North Downs Way - Day 9

Dover to Canterbury
Distance: 20.5 miles
Ascent: 450m
Weather: warm and sunny

Abandoned socks: 1
Foxes: 3
Bunnies galore
Yellowhammer, buzzards, kestrel, skylarks
Big chicken standing next to a very small horse

We left Dover in the sunshine, heading north. This side of town is a bit posher than the way we came yesterday evening passed the Immigration Removal Centre (shown on our older paper map as the Young Offenders Institution.)

Beyond the recreation ground (ladies doing their exercises) the NDW turns up a tree-lined byway which follows the course of a Roman road. It was closed to vehicles while awaiting repairs and was quite rutted in places.

At Guston the new route of the path takes a sharp right, up to a bridge that crosses a dual carriageway, and then back. There were lots of flies along here and then we had to cross a field, taking a fair bit of it away with us attached to the bottom of our shoes.

We stopped for a tea break on bench in an overgrown church yard and then walked through the lovely little Piddle Wood, which is a tiny, circular copse with gates either side. It's just the sort of place that could be a portal to another dimension, although everything seemed much the same on the other side, it was possibly a bit sunnier.

Through Waldershare Park there were big old trees in the parkland and then big old trees in the fields like little islands of trees and flowers, overlooked by an old tower.

A very straight line took us through crop fields and across Balham Downs, almost parallel to the dual carriageway, which uses the course of the Roman Road here.

We got to walk by the side of it for a while,  skirting aroung Higham park and gardens (shoddy front garden from what I could see) but an impressive orchard and surrounding parkland.

Around the other side of the house, we returned into park/farmland with a kestrel overhead. Near the last marker post (which says 15 miles to Dover when actually it's 18) and had a sit down and some tea and the last of the biscuits (apart from the pack of bourbons and melted, squashed mars bar we've been carrying around for the last ten days. Actually the mars bar is probably more like 16 days.)

Patrixbourne is a pretty village with thatched cottages and the church has a very intricately carved doorway.

We walked along lanes into Canterbury and made our way to the Cathedral. There are repairs underway on the 12th century round window and much scaffolding.

We are staying at The Cathedral Gate Hotel,  which is just that - on the gate overlooking the cathedral. It's a very old, warren-like building with alarmingly sloping floors.

Due to a mix up (which probably occurred as we came through Piddle Wood) it's turned out to be very good value. We ate out at La Trappiste around the corner, which was great, and we had a selection of their speciality (incredibly strong) Belgian beers.