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North Downs Way: Day 2 of 3

28/12/2017

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Day 2, Challenge 2: Stamina
Acorn sign on post in front of field
National Trails way marker on the North Downs Way.
I cheerily wave goodbye to Dan and set off with anticipation and curiosity. What will the day bring? How far will I walk? This was always meant to be the longest day, but I haven’t planned a precise destination. This is deliberate, because I don’t want to get caught up in reaching or exceeding a certain mileage. As I follow the track, leaves of rust, yellow and chocolate beneath my feet, I try to find some markers on the horizon to gauge my process. I think there are some wind turbines out there, but the rain in the distance makes it hard to tell. Where would they be, anyway?

Another day! pic.twitter.com/Y10lgbJOVO

— Jonathan (@jonathanworking) October 25, 2017

Uh, @thebooklender, this is what you’re missing in Charing! pic.twitter.com/bSahNQkyil

— Jonathan (@jonathanworking) October 25, 2017
I play chicken with the rain as it comes closer and I detour down into Charing. I’m envious of Dan’s cake exploits yesterday, so I’m pleased to find Mulberry’s Tearoom open early. Over a delicious and enormous slice of coffee cake, I watch the drizzle and chat to my friendly tearoom host. I mightn’t have seen many people on the path, but both the North Downs Way and the Pilgrim’s Way are very popular - especially with Dutch cycle tourists, apparently. The rain pauses and I head off, but not before Ms Mulberry (not her real name, probably) apologises that the scones aren’t quite ready for me to take away and admonishes me not to talk to strangers!
snail shell on leaves
These Roman Snails are famous, I think?
NDW way marker - red arrow
A red arrow, indicating a byway rather than a footpath or bridleway.
Of course, just as soon as I leave the shelter of the tea room, it starts tipping down. Oh well. It’s only water - and it’s not cold, either. I flip the my hood of my coat over my head and wear it as a cape. It works fine. I stick to the country roads around a ploughed field and secretly race a couple of walkers who are on the diagonal footpath through it. (I win - the field looks like hard, muddy going.) My shoes splat against the asphalt and I enjoy the feeling of water splashing up onto my legs.
Path and autumn leaves
An autumnal stretch of path.
path, trees, fields
Drawing me on along the foot of the North Downs.
I’m really appreciating the freedom of walking at my own pace. It’s not that Dan and I usually have an issue with that; we’re pretty well matched. But even so, without any other body’s input, I pay more attention to my own. I am probably walking faster than I would with Dan, but I can’t be sure. I’m also stopping to take photos without having to think about catching up, or being in someone’s way. I might be stopping more, but without having to negotiate with anyone, I feel more in the flow.
Concrete sign saying North Downs Way
An old-school concrete footpath marker - they're almost always overgrown because they're so low to the ground!
Soon, the way leaves the road and pops over a stile onto a farm track footpath. I greet two men, one with a radio, one with a gun crooked over his arm, and ask if it’s OK to walk through. “Go ahead,” jokes one, “but duck if someone starts shooting.” I send my best wishes to the pheasants for a safe and speedy escape as I trundle through the estate.
hawthorn berries
Haws (hawthorn berries) make a bright splash on a grey morning.

It got sunny!!! pic.twitter.com/q9ltWR2N9E

— Jonathan (@jonathanworking) October 25, 2017
And there’s blue sky! I’m pretty excited about this, even as I realise I’ve left my sunscreen at home. As much as I’ve enjoyed the walk so far, everything’s a bit better when the sun comes out! I pass through a village that I barely remember (it has a huge green in the centre, and gardens bright with fuschia flowers) and then I find myself at the point where the North Downs Way splits in two - or into one big loop. One sign points towards Dover - via Canterbury, the other to Dover - via Folkestone. I stand at the post, suspended for a few moments within possibility, and misquote Robert Frost before I take the path to Folkestone.
Two donkeys
Hello, friends!
The path to Folkestone goes to Wye first. Wye? Wye not. Wye sits on the same plain as Ashford, beside the River Stour, in an elbow-crook of the North Downs. In that analogy, this branch of the North Downs Way runs straight from wrist to armpit - along the bottom of the triangle. Down in the valley, I cross a busy road, cut behind an apple orchard, say hello to some donkeys, chooks and geese, then pass through a market garden field before heading into town. I stop in the churchyard for a much-needed lunch break and take a look at the blister I’ve been developing. I can’t really feel it, but it’s definitely there. I knew this last night and I really should have put a plaster on this morning, or when I stopped at Charing. “Oh well,” I think as I cover it up, “better late than never.”

Friends! pic.twitter.com/EroXJfEWgr

— Jonathan (@jonathanworking) October 25, 2017

More photos from Wye today. pic.twitter.com/zzSQ5l1j3e

— Jonathan (@jonathanworking) October 25, 2017
It’s a struggle to get going again after lunch, but it’s such a nice day it would be a shame to stop. My motivation isn’t improved as the path heads straight uphill to the top of the Downs. I need the loo. I feel sluggish and slow. “It doesn’t matter,” I have to tell myself. “You don’t have to walk fast, you just have to walk.” This has been developing as a bit of a mantra today. As the Americans say, hike your own hike.
round lookout info point and view
Lookout point above the Wye Crown, with directions to various towns.
After a steep woodland path and a short road walk, I’m standing on top of the Wye Crown, a shape carved into the chalk hillside. I can’t make out the crown, but the view more than rewards the climb. Oh, it’s amazing! I can see Wye, and the hills I was on this morning, and the outline of Ashford and those wind turbines . . . They must be the ones near Rye, I suddenly realise, and yes, there’s the Fire Hills and, perhaps, beyond, the South Downs at Eastbourne! It’s all so much closer than I imagined. The sun is out and everything is shimmering. I wander along the top of the escarpment, peering down into tiny fields and woods below.

And some pics from the rest of the afternoon. Gorgeous! (Total walked today approx 27km/16mi.) pic.twitter.com/PoV98yo4Fa

— Jonathan (@jonathanworking) October 25, 2017
steep, narrow valley and view
The Devil's Kneading Trough.
If I wanted, I could stop and call Dan to pick me up. I don’t want, though. I’ve still got a couple of miles in me, and there’s no rush. I don’t have to walk fast, so long as I keep walking. The view is a great distraction, while it lasts. Soon, though, the path turns away from the edge and trails along country roads through plateau-like farmlands. I am now busting for the loo and eventually find a quiet lane with a notch in the hedge. Thankfully, nobody comes along!
My legs are getting stiff, now. I look at the map and weigh up my options - there are two villages, a mile or two apart. I decide to aim for the closer one. There are no worries, though, no anxiety. I’ll get there. “You don’t have to go fast,” I say as I hobble along, “you just have to keep going.” There’s a trig point to aim for, too. When I get there, a grey-haired man is leaning on his van, looking at birds. I tell him about the wildlife I’ve seen, he says he walked the Pennine Way years ago. Now he has plans to kayak around the UK. “Some people say I’m too old. But the people who really know me just offer to bring me supplies!” We chat for a while, before I go down the hill into the village and wait for Dan to pick me up.
shadow of person waving
Shadows lengthening as the afternoon draws on.
shed
I always like a bit of corrugated iron cladding. Reminds me of Australia!
“So, how far did you walk today?” Dan asks.

“I really don’t know. It felt quite a bit further than yesterday. Twenty kilometres? Hopefully at least twenty, or I’m less fit than I thought.” I calculate it when we get back. Twenty seven kilometres. Sixteen miles. That counts as a long day for me. And I could have stumbled out another couple of miles if I’d needed to. It would have been slow, but, hey, you don’t have to walk fast, you just have to walk.
Concrete pillar and view
The trig point on Brabourne Downs.

This was the second day of a three day walk in October 2017 from (approximately) Maidstone to (pretty much) Folkestone along (mostly) the North Downs Way. 
[Read Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3]

6 Comments
Elizabeth link
29/12/2017 18:24:25

What a fantastic place to walk! We walked Hadrian's Way last Spring and now I'm itching to plan another long distance walk. Loved following the little acorn signs. :)

Reply
Jonathan link
30/12/2017 00:37:42

Oh, fantastic - we visited Hadrian's Wall in summer and I did gaze out each way and think it'd be great to do the walk some time. I really enjoyed what I walked of the North Downs Way, so based on that, I'd recommend it!

Reply
Neil link
29/12/2017 21:24:38

It sounds like a lovely walk, I haven't done the North Downs but it is high up on my list. Thanks for writing such a inspiring blog

Reply
Jonathan link
30/12/2017 00:39:05

Thanks, Neil! I only spent 3 days on the trail, but I was impressed by the variety. It'd be great to spend a couple of weeks doing the full length. :)

Reply
ashley Beolens link
30/12/2017 01:27:25

Another beautiful tale of your walking, I think one of the reasons I don't eat lunch when walking much, is because it is often hard to get started again when you stop, so great work. Oh and the grey haired chap seems like someone who knows a thing or two :)

Reply
Jonathan link
30/12/2017 08:59:03

Doesn't he? I hope to hear of his kayaking adventures one day!

If I don't eat enough when walking I get very crabby and/or very shaky - but sometimes I do think it would be better if I limited my sitting down time to 5 minutes or so. It's definitely one of the reasons I rarely have an alcoholic drink with lunch when I'm walking - unless there's time for a nap, too!

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