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!
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