This is an easy walk of just over 5 miles. It passes through gently undulating countryside with panoramic views over Romney Marsh to the south. There are clear way markers along the entire route.
I started this walk in Hamstreet which is not actually a
parish in its own right but falls within the parishes of both Orlestone &
Warehorne. Up until the middle of the 19thC. it was only a small hamlet called
Ham (from the Old English 'hamm' , meaning 'hemmed in by water') but the coming
of the railway in 1851 led to its rapid expansion. The addition of the suffix
'street' to its name came after the railway station was built.
The route out of Hamstreet follows a fairly busy road for a
short distance before joining a footpath across pleasant farmland to Warehorne.
St. Matthews parish Church, Warehorne. Parts of the church
date from the 13thC. but most of it is much later. It is said to be linked to the
nearby Woolpack Inn by a tunnel built by smugglers. The church tower was
damaged by lightning in 1777 & it has been rebuilt in brick. The ancient
ash tree in the foreground in the photo is over 500 years old & has a girth
of 6.41m. Unfortunately, parts of the tree are infected with ash die-back
disease.
The path traverses a wide valley between Warehorne & Kenardington & crosses over the Horsemarsh Sewer via a small footbridge.
Common fumitory growing in a one of the large arable fields. It is the favoured food of the rapidly declining turtle dove.
After climbing the gentle slope out of the valley, the path enters the churchyard of St. Mary the Virgin, Kenardington. A Saxon Fort occupied this site in previous times & after it was destroyed by Danish raiders in 892 AD a wooden church was built here. The current church dates from the 12thC. It was badly damaged by the French who carried out attacks in this area during the Hundred Years War and later, in 1559, a lightning strike during a violent storm led to a major fire which caused further extensive damage. The building has now been largely restored. The church's location some distance from the village is probably related to quarantine measures during the plague epidemics of the Middle Ages. The churchyard is well tended & makes a pleasant spot to take a break during the walk. There is an abundance of bird & insect life here.
After exiting the churchyard, the path descends across mainly arable fields & then passes through the extensive Gusbourne vineyards. Chardonnay, pinot noir & pinot meunier grapes are grown here. The location of the various varieties is shown by different coloured roses planted at the end of each row. Thus, a white rose signifies chardonnay vines, a red rose, pinot noir & a pink rose, pinot meunier. After leaving the vineyard the path crosses a couple of grassy meadows before entering Appledore village.
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