Author Archives: Christopher

About Christopher

So I jacked in my job, and I am off travelling - don't know where, don't know for how long. Follow my footsteps, check out where I am...

Day 4 Worth to Margate

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It was an early start again today but at least it was light – I could easily see the path out of Worth – and I headed back towards Sandwich. I wished I could have stayed in Sandwich for a little while but I had quite a trek to make it to Margate and I was moving quite slowly after yesterday’s exertion.

Leaving Sandwich I was on the long slog through the Pfizer industrial complex and along the main road to many miles. It was hardly inspiring and I was wishing that I had caught the train to Ramsgate instead. Though after I had passed the old power station at Richborough I was able to get off the path along the main road and meander instead through Pegwell Bay Country Park.

No Name Street - important enough to have a name but not worthy of a name!
The marshland at Pegwell Bay
Viking Ship at Pegwell Bay

I also passed the replica Viking ship ‘Hugin’ which sailed from Denmark to Thanet in 1949 to celebrate the 1500th anniversary of the invasion of Britain. Pegwell Bay is marked on the OS map as the ‘Traditional site of the Landing of the Saxons 449 & St Augustine 597’.

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Day 3 Dover to Worth

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Dover Castle from the west
The Bleriot Memorial - marking the landing spot of the first flight across the Channel

The views of the Castle offered a good distraction to the poor walking through scrub woodland and wasteland. One highlight was coming across the memorial to Louis Bleriot’s record breaking first flight across the Channel in 1909. The silhouette of the plane was marked out on the ground but it seemed fairly lost, hidden deep within dark scruffy woodland, and I did not stay long.

After a few more twists and turns, humps and hollows, I was up on the cliff tops above the Eastern Docks. I could have stayed here for hours gazing out to sea and watching the comings and goings in the harbour – the movement of ships, lorries and cars looked almost balletic. However the White Cliffs beckoned.
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Day 2 Dymchurch to Dover

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The sunrise over the beach at Dymchurch at the start of the second morning
A bridge over the Military Canal

The weather was even better today, and after an early start I headed off along the sea wall path. The tide was out and in the far distance it looked like a large digger and lorry were making massive sandcastles.

As I got closer to the workings it became apparent they had closed the beach to work on the sea defences and I had to take to the pavement along the road that ran parallel to the shore. More bad news was to follow, as the sound of the beach workings diminished I could hear a battle – well gunshots – and spotted the red flags were flying over the Hythe Ranges. It was time for plan B and I headed inland towards the Royal Military Canal.

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Day 1 Jury’s Gap to Dymchurch

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Mid morning and the streets of Rye seemed to be lined with tea and cake shops, the trouble was I only had a few minutes to get a map and head off to Jury’s Gap…

Kite surfers at Jury\'s Gap - the start of the walk
The view over the Lydd Ranges at the start of the walk

The thoughts of cake lingered but I was quickly brought back to reality with a jolt as I walked around the signs and buildings of the Lydd Army Ranges – there were no red flags so I trusted that the ranges were at peace with themselves and I pressed on passing the hulks of rusting tanks and other assorted vehicles.

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Happy New Year

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Walking Pooh country I

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I got some wonderful walking books, guides and maps for Christmas (though for this walk I already had An Ashdown Forest Perambulation by Per-Rambulations, it had sat on the shelf for a good six months) and so spent the last few days making plans…

It soon became apparent that if I was going to make full use of my time and money I was going to have to start carrying a bigger pack, not just a day pack. A walk over Asdown Forest, being close to home would be perfect – just in case anything went badly wrong like it had with the cycling. The Perambulation was written in 4 stages, though I hoped that I could do it in a couple of days, 3 max. It would be a real test with a full pack and the target milage was 20 miles!

The view north from Gills Lap
The Church at Rotherfield

The terrain was fairly gentle, thought with a couple of steep climbs, but the clay soil underfoot would provide a real challenge as I was soon to find out on day 1.

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Wetzlar whistlestop

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A view of Wetzlar Cathedral from the old bridge
A view of Wetzlar Cathedral from the old bridge
The Cathedral in Wetzlar

I dashed over to Germany to help deliver a glider for maintenance near the town of Wetzlar in the valley of the Lahn river. Arriving after dark and leaving early (which seemed like before dawn) left little time to explore.

Only the small Christmas Market was in full swing, most of the old town had shut up shop hours earlier, but it was lovely to wander around the narrow cobbled streets of the old town / Eisenmarkt which dates back to medieval times.

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