Day 51 – Friday 28 December 2001 - Rye to Fairlight Country Park

11.5 miles walked today

620.5 miles walked in total (average 12.16)


I dropped Sam at work this morning in Epsom and was in Rye and ready to walk at 10.10 am.  It’s been very cold today – I’ve had four layers on, three of which were fleeces.  I’ve also been keeping a weather eye out for rain as, stupidly, I managed to leave my waterproof coat behind in Cardiff when I went home to Mum and Dad’s for Christmas.

From Rye, it was a two mile stretch out along the harbour wall to the beach and the path has stayed true to the sea all day.  I walked along the sea wall for as long as I could, but the wind made me give up and shelter at the bottom by the road until I’d warmed up a bit.  The sun has been quite warm so I was alternately freezing and steaming!

The path disappeared over the cliff edge a little way into Fairlight Cove so I was back on footpaths through a very posh housing estate until I could pick up the path through the country park.  It was very peaceful – just as I remembered it from when I lived in Hastings.  On the weekends when I had nothing else planned, I used to pack a book and a picnic and head off up the east cliff to the country park to sit in the sun and read.  I always tried to choose “appropriate” books to read on a cliff – I read “Treasure Island” and “Westward Ho!” there, among others.

I really wanted to get to the town centre today, but it was so blinking cold that I decided to give up for the day and save Hastings for another day.  And I’m still only halfway through the country park too, so I shall enjoy the peace as I’m walking through the rest of it.  From here on, it’s going to get a bit less quiet for a while!

Day 50 – Sunday 9 December 2001 - Lydd to Rye

10 miles walked today

609 miles walked in total (average 12.18)

This morning has been quite surreal.  The scenery has been exactly the same as that stretch between Hythe and Greatstone:  same houses; same firing ranges; same gun fire; and same sea wall.  In fact, at one stage, I was wondering whether I’d lost my marbles altogether and had driven to Hythe by accident instead of Lydd!

The lady at the Tourist Information Centre in New Romney had warned me that I wouldn’t be able to walk the cycle route as it wasn’t quite completed, so I had to walk along the road instead.  I could quite clearly see the cycle/ walkers’ path, but most of it was still under construction.  It will be great when it’s finished – it’s the Marshes’ millennium project and funded by the national lottery.

There were very few people in Camber – a few on the beach – although I did see Father Christmas standing on a chair putting a poster up outside the Memorial Hall advertising the Christmas fayre.

The cycle route was completed between Camber and Rye, which I was very relieved about as it cut out a huge diversion by road.  As I sauntered into Rye, I ‘phoned Mum as usual to tell her I’d reached my final destination for the day and it wasn’t even twelve o’clock!  Mum wasn’t at home so Rat set me a mission:  a. to go to Grammar School Records to find (on vinyl!) With the Beatles and Revolver;  and b. to bump into Paul McCartney, a resident of Icklesham, although often spotted in Rye High Street.  (Success rate:  nil and nil by the way!)  At least Grammar School Records was still there.  The National Trust shop and the nice shop that sold the lovely Christmas decorations is now the Edinburgh Woollen Mill and, although Simon the Pieman is still there, it was shut.  Marvellous.

I planned on wandering around Rye for the afternoon – something I used to do a lot when I lived in Hastings all those years ago!  Rye was the favourite Sunday afternoon jaunt when I had people to stay, which was pretty much every weekend!

I had lunch at the Swan Cottage Tea Rooms, which is still there – thank goodness.  Mushroom soup and treacle pudding – yum!  Musically accompanied by Classic FM – how very civilised.

Rye is such a pretty town and very well visited – I heard a number of languages, including French, Spanish, German and what I took to be Japanese.  It looked lovely with all the Christmas decorations strung up across the High Street.  I was a bit disappointed that my favourite shops weren’t still here, but that’s not surprising considering that the last time I was here was five years ago!

 

Day 49 – Saturday 8 December 2001 - Greatstone-on-Sea to Lydd

9 miles walked today

599 miles walked in total (average 12.22)

 

When the alarm went off this morning, I managed to press the “off” button instead of “snooze” so left Sam’s much later than anticipated.  However, I was walking at 9.15 am on a very cold and frosty, but sunny, morning.

As I started out, I seriously considered cheating by missing Dungeness out altogether – it’s so bleak and unattractive.  However, as I walked through the Dungeness Nature Reserve and looked at all the gardens, my spirits lifted.  I found Derek Jarman’s house and garden (Prospect Cottage) purely by chance – there’s no indication of the relevance of this little oasis.  I’d recently seen a book about his garden and recognised it immediately.  Derek Jarman was a film director, artist, gay activist and gardener, who died of AIDS in 1994.  It’s amazing that he’s created a beautiful plot in the middle of nowhere and with very limited resources – basically just shingle, rocks and wood with the odd shrub thrown in – someone is obviously still looking after the place in his memory.  I was more impressed than I thought I would be.

 

I was even more impressed as I came across the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch light railway café – what a fantastic little find!  All done out with railway posters and very bright and cheerful.  I was very pleased to find it open in the middle of winter, especially as the trains won’t be running (apart from the Santa Special!) until February.  I guess they have lots of coach parties as most of the tables were reserved and all the wine glasses were laid out for lunch.

The lighthouse was closed unfortunately so I couldn’t climb it.  Phew!  There have been lighthouses at Dungeness since 1615 when “1,000 persons perished there from want of light every year”.  The base of the Samuel Wyatt lighthouse of 1792 (all that remains) is now used as lighthouse keepers’ cottages; the 1904 lighthouse is the one you can climb up in summer; and a couple of hundred yards away is the 1961 lighthouse – very thin and pointy.  My guidebook called it “elegant” but I’m not sure I’d describe it as such.

I wandered through the nature reserve to the Dungeness Visitor Centre – also closed.  Gggrrr!

From here, I was on roads to Lydd.  I didn’t walk on the grass verges but, instead, kept to the tarmac as there were dozens of tiny birds’ eggs laid in the turf.  It played hell with the soles of my feet, but it would have been tragic to stomp on any of the eggs.

At Lydd, I stopped for lunch sitting outside the church of All Saints, known as “the cathedral of Romney Marsh” because it’s so huge.  It certainly is very tall and I’d been using it as a reference point from as far away as Dungeness.  I much prefer small churches though, so wasn’t that impressed with it.  Especially as they had no benches to sit on in the church yard and I ended up on the ground in the church porch!

From my map and road signs, it was still six miles to Camber and it was already half past one.  I decided that I didn’t want to risk not making it in daylight, so called it a day.

Very pleased with the day’s progress.  It’s been very cold and hard work because the wind has fair whipped across the marshes.  Still, my B&B in New Romney (not to mention the New Inn!) made it all worthwhile!

Day 48 - Sunday 4 November 2001 - Hythe to Greatstone-on-Sea

9 miles walked today

590 miles walked in total (average 12.29)

My first stretch through Hythe took me alongside the Royal Military Canal where some sort of angling competition was being held.  From my (very limited) experience, I guessed the men weren’t fishing for carp as there were no buzzers or bivvies in sight!  I seem to recall that pike season is open now, so perhaps that’s what they were after.

My waterside amble didn’t last long as I had to head out on the A259 to Dymchurch.  I didn’t need to see the red flags flying to know I couldn’t walk through the Hythe Ranges as I’d heard gun fire for ages.  I guess that, since the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack on New York, all military personnel are on constant dress rehearsal.  To be honest, I found the constant firing to be really sickening.

I sat on the sea wall for a little while and stared at the sea – very grey today – but the firing was still within earshot.  I watched some pied wagtails on the wall and also a heron flying.  It’s been a lot colder today and I’ve worn my fleece all day.

At Dymchurch, I was feeling a bit faint, so decided to stop for a cup of tea.  However, the village had no electricity!  I made do with a soft drink and chocolate instead and sat on the sea wall – the sun decided to come out at this point, although it was still very cloudy and looked quite threatening.

The next stretch along the prom took me to St Mary’s Bay, Littlestone-on-Sea and Greatstone-on-Sea, but I couldn’t really tell where one village ended and the next started.  I decided to call it a day at Greatstone, due to my overwhelming need to do some sightseeing at Dungeness.  By stopping at Greatstone today, the next time I’m down here I can walk a few miles, go and look at Derek Jarman’s garden, climb a lighthouse and visit the power station information centre.  Sorted!