Coast to coast walk, day 3... into the Elham Valley. Walking for Cortijo Romero.

The strange thing about living so near to the coast is that very often the inland areas are forgotten by visitors and even the locals.  Even though I will never tire of the endlessly different seascapes that I am so blessed to see each day, the one thing I miss are trees.  Something about trees has always inspired me, soothed me and filled my heart with joy.  So with this in mind, I was very happy to set out on the next stage of our walk heading further along the Elham Valley Way.  

Leaving Bridge, a pretty Kent village, I was already excited because we were about to walk across my favourite field.  This field has an almost regal feel, winding past a huge mansion where for a moment I could imagine being in a scene from Pride and Prejudice.  Even the sheep seem relaxed and friendly, almost smiling at us hiking past.  The grass feels soft underfoot and the clear path leads to another picturesque village and ancient church.  We actually know this area as it is near a very popular pub/hotel named "The Pig" which serves delicious home-grown vegetarian food while being surrounded by ancient oak trees.  Yet today we could only gaze longingly while carrying our egg-mayonnaise sandwiches ready for a picnic.   

The weather today would be called "blustery" with 20 mph winds making everything feel rather autumnal.  With such strong winds, the change in overhead skies was spectacular, one moment overcast and grey but an hour later clear blue skies would emerge.  The walk continued with a perfect variety of scenery, one moment walking past open fields, then wiggling past houses until we reached the next village of Kingston.  Even though my energy (post vaccine side-effects) has improved, I am still mindful of stopping when needed and taking some breaks to recharge.  We chose the village church again, hoping for a bench to sit on and we were rewarded with two benches.  For a moment it seemed odd to be eating our picnic once again overlooking a graveyard on this walk.  However, with the loss of my father still very present it actually felt comforting.  The rays of sunshine that suddenly streamed through a gap in the clouds brought some light and solace to the pain of missing my father.

Plodding steadily on after our picnic, we made our way towards Covert Wood where our marked footpath turned into this wonderful woodland.  I wanted to stop every minute to just soak in the sight and feel of so many trees surrounding us.  The sky had been cloudy again as we came into the wood, but after a few minutes, sunlight started to peep through, making leaves glisten as they rustled in the wind.  The green colour seemed more vibrant than ever and I had to stop to take photos of this sight, trying to capture the magical moment.  Perhaps the struggles in the recent weeks with my health post-vaccine has made the natural world feel like a tonic for my soul.

Slowly the wood thinned out, leading us eventually into a smaller wood which quickly descended through a field of sheep and we weaved our way back to the end point, next to our dear friends' house.  They moved away from Whitstable to this peaceful haven eight months ago and conveniently live next to this long-distance footpath.  We were welcomed with cups of herbal tea and home made gluten-free cake (thank you!) which of course tasted even more delicious after our hike.  Even though it wasn't an enormously long hike, as we drove home we could actually appreciate how far we had travelled just by putting one foot in front of the other.  I also realise that by going a bit slower with some breaks, I really notice the scenery and birdsong.  Thinking of Eckhart Tolle's words as I walk more steadily helps:

"Realise deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.  Make the Now the primary focus of your life" (Eckhart Tolle)


 

Thank you for your donations

so far, if you would like to 

donate to Cortijo Romero's appeal

please go to their JustGiving page.

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 12, 2021 at 1:59 PM

    I enjoyed reading about your walk and I hope you are feeling better from the vaccine. x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sue WalkerNovember 6, 2021 at 6:43 PM

    "It looks absolutely beautiful Sue, a walk I definitely want to do. I hope you’re feeling better"

    ReplyDelete

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