Day 35 – Saturday 17 February 2001 - Gravesend to Allhallows

15 miles walked today

445 miles walked in total (average 12.71)

Having seriously overslept by an hour, I had a later start than anticipated today.  Nine o’clock found me in the Tourist Information Centre in Gravesend, acquiring telephone numbers of taxi firms who could pick me up at the end of the day.  The train service on the Isle of Grain doesn’t go to any place I need to walk to!

From Gravesend, the path followed the canal and the railway line through yet another industrial estate.  A train passed me with just three freight carriages and the driver beeped and waved at me!

I wanted to go out to the shore and see Shornmead Fort, but, unfortunately, the path was knee deep in cowshit, so I changed tack and decided to get out to the Thames a bit further on.

The sun’s been out for most of the day, but, because of all the rain recently, the paths are very boggy and, at one point, the water had come up over my boots and had soaked my socks and feet.  I decided that, all the time I was on grass, my feet would never dry out so I had a change of plan and walked through the villages instead, passing through Church Street, West Street and Cliffe, where I popped into the Six Bells for a drink.

From Cliffe, I tried public footpaths again, but very soon had to backtrack to a road which took me first to Cooling, past the castle and church, and then steadily uphill to High Halstow.  I could see Canvey Island and Southend over the water – it’s taken me months to get this far!  I saw lots of snowdrops and also my first crocuses.  So the scenery hasn’t been all bad!

The road pounding was having a serious impact on my knees and hips and every step was becoming quite difficult.  Nevertheless, I pushed on through High Halstow, Fenn Street and St Mary Hoo before finishing at Allhallows.

I tried to get a taxi from the Rose and Crown, which I’d already ascertained to be a workers’ pub, from the proliferation of yellow site coats in the cars in the car park.  Unfortunately, the taxis wouldn’t come out of Gravesend as it wasn’t in their area.  I nipped into the pub to get a local taxi number – what a nightmare!  Dim lighting, Christmas flashing lights all over the place, a barmaid with the blondest hair and biggest chest I’ve ever seen and thirty or forty workmen.  And no women.  Needless to say, everyone turned round to look at me, so I got the number and scarpered.  It was four o’clock at this time and getting quite chilly.  But I certainly wasn’t waiting inside the pub though!

A very good day – very pleased with the mileage covered.