank past a recreation ground and children’s play area. Easy walking: a flat firm surface.

Behind a fence to the left are lakes for private fishing. Across the river are Bretts gravel works, no longer active i think. The lakes are a result of gravel extraction. We come to grassy meadows, sometimes feeding sheep, pleasantly rural. The path leaves the river briefly to go under the A28, next to the railway. The next section is also grassy, between fishing lakes and the A28. Were i walking it today, the road would be eerily quiet.

After crossing Tonford Lane, the path passes through Hambrook nature reserve, managed to encourage wildlife. At times, one might see Highland cattle or Konick ponies grazing here. The path continues under the A2 Canterbury bypass, then under a railway bridge to the children’s play area at Toddlers Cove. After going under a road bridge, we are in the more formal Westgate gardens, ending at the Westgate Towers, Canterbury’s only remaining medieval gate.

What i like is the change from farmland to nature reserve to gardens, bringing the walker close to the city centre.

A pity today’s walk is only in my head.

Walking in sunshine

Would like to ignore politics, especially on a sunny day when walking is a pleasure.

But. I can’t ignore Bloody Stupid Johnson (acknowledgment to Terry Pratchett for the name)

I’ve been calling him that since his first televised address on The Virus. At the end of incoherent bluster he said that Britain led the world in dealing with Covid 19. Not true. He has told us all how to stay safe and ignored his own advice. He’s a fool. Even so, i hope he recovers.

Enough! Today’s walk was a reversal of the cold and wet one on March 29th. The weather was mild and sunny and i walked in the opposite direction, clockwise. Through empty streets of Canterbury, passing the closed Wincheap Park and Ride to the river bank. The riverside path was busy with walkers, runners and cyclists. Easy to keep a safe distance. Blue sky overhead and most of the trees in leaf.

Spring mornings like this bring optimism in trying times.

Could be last walk for a while?

Things are changing too fast for reasoned comment. Government guidelines permit outdoor exercise. But the health secretary says we should all stay indoors. So why are shops and garages open? If everyone stayed at home society would collapse.

Enough! My Exercise Walk today (Sunday April 5th) was very different from last Sunday’s. Last week had wind, rain and sleet. Today was mild and sunny with a slight easterly breeze. A pleasure to walk. I chose local paths and roads mostly wide enough to allow separation. Views of orchards and fields from a hill outside Canterbury. Dog walkers. Two runners. Two cyclists. Even a police car: i wasn’t stopped.

Because of the misdeeds of a few, all outdoor exercise may be banned. Collective punishment is a feature of totalitarian regimes.

Let me say it again. Outdoor exercise is good for mental and physical health. Staying indoors will increase tension between family members, leading to conflict and possible violence.

It would be better if parks and other open spaces were kept open and behaviour controlled somehow.

Spring is here

Today’s Permitted Exercise was a two mile walk, more or less following the line of Canterbury’s medieval walls. On Roman foundations. Willows in leaf by the River Stour. Lots of mallards in the Westgate Gardens. Magnolias. A welcome takeaway coffee in the Dane John Gardens. My monthly climb of the Dane John Mound, surely an isolated spot. But someone was sitting at the top staring into the distance.

My dodgy ankle and knee gave little trouble. A lovely walk. Cold sunshine, very little traffic and few people, easily avoided, except when i went into Boots for medical supplies.

I won’t ramble on about the attractions of Canterbury. It would not be a solitary walk if lots of people did it. Walking is good. Wherever you are, city town or country, you should be able to find a walk you like. Preferably with wide paths or streets to allow for two metre separation. There are always places of interest.

Stay safe. Enjoy. In these dark times Spring will come and Summer follow.

Hambrook

Walking, preferably in the country, is essential to my mental and physical wellbeing. It’s good to avoid buses and unnecessary car journeys. A time to revisit short walks from home. Short because of general decrepitude.

One of my favourite places is Hambrook, a nature reserve just to the west of Canterbury. A water meadow by the river Stour, originally intended to flood in winter, it was altered during construction of the A2 Canterbury bypass. Tons of gravel were removed for road building and replaced mostly by chalk.

The walk was about two miles, enlivened by strong easterly wind and sleet showers. My back was mostly to the wind on the Great Stour Way, a cycle route to Chartham and beyond. I specially wanted to see the Boardwalk, of recycled plastic, built to help visitors view the bog and pond underneath.Sadly it has been ruined by arsonists. Destruction is easier than creation. I took photos and asked “Why?” A nearby viewing platform had also been attacked.

I left the river and passed Morrisons, about to open half an hour early for NHS workers. My dodgy left foot was okay until the last halfmile, through houses.

Don’t like walking in bad weather. But it’s good when you stop.

In praise of allotments

I am determined not to be a grumpy old man. We are all threatened by The Virus. Its impact is made much worse by ten years of Tory and LibDem cuts to our Health Service. Never forget!

Life has changed for all of us. My mental and physical wellbeing require long spells outdoors with fresh air and Nature. Kent County Council have told me to stop work as a voluntary countryside access warden. So i can no longer help maintain public rights of way. No worries: i can continue to walk footpaths – keeping two metres away from others – but without the satisfaction of being Useful.

My walk today was purely for pleasure. I drove to Margate to deliver essentials to my selfisolated son. In need of exercise, i took a short walk on the windswept sands at Westgate. A few other people, easily avoided. Ships on the blueish North Sea. Have lived in East Kent for forty years, but being a Brummie i am still thrilled when at the seaside.

My wife and I have had an allotment for over thirty years, providing fresh veg and exercise. The plot is about ten minutes walk from home which can usually be done without being less than two metres from anyone. This month i positively enjoy being there. Cold sunny days. One feels in control, Nature willing. Good, between spells of digging, to drink coffee from a flask looking across the plots, edged by apple orchards, a primary school (now silent) and new housing. No traffic noise. Few aircraft. Birdsong. A friendly robin.

A peaceful island in a sea of troubles.

On isolation

I need regular exercise in the open air. My latest walk was a compromise. Need to isolate from other people. Need to work my allotment to provide food. Need to rest twisted ankle and arthritic foot.

A nearby public footpath is partly blocked by a fallen elder tree. I walked two miles in the springlike sun. Reduced the obstruction with a saw, pruned top of the allotment hedge with loppers, and had an hour of gentle exercise. Enjoyed views of countryside from a small hill. Passed two dog walkers, a fellow allotmenter, and a runner. She was the only person who came within two metres of me, for a few seconds.

Was i acting responsibly?