walk – Page 2 – My London+

The Hogsmill River/Bonesgate Stream

A bus ride took me to my starting point at Tolworth Court Farm Fields. I wrote about this place last summer when I first visited with a friend. Today, it was rather windy across those fields, and I was still no nearer working which field I was in, and I didn’t end up quite where I thought I would (direction not being my strong point). In fact it was a day of wrong turnings, but wrong turnings can lead to interesting discoveries.

The sun was trying to break through the clouds. I was out early and met mostly dog walkers. Underfoot the fields were a quagmire. Mud soon caked my shoes, and I had to watch where I was walking.

Eventually I found the river, and here was my first error. I turned right instead of left. I was heading along the Bonesgate Stream, not the Hogsmill. If I had followed that track I would have ended up nearer Chessington. There is nothing wrong with Chessington. In fact, I have crossed the Bonesgate on a previous walk through Chessington and Ashtead a couple of years ago. But this wasn’t my plan today. So retraced my steps. But before I move on I will tell you a little about the Bonesgate Stream. One part of it rises in Horton Country Park and the other in Chessington Wood. It joins the Hogsmill at Tolworth Court Farm. The Hogsmill is, of course, a tributary of the River Thames, and it meets the Thames at Kingston at Clattern Bridge, built in 1175, and is one of the oldest bridges in England.

Back on the right track I found where the two rivers meet and followed the Hogsmill. Again, I thought I knew where I was and where I would come out. But no! I have walked this river before in two sections in the past – Toworth to the source at Ewell, and Tolworth to Kingston where it feeds into the Thames – yet none of it seemed familiar!

I came out on a dual carriageway and crossed over by the lights. It took me a little while to locate the way back to the path, but from the bridge (which turnes out to be Tolworth Court Bridge!) there is an excellent view of the river.

This was a lovely path, and I was following a group of walkers who had probably walked from Ewell.

I thought this was a bridge at first but there is a pipe running over the river.

By now the sun was out and, being more sheltered, I wasn’t buffeted by the wind. On this stretch it passes by Surbiton Raceway (GoKarts), and I felt this section was familiar.

And here was my second confusion. The path ended on a main road with the Hogsmill Pub on the corner. I crossed, but it wasn’t long before I realised I was walking away from the river. I doubled back and consulted Google Maps. The only way to follow the river was to walk along the main road. The road had no pavement either side. It is a twisty turny road, and I felt rather unsafe walking along it. On the left Wimpey Homes are building new houses and apartments. Twice I came off and walked down pathways hoping to get back to the river. One turning led only to a health club, and the other was a private road, but at least there were some gorgeous ponies in a field to make friends with.

I finally found the path back to the river and saw my second heron of the day. Trying to take a photo of it proved difficult. Only my bridge camera could get that close, but even that refused to focus on anything but the foilage around it! And then it flew. Below is the best shot (nothing to write home about!)

I was now definitely on familiar ground and walking across Six Acre Meadow. This is famous for John Millais‘s painting Ophelia. The setting is here, though the model for Ophelia (Lizzie Siddel) was painted in a house lying in a bath of water lit by candles to try and keep her warm. That didn’t work. She got hypothermia!

I recenty found out that another Pre-Raphaelite painter, William Holman Hunt, also painted here. There is a great booklet that can be bought from Kingston Museum all about the Hogsmill River and the link to the Pre-Raphaelite artists.

Under the railway bridge by The Hogsmill RIver

I was on the final stretch I had planned for today. My exit point was St John’s Church, Old Malden. But before we leave this lovely river behind, I would like to direct you to the excellent website of Paul Talling where you can find the history of this river and some lovely photos of the whole route. Do take a look.

RSPB Big Garden Watch and a walk through Richmond Park

For the second year running I took part in the RSPB Big Garden Watch, which means counting the birds visiting your garden during one hour during the weekend just gone.

Somehow, I always choose the wrong hour! Normally, we have lots of birds in the garden. I bought them a super-duper bird feeding station earlier this month. I thought this one might deter the pigeons and squirrels. Hah! they soon sussed it out. One pigeon alights on the feeder, and as long as it keeps flapping, it can get the seed. His mates gather round the bottom to catch any seed that falls. They do the same when the starlings raid the suet feeder. The squirrel also does some acrobatics to get at the suet block. However, on Saturday, when I did my one hour count, the garden was mostly devoid of birds!

In my hour I counted four pigeons, one wood pigeon, two robins and two great tits. Other wildlife included the squirrel and a domestic cat. However, I did observe the great tits checking out the bird box in the garden next door. They went in to give it the once over. I wonder if they will be moving in soon.

A few days before the count I observed a parakeet on our bird feeder. That was a first. They do sometimes spend time in a nearby tree, but this gave me a chance to photograph it up close. All the photos were taken through the window, which isn’t ideal, but the best I could do. Next year I will choose a different time and see if I get a better bird count.

Well, it was there and was a photo oppoortunity

_________

Yesterday was a blue sky day, cold but beautiful. I don’t normally go walking or visiting places at the weekend because (a) it tends to be busier (I don’t like crowds) and (b) the trains and tubes are often disrupted due to engineering works on the lines. Even buses are less frequent. Sunday was really my last oportunity for a walk last week, and the day was too nice to ignore. So I set off by bus to Richmond Park, entering through the Kingston Gate. My aim was to walk to Ham or Richmond gate on the opposite side of the park than I have been walking before.

It was, as I knew it would be, busy. People out walking with dogs and family, joggers and cyclists. I couldn’t blame them. It was an ideal day. I arrived at the Ham Gate faster than I tthought I would, so I took a detour outside of the park and walked part of Ham Common. The common was quite muddy and I had walk round the edges of the worst parts. Once I accidentally set foot in a very muddy patch and heard the squealch. As I pulled my shoe away I felt the pull of mud dragging my shoe back in! It was also colder here as it was more shaded and wet. I eventually came out on the road that one way leads back to Richmond Park, and in the other direction to the main road where I could pick up the bus. I headed back towards the park on the other side of the road where the rest of the common lies.

There is a toilet block inside Ham Gate, but it was shut. I thought I must be close to Pembroke Lodge where there is a cafe and toilets. I used Google Maps to locate Pembroke Lodge and headed up the hill towards it. The car park was packed, and the queue for the refreshment hut was long. Luckily there wasn’t a queue for the loos. Afterwards, I decided rather than wait in the long queue for a cuppa, I would go into the Pembroke Lodge cafe. What a great decision that was. No queque here and I was able to find a table outside in the sunshine and drink my tea and eat a declicious slice of vegan carrot cake.

The lake just inside Ham Gate (next to the closed toilet block!)

Busy, busy. The queue is for the refreshment hut

Pembroke House where I had a much more civilised refreshment break!

Parakeets are everywhere in the park, but they are difficult to photograph

View from Kingston Hill towards the River Thames

Suitably refreshed, I set off back down the hill to pick up the path again. It wasn’t too long before I reached the Petersham Gate, but I turned right and back up the hill to eventually come to the Richmond Gate. From here there are the spectacular views from Richmond Hill. Drawn by the sight of the river, I took the steps down to the Thames Path. I had a short stop in a riverside garden before walking the short distance to Richmond Bridge. It was time to leave, so a quick double back to some steps up to road where I caught a bus. The walk was approximately seven miles.

Two Thames Path Walks

Near St Saviour’s Dock where Dickens set scenes from Oliver Twist

(1) Tower Bridge to Greenwich (south bank)

It was a crisp (okay freezing) day, but the sun was out, when I met a friend at London Bridge for our walk along the Thames Path. Although I have walked this section before, it’s amazing how much I’d forgotten. Well, it was several years ago when I last walked it.

We walked through Hays Galleria to join up with the Thames Path where we had to go carefully in the beginning as the frost hadn’t all melted. The smooth paving slabs were slippery and we both almost fell over. We picked our way through, choosing drier patches or rougher slabs until eventually walking became easier. I love walking along Shad Thames where the old warehouses have been converted into apartments, their walkways crossing the path above you and festooned with plants and flowers. I failed to take as many photos as usual, so please have a look at this website for some great information and photos to do this walk justice. There are some stunning shots and a handy map.

Just off the path is a square with a lovely fountain, the edges of which have little bronzes (maybe bronzes…frankly it’s a guess!) of a camera, a notebook, a pen etc. There is also a handy cafe here if you need a warm up.

Back on the on the path we next encounter Dr Salter. His statue, and that of his wife, his daughter and cat all occupy this little park. Dr Salter did much for the poor in Rotherhithe, only to lose his own daughter, Joyce, to scarlet fever. Read all about it here at the excellent Look Up London website (who run fantastic walks too).

Cloud covered the sun as we walked further. All along the route there were little gardens with benches which, in better weather, make a nice resting place. The path occasionally takes you off the Thames where new apartments now stand, but you never away from the river for long, nor far from it.

A good stopping place in spring would be Surrey Docks Farm. Only the cafe was open last week, and they stressed there were no toilet facilities (these are in the farm which as I said was not open). Please see the website for opening times. I have been in before, and it is delightful and really worth a visit.

In Deptford there used to be docks from where James Cook set out to discover Australia. But other famous names are associated with these docks too. Have a read of this short article and this excellent website talks about the connection of John Evelyn and Samuel Pepys to the docks.

All that is left of the original docks are these stone pillars.

Walking out of Pepys Park we came across a mile post. It’s not often one sees these type with long distances recorded. I was wondering how one got to Dover from here, but I no doubt there is a pathway somewhere as you head out to Kent where you leave the Thames Path and join another pathway to Dover. Oxford, of course, is on the Thames Path, one of many sections I have not yet walked.

Now it was possible to see Greenwich in the distance. At some point on the walk I had changed my socks because my original pair were chaffing. I believe they were too loose so that my foot was sliding in them. It is always a good idea to have spare socks (and plasters) on long walks! The change helped, but it was good to know we weren’t far off our main stop.

Greenwich in the distance. The tide was in and lapping the wall. It was like being at the seaside if you closed your eyes.

The sun was out again, and our thoughts turned to food and toilets! For lunch we found The Old Brewery where we had a most excellent soup in wonderful surroundings (see photos). It was a chance to sit and recover. We talked about walking on to the Thames Barrier, our original destination, but having studied the map (and knowing there was a long haul around the O2) we decided to end our walk in Greenwich. Besides which, I don’t think our legs were quite up to another three to four miles. We’d walked near on eight miles already. That was enough.

From Greenwich it is an easy journey back into London using the DLR and changing at Canary Wharf to the Jubilee Line.

If you enjoyed this, do take a look at a walk I took in 2014 – a circular walk from London Bridge to Tower Bridge incorporating both sides of the River Thames with a couple of stops to view inside churches. You can read it here.

(2) Putney Bridge to Hammersmith Bridge

I was meeting a friend in Hammersmith and decided to take the bus to Putney and walk there along the Thames. The day was brilliant, but freezing (again). I know this section well, as I have walked along it many times, as well as having visited Fulham Football Club, which sits along the edge of Thames. My youngest son has a season ticket to Fulham but got me and my other son tickets when Spurs were playing Fulham. So we were there on the same day, but he was in the home end and we were in the away end. It was too far across to see him and wave!

Fulham Palace and its gardens sit to the right of the path. Always a delight to visit if you have time. The house is interesting, and it is easy to get lost in the gardens, or maybe that’s just me! Along the Thames Path is Bishops Park Riverside Walk, another lovely diversion. The gardens have a lake with a pretty bridge and lots of wildfowl can always been seen. There is a children’s area and huge sand pit.

Below is one of my favourite parts of the walk. I love to see the trees, winter or summer, hang over the path. It reminds me a little of the walk along Chelsea Embankment.

The gardens along Bishops Park Riverside

The walk to Hammersmith takes a little over half an hour, depending on the speed you walk. I had to speed up as I realised I was going to be late! Soon I could see Hammersmith Bridge in the distance. The bridge has been closed for a long time due to structural defects. It is now open to pedestrians and cyclists. This is the second long term closure to traffic I remember. I do hope this time whatever they do works this time. However, these bridges were not meant to carry the volume or weight of traffic they now do.

Morden Hall Park & Merton Abbey Mills

I chose the day least likely to rain, which came the day before New Year’s Eve. I set off by bus and tram to visit a popular haunt of mine. Having been here so many times, I didn’t think there was much left here to surprise me. How wrong I was.

The park was busy with families (kids riding new bikes) and dog walkers. The weather was surprisingly warm for December, up to 16 degrees and people were eating outdoors.

There was a ‘Percy the Park Keeper’ trail for the children (I used to read these books to my children) and both cafes were open, as well as the secondhand bookshop and garden centre.

The secondhand bookshop – always worth a browse

After lunch in the National Trust cafe, I walked through the wetlands area along the River Wandle, passed Dean City Farm and finished my walk at Merton Abbey Mill, where William Morris used to have workshops. Later, Liberty’s of London had buildings here, including a print shop.

At weekends there is a market (though I have never been), and the various craft shops are open. There are places to eat here and a pub (The William Morris), and I found the pottery shop, which I have never been in before. Here you can see the mechanics of the waterwheel which still works and was working on the day I was there.

The River Wandle flows alongside Merton Abbey Mills

The working waterwheel inside the pottery shop

It was good to get out for a walk at long last, even for a short one like this.

I hope you all enjoyed some sort of New Year’s celebration, despite Covid. I look forward to sharing many walks and places of interest with you in the coming months.

The remains of the Merton Priory. I’ve read that there are other remains in the Saintsbury’s Car Park, but I’ve never gone looking for them!

A little book buying from the garden shop!

Frosty photos

The weather put pay to my Boxing Day walk. It’s rained three days in a row and I am desperate to get out and walk, especially after all the food I’ve consumed over Christmas. I hope everyone had a good day.

A few days before Christmas, I woke to a frosty morning, so it was now or never to get out there and take some photos. I didn’t go far, just around where I live, but I braved the cold in order to capture the frost before the sun burnt it off. I think it was worth it.

Richmond Park – A Royal Park

The last time I was in Richmond Park we were in partial lockdown. This time I saved all my walking until I reached the park by taking the bus! I entered by the Kingston Gate and walked to the Isabella Plantation, exploring parts I hadn’t explored in years. I regularly used to come with mum and dad. This is, of course, a Royal park, and the biggest in London. The park is also the local haunt of Sir David Attenborough

Watch a short film about the park narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

The day I walked was sunny with blue sky and the autumn colours were beautiful. I took with me my bridge camera, which is better for zooming in on subjects. These photos are a combination of mobile and bridge camera shots. Choosing a weekday meant that the park was quiet (I’m a great getter-away-from-people person!). After leaving the Isabella Plantation, I walked towards the car park where there is a small takeaway cafe. Here I was surprised to find that I could buy a vegan sausage roll and a soya hot chocolate. Things have really improved for me these days! I’m not sure how long the takeaway cafe has been here, but it wasn’t here when I was a teenager. It is a great spot for it.

May be an image of tree and nature — Bridge

Autumn reflections – Isabella Plantation

After fueling up, I considered my options. To return the same way I had come, or walk to the Robin Hood Gate and catch a different bus home. The latter seemed a good option, and that is what I did.

Looking towards Roehampton from Richmond Park

The park is well known for deer, but I didn’t see any. There were plenty of parakeets!

I think next time I should explore a different part of the park. Years ago, I walked around the perimeter of the park on a sponsored walk for Wildlife Fund for Nature. That stretch is around ten miles. I remember how easy that seemed back then. Nowadays my legs really know it if I walk that far.

It is wonderful to have such a gorgeous park almost on my doorstep. I have grown up with it, and hope I will continue to enjoy it for many more years to come.

A London Escape – Tonbridge, Kent

There aren’t a great many advantages to becoming older, but the one I love is having a Freedom Pass (which takes me around London on bus, train and tube – as well as the tram – for free). And then there’s my Senior Citizen’s Railcard, which gives me a nice discount on all my train journeys outside London. So with my combined discounts, I travelled by bus and train out to Tonbridge and back for £5!

The journey time is around 40 minutes from Charing Cross, and normally the train is pretty empty. However, the day I went, I got onto the platform to hear that there were major disruptions due to an electrical fault and only two lines were in operation. Luckily, I was okay. My line was running, though there were less trains than usual.

Tonbridge is a lovely town. I was impressed that the high street seemed to be thriving, which rather (happily) goes against the grain of most towns in England right now with their boarded up shops. There was a nice mix of chain stores and others

The main attraction of Tonbridge is the castle, so that was where I headed. This is an experience, taking you back to medieval times with life sized models and information in rooms in the castle. Tickets are bought from the Tourist Information Centre which is on site (they also sell refreshments!). You get an audio to guide you around the rooms. A couple of the rooms are dimly lit, and when I asked, I was told I would be the only person in there! The lady reassured me that they had cameras and could see me. ‘You can always wave to us,’ she said!

The audio begins describing the towers and the murder holes under the arch where guards could shoot at people! You use a key fob to let yourself into the castle and enter a light room with information before descending to a lower room that was the food store with a clerk who has turned to see you enter. Barrels of salt line one shelf and other food items line other shelves. There are the obligatory rats enjoying themselves. Through the door is a man making arrows; swords are buried to the hilt in sawdust, and along the wall helmets wait.

The murder holes in the roof of the arch

From here you go up the stairs into the guard room where the guards are enjoying a meal (a suitable audio switches on here). This is a good place to sit and enjoy a video of life in the castle before entering through another door into the Great Hall. This is quite magnificent. Just off the hall is the privy (in use!) and a time capsule. On the floor of the Great Hall you can see the murder holes which you can see through, along with a slit where the portcullis was raised. Originally, the room had other floors and you can see the old fireplaces.

From the Great Hall there are steep steps to climb to go to the top of the castle. There are lovely views of Kent from the top.

Then it’s back down to the Great Hall and out through another door to the exit. I had survived my lonely look round. When I returned the audio there was a woman on her own just about to make the same trip and I confirmed it was okay (yeah, a bit creepy if you thought about the history, but I switched off my panic mode about ghosts and all that, just!). She was a little confused about how to enter, so I took her round to the door and explained to listen to the audio before entering (my mistake, which meant I had to listen to lots of audio on entering the castle before it got to the bit where I was standing).

A better look at those murder holes from under the arch

I had asked the lady in the Tourist Information Centre about other things to see while I was in Tonbridge. She asked if I liked walking. Music to my ears! She suggested a map and a walk to Barden Lake. Firstly, I headed back into town for lunch and then I set off with the map to enjoy a nice walk. Yes, I did get a bit lost, but luckily found people to ask, including two guys from the Environmental Agency who were in a van.

The lake was fabulous, and then it was a short walk back into Tonbridge for a quick look at the shops (Oxfam Bookshop was a must!) and afternoon tea before catching the train back home.

Something I have recently noticed is that there seem to be a lot of people like me – ladies my age and older out on their own enjoying seeing things (I’m sure there are men too, but it’s the ladies I notice). The lady I spoke to at the castle was there for the day. She’d gone to Tunbridge Wells one day and has passed through Tonbridge on the train and thought, ‘That looks nice. I’d like to see that.’ And here she was. Very much the sort of thing I do! The week before, I’d given another lady instructions on how to get back to Battersea Power Station, and she admitted that like me she’d just come to see what the new development was like. It’s great to know there is a little army of us taking in the sights, being tourists in our own country and enjoying ourselves.

Until next time.

Trent Country Park, Enfield

With yet another gloomy day weather-wise, I just had to get outside. Just before I left home it was drizzling, so I held off for a while. In the end it looked a little brighter and I set off to Trent Country Park in Enfield. This was a long trek across London – bus, then train into Vauxhall station, tube to Green Park where I changed to the Piccadilly line. I stayed on the tube all the way to the end of the line at Cockfosters. I remembered that I had been here once before, to a wedding two years ago. In fact, when I came out of the station, the church where the marriage took place was just over the road.

From Cockfosters tube it’s just a short walk (turning right from the station) to the Country Park. I had a map from the most excellent book, Freedom Pass London. Without it I might have got lost in the park as it was much larger than I imagined with many paths. I was following one trail.

A little history (and why not). The park was once King Henry IV’s hunting ground in the 14th century, then known as Enfield Chase. in 1909 the estate passed to Sir Philip Sassoon (cousin of World War I poet Siegfried Sassoon) He entertained big stars like Charlie Chaplin in the Manor House, also Winston Churchill, and during the second world war it housed German General prisoners of war, including Rudolph Hess.

My first point of call was The Obelisk dedicated to the birth of George Grey, Earl of Harold in 1702. But George was actually born in 1732 and died six month later! The monument is quite a trek, but there is a nice view back to the park. Beyond it are farm fields. The combine harvesters were o,ut and it reminded me of Clarkson’s Farm which my son bulldozed me into watching on Prime, and grudgingly had to admit I enjoyed!

From there I headed towards Camlet Moat (a slight unsure moment when I wondered if I was going the right way). Camlet is a shortened version of Camelot and it is said that an apparition of Guinevere can be spotted here. The ghost of Geoffrey De Mandeville, Earl of Sussex and Hertfordshire (isn’t that greedy to have two counties?!) also haunts the moat after he was shot with an arrow in 1144 in a rebellion against King Stephen. However, the moat has Celtic origins and was said to have had a drawbridge in Roman times. Dick Turpin was also said to have hid in a hut here. The water was very green with weed and very still. I saw no ghost, but then I wouldn’t want to be here at night.

The next stop was the Japanese Water Garden. I was a little disappointed. I guess I was expecting something like the gardens in Holland Park. No waterfalls and the water was covered in weed. I think I must have missed the best of any planting as everything was green, no flowers. However, the lake beyond it was beautiful.

After this I became a little disorientated with signage and my trail map. I ended up doubling back and then retracing my steps until I found the WRAS Wildlife Hospital & Animal Centre on the edge of the park. For £3.50 you get to enter. There is a small cafe but no toilets. Here are the rescued animals and those unable to be returned to the wild. There were geese, deer, sheep, pigs, various birds and a little fox. The little fox was a sorry sight, and I was so worried about it that when I returned home I messaged the hospital to ask about it. I was told that she was ten years old, named Foxy and that she had been in a road traffic accident and her hip was broken. The operation wasn’t particularly successful so she could not be returned to the wild. She shared her run with another female fox who was very shy. Little Foxy stole my heart. I just wanted to give her a hug.

The St Francis of Assisi Garden for all lost animals

Just on the edge of the country park Berkeley Homes are building a new estate and the manor house seems to be being converted into apartments. I am sure the estate will look very nice, but I worry about building so close to a lovely area such as this.

There is a cafe (and toilets) by the car park and here I had a very late lunch before leaving. Walking along the tree lined road there is a Go Ape Tree Top Adventure Park which looked very popular. I couldn’t find the Wood Sculptor’s Workshop which is supposed to be adjacent, but I did see some of the animal wood carvings.

Late lunch of roasted vegetable Panini with crisps

The weather never really got much beyond on a blink of sun and stayed gloomy, but at least I was out in the countryside. It felt more like autumn than late summer. August was mainly a complete flop weather-wise.

Mitcham Common

After spending a week at home it was wonderful to get out of the house for a walk. I have been past Mitcham Common too many times to mention, but had never walked through it. The common is much larger than I expected.

I met a friend at Mitcham Junction station and then we set off. The common is divided by a busy road, so there are two parts to walk. The first section we walked was close to the tram line in places. We found an ideal spot to sit to eat our lunch. The day was warm, and the humidity level high at times. Coming up a hill later, the humidity just hit us head on. The tree shade was a nice escape now and then.

While we ate lunch we spotted a rabbit nearby. As soon as it spotted us it dived into the undergrowth. There was not a sound to be heard (apart from the odd tram and some winey cutting machine somewhere far off), and nobody came by. I was surprised by how few people were here considering the school summer holidays have started. To be honest, everywhere was pretty empty. I’m guessing it’s hat first week family getaway syndrome. Every year, the first week of the summer holidays there is a mass exodus to warmer places with beaches and swimming pools. All the more for us to enjoy in peace!

The meadows were alive with wildflowers and various butterflies. There were even sweet peas growing here.

The common boasts three ponds, of which we saw two, and the view above seven islands pond is stunning.. We met a chap who said that he walked the common during lockdown as a way of escaping, and how peaceful it was. He spoke about the heron we had seen, which had now appeared at Seven Islands Pond. It is the only one, he said, as we wondered whether there were more herons here.

It was a lovely afternoon, and good to get out walking again. Luckily, considering the weather we have been having lately (lots of rain and flooding), we had one of those days between the wet stuff – just perfect.

Whitstable – On the coastline in Kent

Whitstable is one of those places I’ve always wanted to visit, so on Thursday I finally took the train from London down to Kent. The harbour is a small working harbour, and there are also shacks selling all kinds of things I associate with Christmas markets, except it’s not Christmas goods!

I decided to walk along by the sea towards Seasalter. On the way, I passed many colourful houses, seaside accommodation, and beach huts. It was so much quieter away from the busy harbour area, and much more to my liking. As I walked away from the crowds I spotted the oyster beds off shore. Whitstable has incredible shells. They are huge. I bought a few home with me!

Brightly coloured houses overlooking the sea

At Seasalter I left the sea for a while to go in search of a Co-op, I’d spotted on my map, in order to buy some lunch, there being no cafes open here. Once I had my lunch, I walked back to the sea and ate on the beach before walking back to Whitstable. I went into the town itself with its brightly painted shops, tea shops and pubs. With narrow pavements, it can be slow going. Some of the buildings are really old. However, soon I wanted to get back to the sea.

I particularly wanted to walk on the other side of the harbour towards Tankerton Bay, but it took me a while to find how to get there. The works by the harbour take up a lot of space, and it feels as though you are walking through an industrial site to get back to the sea. However, once I sorted out the way, I was soon walking along by the sea again. Here there are more colourful beach huts, a yatch club and Tankerton Slopes, rich in wildlife. I found a cafe for afternoon tea and sat on the top of the slopes. What a lovely view in both directions over the beach huts. Looking towards the right, I could see Herne Bay in the distance.

I walked back along the top path where I came across two cannons, and eventually Whitstable Castle Gardens. The gardens are just gorgeous, and I found it the most peaceful place. Everything was so colourful. It is possible to book for afternoon tea, and I am sure it is lovely, but I was happy just to sit in the gardens by the bowling green.

I walked about eleven and a half miles that day. While Whitstable is great for a day trip, I don’t think this would be somewhere I’d want to holiday in. I’m not sure I’d find enough to do, though you can get out to other places, such as Canterbury, and along the coast to such places as Herne Bay, Margate and Ramsgate. The walking is very good, and flat (apart from the slopes in Tankerton), and if you are crazy on seafood, then that is the place to come and eat! For me, the highlight of the day was visiting the gardens. On walking through the gates, a calmness swept over me.