Saturday we were off to Canterbury for a walk to Whitstable. This would be a 12 mile hike and should take us about 4 to 5 hours.
The train ride was 1 hour and 45 minutes and had a lot of stops. We were able to see a lavender field as we road to our destination. This one looked to be at least 60 to 80 acres.
As we left the train station we passed a ruin of something. You see a lot of things like this on this side of the pond.
We didn't know what it was till we got home. This is what is left of Canterbury Castle built by the Normans.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canterbury_Castle
The Normans were not a bunch of guys who's first name was Norman, If it was it would just be called Norm's Castle.
A little history about them can be found here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normans
This would be another countryside walk passing thru farm country and woodlands.
This is a Hop field, Hops are mainly used in the production of beer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hops
Another view of the field, this one was about 30 acres.
After a few fields later we came to the village of Upper Harbledown, population 400. This sign was one of the exciting things about the village.
With map and directions in hand we crossed a busy street. That's when the real fun started.
At first the trail wasn't all that bad. Then we got to an overgrown section with a lot of thorn bushes. The three of us got a lot of scratches. Coach decided to run thru the woods after something. When he finally got back he had banged his nose and had pickers on him. After putting the lead on him, giving him some water,
He was ready to go.
Coach on the lead, looking at something he's not allowed to chase.
We were using a map and a new GPS system, it worked pretty good most of the time.
After a while we came to the town of Blean. This shrub was the entrance to someone's house. That guy has way too much time on his hands.
Coach wondering if this is the right way.
Yes it is.
At the end of the path we came to bike path that we would walk on for a while. After reading the sign
we noticed a different way to spell license.
This must be the "proper" british way. It made me wonder if you do spell check on a british computer is that the way it's spelled. I had to find out more and found this on the web.
Licence vs. license
Well that was your english (from England) lesson for today. Time to walk.
I think this is field of wheat, I never grew wheat so i'm taking a wild guess.
The bike pass was paved, great for bikes but hard to walk on. We passed the Church of St Cosmus and St Damian, built in the 13th century.
The walk would now take us thru a cherry farm. The trees are covered with netting to keep the birds from eating them. And the dogs from running thru them.
There was also rows of trees to stop the wind from blowing the fruit off the trees. These were very thick and tall willow trees.
Well that nice section lasted a while, time to go back in the woods.
Sometimes things get knocked off as your walking. I guess i didn't bend down low enough for that branch.
This is a section of new growth trees in the forest. Every plastic tube has a new seedling in it.
Coach was dragging at the end of the walk, but he still managed to be out front.
The old guy with the map was close behind.
Finally were able to see some field work, or at least the end of a day of field work.
This may look wrong but it's how they drive on this side of the pond.
If you're wondering why, this is the reason.
http://www.worldstandards.eu/cars/driving-on-the-left/
For some of this walk we were on the Crab and Winkle way. As with some of the trails here in england, this was a disused rail line. This trail is mostly a bike path and we would be on it from time to time as we walked. This was a sign post designating it was the Crab and Winkle.
So we know what a Crab is, what the heck is a Winkle?
The word winkle is short for periwinkle, the name of a marine or freshwater snail.
We are now on the outer edge of Whitstable, and passed some modern art.
England is big in crescent shaped streets and houses, most are old. This one is a modern version of one.
You can get a better idea of how it looks from the back.
A mother seagull and her chicks. They almost looked like baby swans, except for chirping they were making. It must be the normal bird sound for this area as we were close to the water.
We finally got to a pub for a well deserved pint. A bachelorette party was going on while we were there. They were dressed in 50's outfits, complete with wild hairdoos.
While we had our beer, Coach had his dinner. He was so tired he just laid on the floor and ate it.
He was one tired pup, he was done for the day.
We did get to see the coast, the tide was out and you could see the oyster beds.
Heading back to the train station, it looks like i'm walking with Batman.
Coach laid down on the floor and we broke out the train wine. Little glasses go a long way.
Sunday went to Hyde park for a late dinner picnic. Coach was too tired from the day before so he stayed home and slept. We found a nice place to sit and eat.
The british summer festival was still going on and we were able to hear Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty.
Leanne enjoying the end of a great weekend.
