MEN FOR ALL SEASONS – LEG 2

REIGATE TO WROTHAM

21-22 APRIL 2012

Dear Readers, 

We are delighted to inform you that the second Leg of our 140 mile journey along the North Downs Way is complete.  Leg 2 took us from Reigate in Surrey to Wrotham Hill in Kent.

Astonishingly, we have had 690 people view our blog, ranging from as far afield as Indonesia, the United States, Russia, Serbia, Kuwait, Germany, France, Holland and the UK.  We have received warm messages of support from so many kind people, including a fellow walker and his wife travelling the South Downs at the same time, but in the opposite direction – ‘we wave to you and wish you well’. 

Determined to learn the lessons of our Winter trials and Spring first Leg (blog below, 24-25 March 2012, Farnham to Reigate), we acted on all our lessons identified, making it a much easier walk.  We made sure that we had the appropriate amount of snacks, cameras, and alarm clocks. 

You will recall that we finished our first Leg North West of Reigate, on Clifton’s Lane.   Having walked some of our route we noticed that we were also, for much of the journey, going to be following the Pilgrim’s Way, leading us to Canterbury and famous for the tales told by Chaucer to Pilgrims in the 14^th Century (Lesson 1 – Read one of Chaucer’s Tales en route).   

Kit was exchanged on Thursday after a rugby match at school in order that packing might be completed prior to Saturday’s early morning departure.  English then crossed the Kent/Sussex County line to join Mumford on Friday night.  

English at Mumfords house, on the friday,
doing some final kit adjustments

Mrs Mumford drove us to our start point arriving at 0715hrs.  The air was cold but we quickly warmed up after an early uphill climb to join our route East.  We were pleased to be starting our second Leg, we knew we were now credible to sponsors and importantly to ourselves – we knew that so long as we kept going we could achieve our goals; we wanted to get on.

With Reigate to our South East we made good ground at a comfortable pace of 4 miles an hour.  Our spirits were raised as we saw Box Hill receding to our West, our first indicator of how far and fast we could travel; a morale-boosting sight.  In our research we have we have uncovered a poem by Rhoda Cutbush, first Headmistress of our school Bennett Memorial; it’s called the North Downs:

 If you would know me, you must know the Downs,

The chalk hills of Kent, stretching across the county,

Shaking themselves free from roads and smoke and towns;

I am theirs, and they are mine, for here

From the Down dust there came,

Resting in the chalk once more now,

Generations of my name. 

So come with me tread the short grey grass,

And catch your breath to see the milkwort blue,

And marvel at the stunted hawthorn as we pass:

See Travellers’ Joy hand heavy on the hedge

Along the Pilgrims’ Way

Winding steadfastly to Canterbury

As in a long past day.

And rest on the curved hillside, where the rabbit holes

Show white in the dry soil, and bleached bones wake

No horror:

In highest heaven larks pour joy for thirsting souls,

In the low rock-rose the bee hums hungrily;

And in the distant south below

Stretches the blue gentleness

Of Kentish villages I know.

Here I belong: here I forget my fear,

With the short turf warm beneath my fingers,

And, crushed upon the chalk, some wild thyme near.

Dreaming, I pray that when the world shall end

I may watch the first dread sign

Lying on the Downs in August,

With your hand in mine.

We had calculated that on the first day of Leg 2 we would need to travel 17 miles to our pre-arranged farmer field North West of Sevenoaks, Kent.  Having learned to have regular stops and to take ‘Second Breakfast’ we walked for our first 4 miles trekking just 250 metres North of Reigate’s Northern suburbs.  First, over the M25 motorway, then under the M23, a dark and miserable place, with little to commend it, but worse a discarded roll mat and the remnants of a packet of Impiral nuts - the same as ours in our ration packs; we hurried on, faintly unnerved.  

The route under the M23

We had a breakfast, of a nice muesli from our ration packs, North of South Mersham in a field, then climbed a muddy hill and came into view of London.   We pressed on a kilometre to the south of Caterham crossing a path of slippery mud with vast puddles.  Caterham, famous for it kit cars and Guards Depot Barracks; David Stirling, founder of the Special Air Service, trained here in the 1930s.  Just a mile North of Caterham but unseen to ourselves was Kenley airfield one of the 3 main famous WWII fighter stations; Biggin Hill, Kenley and Croydon.  Douglas Bader the WWII fighter ace, had been posted to Kenley in 1930 before his crash where he lost his legs.  Hermann Goering had authorized safe passage for a replacement limb after Bader was shot down on enemy territory, landing without one of his prosthetic limbs!   

The muddy hill that we had just climbed
after breakfast, the mud was thick and stuck
to our boots

The slippery path that came after the hill
on the left. The ground was very different

Mumford at our snack and blister
stop.

Our route around London found us on the South side of the Downs preventing London from being permanently in view.  The last time we were to see London on this Leg was at Knockholt, 3 miles North West of Westerham, on Day 2 close to Darwin’s home, Down House.  Mid morning we felt the beginnings of blisters coming.  Unlike last time when we let them go and become sour, this time we attended to them early; Compeed saved us from further trouble. 

North of Godstone, a name that is derived from the word ‘Goda’, meaning farm village in old English; as does the word ‘Tun’ – hence, Tunbridge Wells, and once inhabited by the Norman Count of Boulogne.  We passed another vineyard but much smaller than the one under Box Hill. 

English's vegetable soup lunch.

By midday we were taking a route to the North of Oxted 11 miles from our start point with London off to our North West.  Oxted sits on the Pilgrim’s Ways, the Vanguard Way and Green Sands Way giving rise to knowing what was beneath our feet.  The Vanguard Way is a 66 mile route from the City of London to the Southern Coast.  With 3 routes (Ways) through Oxted we were left sensible of what a major travel route crossroads this town occupied.  Interestingly, Oxted also sits on the Greenwich Meridian Line. 

Mumford at lunch stop

Having crossed the Meridian Line, we sat for lunch, only to be confronted by a lady in a cycling group who clean went over her handle bars – we gave her some of our medical kit, surgical wipes and offered her ibuprofen; with thanks we parted going in opposite directions.  Having walked in woodland North of Oxted, we set a new course East taking us a mile South of Biggin Hill with spectacular views reaching out South into Kent, the Garden of England. 

English after we passed the plaque
on the right

Proceeding along Chestnut Avenue and Betsom’s Hill North of Westerham.  With the hill running to our North covered with trees and magnificent views to our South we attempted to climb the hill to once more see the great capital – alas we could see nothing of the city.  As we walked we found ourselves amongst stylized houses.  Suddenly, rain clouds came in from the North West, we ran for the woods bordering a field and made it just in time to take cover against the ensuing down pour.  The trees gave little protection and we quickly became wet as we struggled for our kit. 

The rain that was catching up with us

Rain-soaked, we made the last mile to the farm across fields, where we met the kind farmer and his wife, presented gifts and in return were given loan of a field for the night.  We had crossed into Kent.  This time we cooked our rations and slept soundly, waking at 0500 hrs to the sound of ‘On the Road Again’ – our alarm call for the day. 

We quietly put our kit away.  We had damp ground with a clear sky that morning.  Hopefully without waking the farmhouse, we slipped away back on our route. With Sevenoaks to the South East, we were away by 0630 hrs with 13 miles to make to our finish point where we were to meet Mrs English at Wrotham Hill at 1430 hrs. 

The view of Chevening House from where
Mumford had breakfast.

On this early Sunday morning the wildlife was out, a roe deer came briefly into view.  Running on the South side of the North Downs we passed below Knockholt where Mumford took breakfast in view of Chevening House.   With more spectacular views to the South East and all the while on the inside of the M25 London Orbital motorway, it is one of the curious things that there is such good country still to be found on the inside of the M25.  We crossed the motorway on the A224 taking us to Otford. 

Otford sits within the Western Kentish borders.  Famous for what it claims to be the world’s largest-scale model of the solar system.  Otford lies on the River Darent with its Roman Villa downstream near Lullingstone.  The King of Mercia is reported as fighting the Kentish Saxons in 776 at Otford.  A notable landmark is the Archbishop’s Palace, logically placed by Pilgrim’s Way. 

The last section of our journey was the 5 miles to Wrotham Hill passing North of Kemsing where English’s Great Grandparents were married in 1922.  We arrived at Wrotham for 1400 hrs, 30 minutes before our agreed end time.    We both felt good, fitter and with tougher feet than in Leg One.

Our next Leg will take us deep into Kent, the Garden of England.

Mumford with rain gear on. The
rain stopped as soon as we had coats on

The North Downs Way path continued half way
up the ridge shown

English map reading at the begining of day one

 

English coming down the hill from
where he did some reconnaissance to see if
 london was visible. It was not.

Much of the path near the end of day
one was like the above. It was very difficult
to cross as most of it was only the width of a foot wide,
we nearly fell many times

Mumford in tent whilst packing up.

Engish and Mumford at a North Downs Way sign.
There are many of these all along the route