Autumn colours around the lower Medway Valley nr. Rochester (11/11)

I began this walk from the B2097, Maidstone Road, Rochester & crossed the M2 motorway & HS1 railway via bridges on Stoney Lane to descend into the Nashenden Valley. It was not difficult to imagine what a beautiful idyllic place this must have been before it became the major transport artery that it is today. Both the M2 motorway & HS1 railway run alongside each other through the valley.

A Eurostar train en route for Europe about to enter the 2mile long Boxley tunnel beneath the North Downs.

After crossing the motorway & railway bridges my route went south past a small settlement of industrial units & houses near Upper Nashenden Farm & then followed a footpath along the western edge of Bridge Wood. This is an ancient woodland where beech, yew, hazel & field maple are the predominant species.

The path through Bridge Wood emerged onto the North Downs Way by the Robin Hood public house. I turned right here & followed the NDW past Wouldam Common where there are panoramic views over the Medway valley towards the North Downs, the Greensand Ridge, and the Weald.

From Wouldham Common the North Downs Way continues north past the Kent Wildlife Trust Nashenden Down nature reserve. This was established in 2009 & covers 55 hectares. It was previously arable farmland & the Wildlife Trust is managing it to promote diversity by planting hedgerows, creating ponds & using sheep for conservation grazing to encourage the growth of beneficial native wild flowers such as cowslip, wild marjoram & oxeye daisy. These in turn should attract butterflies & other beneficial insects.

Shoulder of Mutton Wood is owned by the Woodland Trust & forms part of the Nashenden Down nature reserve. It covers 2.2 hectares & has been here since at least AD1600. The predominant species is beech.

A Bronze Age burial mound dating from between 1500 & 1100 BC is located in Shoulder of Mutton Wood.

Good views of the viaducts carrying the M2 motorway & HS1 railway over the R.Medway near Rochester.

Notice near Nashenden Farm.

Just after Nashenden Farm I left the North Downs Way & took this bridleway back to Stoney Lane.

Wild clematis & wild privet growing alongside the bridleway.

The Saxon Shore Way, Dover to Deal (04/11)

 This section of the Saxon Shore Way is 10.2 miles long. It is very picturesque with magnificent coastal scenery & has much of interest along the way. The first half of the walk is over the cliffs between Dover & Kingsdown & is fairly hilly & rugged but after that the terrain is flat & offers easy walking along a very pleasant segregated foot/cycle path all of the way to Deal. The route is easy to navigate as it simply follows the coastline northwards & waymarking is very good virtually the whole way. The only area that may present difficulties is where the path threads its way through the settlement at St. Margaret-at-Cliffe.

Dover Castle

Dover Castle, ‘the Lock and Key of England’, dates from the twelfth century & is situated on a hill dominating the town & surrounding countryside. Owing to its strategic location at the narrowest crossing point to continental Europe, Dover has a long & interesting history. As ‘Portus Dubris’ it was an important Roman settlement & one of the Saxon Shore forts was built here to help protect the Kentish coast from Saxon & Frankish raiders. Traces of neither this nor the Roman harbour exist today. The only surviving structure from this period is the shell of a Roman pharos lighthouse. During the Middle Ages Dover was regarded as head of the Cinque Ports and the town & surrounding area are dotted with the remains of defensive fortifications built during previous eras.

Dover Harbour.

Dover is one of the busiest passenger ferry terminals in the world, the busiest cruise liner terminal in the UK & a major port for freight, especially fruit.

Impressive cliff scenery near Fan Bay.

These are the famous ‘White cliffs of Dover’.

Cross Channel ferries

The French coast is only 21 miles from Dover & is clearly visible. The narrowest point is a little further north at St. Margaret-at-Cliffe where it is only 18 miles to France.

South Foreland Lighthouse.

A Victorian lighthouse built in 1843 to warn shipping of the Goodwin Sands which lie just offshore. It was the first lighthouse to use an electric light & the location of the first international wireless transmission by Marconi in 1895. It ceased operations as a lighthouse in 1988 & is now owned by the National Trust.

St. Margaret-at-Cliffe

A large picturesque village set among the cliffs at South Foreland. At 18miles it is the closest point to France.

St. Margaret-at-Cliffe

Monument to the Dover Patrol, Leathercoat Point, St. Margaret-at-Cliffe.

Designed by Sir Aston Webb & erected in 1921 to commemorate the vital role played by the elite fleet of the Royal Navy known as the ‘Dover Patrol’ in protecting allied shipping in the English Channel during World War I.

Bockhill. A beautiful area of farmland on the cliff-top just north of St Margaret-at-Cliffe & now owned by the National Trust. It is a renowned location for observing the coastal migration of birds with over 240 different species having been recorded in the immediate vicinity. Many interesting & unusual species of moths, butterflies, dragonflies & other insects have also been found here.

The view looking north from Bockhill towards Kingsdown, Walmer & Deal.

Walmer Castle at dusk.

The official seat of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. It is one of the 3 castles erected by Henry VIII in 1539 to protect the strategic naval anchorage known as the ‘Downs’ which lies just offshore here.

Deal Castle: another of the castles built by Henry VIII to protect the 'Downs'.

Autumn colour : gingko tree at Tovil today.