WALK REPORT Pics from our walk in the Len Valley in Kent on Sunday. This time I was joined by two fellow Americans-in-London, my old friends Steve and Mike. Highlights included lunch at the Pepperbox Inn, a visit to the grounds of Leeds Castle, and a look inside the rural 12th-century chapel of St Margarets Broomfield (there’s something creepy in the basement!). 24 photos in this set. [walk profile]
1. A half-timbered house in Harrietsham village.
2. Steve following Mike across some dangerous farmland on the outskirts of Harrietsham.
3. I think this might be something in the Vibernum family. Mike, can you help? Photo taken near Bell Farm.
4. Hawthorn berries on the path near Fairbourne Mill.
5. Inula ensifolia, Fairbourne Mill.
6. A massive shire horse on the farm at Fairbourne Mill.
7. Steve and horse pose for a photo.
8. We were passed by this vintage motorcar on the lane heading up to the pub at Ulcombe.
9. Mike the dendrologist. Those are alder leaves in his shirt pocket.
10. Mike and Steve telling a joke. Did I miss something?
11. Steve at the Pepperbox Inn. This is our lunch stop. The roast pork stuffed with apricots was good. So were all the pints of bitter!
12. Mike studying Collin’s Bird Guide in the beer garden at the Pepperbox.
13. After so much beer at lunch, we decided to shorten our afternoon walk and took a taxi to Broomfield. This is our driver, Mahmud – who’s better known locally as “Charlie”.
14. Now that’s a set of keys! These unlock the front door of the 12th-century church of St Margarets Broomfield. Derek the verger let us in for a look.
15. Inside the church. Beneath where I stood to take this picture lie 30 lead-lined coffins, permanently entombed in the church’s sealed-off cellar vault. We caught a glimpse of the mouldering remains through an air shaft. Spooky …
16. Ornate detailing on the pipes of the church’s old hand-pumped organ.
17. Close-up of ivory stops above the organ keyboard.
18. The Wykeham-Martin family once owned nearby Leeds Castle and had a close association with this church.
19. The view through the chestnut grove down to Leeds Castle.
20. It’s hard to see from this photo, but the bark of these two trees is subtly different. The one in the foreground is an oak, and the one behind it, a sweet chestnut.
21. At Leeds Castle. A black swan (Cygnus atratus), too lazy to swim, tries its luck fishing from shore.
22. Barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) grazing at Leeds Castle.
23. Walk complete. Time for more beer. Here’s Mike ordering at the bar in the Windmill pub.
24. Pints of Sussex bitter – an easy end to an easy walk!
If you’d like to try this walk too, this page has all the info you’ll need. For a list of all my walks, please visit the home page.
Steve and Mike, thanks a million for coming – I hope you enjoyed the day.
— DW
Responses to this topic: 3
Mike Rothschild said in 9-4-2007 @ 16:59:37
We had a fab day David. Hugely impressed with your knowledge of history, flora, fauna and local pubs. I had no idea you were so blabby – but thanks to your ability to chat up the locals you unlocked the secrets of an ancient church, got more smiles out of publicans than I thought possible and even coaxed a few utterances from Mr Ed. Can’t wait to go on another walk soon!
Darrell said in 9-7-2007 @ 13:27:35
Hi David,
Just wanted to let you know I’m still hovering a bit over your shoulder on these walks! You are doing a great job with the photos, capturing moments that together give each walk a unique and fascinating flavor. Nice work! D
stephanie said in 9-15-2007 @ 13:20:17
Fabulous pictures. Such a mix of people and inspired shots of places! One gets such a strong sense of location every time. Can’t wait to be part of one of the walks!