Walk Report

Alliteration G Goodnestone x 2, Sunday 22nd September 2019
9 walkers, 23 miles - leader Peter Jull
A clashing Sussex Stride distracted and engineering works deterred all bar 9. Across the longest railway footbridge in the country led to Faversham's peaceful land of the dead through which the route out of town was found. New reinstatements and old reinstatements newly cultivated out confounded way finding until a genuine de-hopped hop garden, once ubiquitous here but now a scarcity. Goodnestone No1's tiny and now defunct church was viewed inside and photographed out. Much orchard country and many minor roads reached The Woodland Trust's mostly unwooded Victory Wood where a bench provided elevenses and later, views back across the Swale. Into properly wooded Blean "easy to get lost in" Woods with it's up to 7-way path junctions, a few GPS consulting hesitations found the exit onto the easy to get lost on University of Kent at Canterbury's campus which was less perfectly perambulated. Two of us being employees found themselves unexpectedly passing their places of work but were able to access its comfort facilities. Partly down the ex-railway Crab & Winkle line into the city, picnickers perched peacefully by the riverside while pubbers found their target unopen 'til 2pm. Adjacent pizza & chip shops provided sustenance partaken at a bus stop beside the decidedly un-peaceful A28. Out of city on the Stour Valley Walk to turn up above Fordwich and across Christchurch University's playing fields where faces known to one were trialling fresher rugbyists while others practised rarely seen lacrosse. Dry into woods, before reaching the exit it was showering. Into more woods, before reaching the exit it was dry. Forced by forecasts into carrying waterproofs all day they were never needed more than this. Down past solar farm & fishing lakes to cross the gurgling Nailbourne at Littlebourne's mill then much big arable and the finish was literally in sight but Goodnestone No 2 had not yet been reached. More big arable found its Fitzwalter Arms open but far too late. Its bigger church abuts stately gardens unseen behind their high walls. A track (long), paddock (big) arable (big) & road (fairly long) hooked back to reach the finish at Adisham station after 8½ hours and transport home.
Photographs by Peter Jull

---