Day Sixteen Stage 5 Westerham to Wrotham

Day Sixteen Sunday June 14 Stage Five



Off to WROTHAM, told its ROOTUM, but then they corrected us and said ROTH-UM. 

Even the drizzly, misty days are beautiful and filled with sensual experience. You dont get the long views but more of a shrouded mystery. If you arent focused on the far-away you are focused on the close up. The colors are brighter and there are more aromas. You can see how the mysteries of Dr Syn and  trees that talk can come about.

We took a short detour for lunch at the Anglo-Saxon /12C church of St Botolph's in Chevening. My main attraction was St Botolph is the patron saint of travelers. Hey, it doesnt hurt, right? 

Later I turned around to check out the view and saw the church in the distance

Its always rewarding to see where you've been as well as where you're going. 

Seeing towns on road signs puts it into perspective how far we've advanced across southern England. Road walking isnt pleasant but I'm realizing there is still a lot to see. 1..2..3!

I found this guy on the sidewalk.,.,.,..awww... I put him up in a flowering vine. 

A thatched roof with pheasants. I almost wrote  a typo of
"peasants", I suppose that would have worked too! 

We walked pasty a lavender far, it's too early for blooms, I bet its hard to be angry in that neighborhood. 

Hey DUDE! Pretty friendly sheepses, Precious.....

Thanks For The Pose!

Probably a 16thC House in Oxted

We havent walked through many villages, its always welcomed for a small dose ( small) of humanity and maybe a snack and a real bathroom. 

Oxted is a postcard village with brick houses surrounding a duckpond. We stopped here for cake at the tea shop. We couldnt get served after our order was taken so Linda got plates and serves us herself! The poor waitress just couldnt multi-task. 

It was between cake and seeing the remains of the Archbishops Palace, and ... dare I say it... cake is cake and the Palace is JUST A 13thC BUILDING and not much to see as far as remains go.  It was given to the Church of Canterbury in the 8^th century, and remained with the archbishops of Canterbury until the Reformation in the time of Henry VIII.

There was an early manor house on the site of the present palace, and it was reputedly a favorite residence of slain Archbishop Thomas Becket.

                             In its day the palace must have been very splendid as illustrated by a rare historical account documenting the expenses of the archbishop and the abbot of Faversham Abbey, who came to stay for one night in Lent in 1343. To help with preparations many temporary staff were taken on, including 63 boys. Stabling was required for 80 horses. The cook and his staff baked 212 loaves of bread, 300 herrings were bought as well as many other fish in smaller quantities, and to drink they required 82 gallons of beer and 27 gallons of wine. No Lemon Drizzle cake? This wasnt an important occasion. Imagine what the scene would have been like when Henry VIII came to stay in 1520 on his way to France to meet the king of France at the Field of the Cloth of Gold.

                 Henry VII and Henry VIII were regular guests . In 1545 Henry VIII took the palace from the archbishops, and it was sold into private ownership in 1629.

Fields of Bright Yellow Buttercups

I loved this little guy, He followed us like a puppy,  poking into our pockets and rucksacks. I always have an apple, I think for horses rather than myself, so I shared it with him and his Mum. I thought he was a Shire cross, there are a lot of those, but my daughter Rachel suggested a Gypsy Vanner and I think she's right. 

Moving right along now, since today was mostly countryside ups and downs with long stretches of flat. It was the kind of day when I forget everything and just get into the movement of feet on earth and the rhythm of steps. There were many gifts of birds, wildflowers and little bits of colored pottery. The world gives you these presents when you open your eyes. 

Have We Really Walked 60 Miles?

When the North Downs Way meet up with the Pilgrims Way, the ancient track, the supposed path from Winchester to Rome, it looks like this. A straight line of road. I like taking the time to think of the people who walked here. It would be an "easier" walk for them, they weren't avoiding highways, developments, or going up and down hills. They wanted to go from farm to farm, village to village, point A to point B, to get food and a bed. The vast scenery the NDW planners incorporated into this walk wouldnt have interested them.

The stage was only around 14 miles, we took a side trip to the church which added a mile.