Chilham Circular walk

This was a delightful 10 miles of walking on a glorious May afternoon, with temperatures hitting the 70s and hardly any breeze.

It's an amalgamation of the titled walk until the hamlet of Sole Street and then Saturday Walker's Book 1, Walk 53, thereafter.

Shortly after leaving Chilham station, it's onto the Stour Valley Walk, briefly, passing the former Mill and then ascending through downland, fields and woodland for four miles to a recently re-opened pub, for those that want refreshments.

This walker chose to continue for a further mile to the delightful St Mary the Blessed Virgin Church at Crundale.

After lunch, the journey follows a track along the side of Crundale valley, with great views, prior to descending past Coombe Manor. There's then another ascent to join the North Downs Way on the Wye Downs.

Passing the 'Crown Memorial', through some more woodland and so down into Wye, either for refreshments at a popular riverside pub, or for the train back.

An excellent walk today, due to the weather, but this walk can be muddy following rain, particularly through Eggringe Wood. Not much human disturbance either and plenty of bird-song - wonderful!

This delightful 9.7 miler on the Kentish Downs incorporates a variety of scenery and provided welcome respite from muddier, lower level walks recently, though the brown stuff wasn't completely absent today.

Shortly after leaving the station and crossing over The Stour, there's a steady ascent across fields and then along field margins, flitting between The Stour Valley Walk and other paths.

There's a nice section of woodland walking in Eggringe Wood, one of the muddier sections of the walk, before descending for a possible lunch break at the Sole Street hostelry, which was closed today. This walker chose to refuel with some delightful views across the Crundale Downs.

Refreshed, there's another section of woodland walking prior to a descent into Eggarton, and so on to Godmersham Park, the former home of Jane Austen's brother, Edward.

The finale is a walk across fields and then along a quiet B road into the pretty village of Chilham, with its Tudor buildings and stately home.

(The tit seen just prior to lunch is believed to be a Marsh, and not a Willow, though they are difficult to separate).