I wouldn't usually write up a local walk that I've done variations of many times before, but it was sunny so I took lots of photos and I had a target to try and beat!
I collect my two grandsons from school on Wednesdays so I limit myself to a morning walk of up to about 15 miles. Today, I decided to walk along the coast to Herne Bay and return through Blean Woods. Before setting off, I checked the tide times because there's a shingle strip at nearby Tankerton that's only exposed at low tide and I like to see how far out to sea I can get. Low tide was at the ideal time of 9.29am and so a record was on the cards!
It's about a mile-and-a-half to the coast at Tankerton and as I arrived at the top of the grassy slopes I could see that the tide was a long way out...
The Street, as the shingle strip is known, is about half-a-mile long. I could see someone kite-surfing and someone on the shingle taking photos of them...
I reached the end of The Street at 9.24am. I thought I had 5 minutes before the tide would be as low as it would get, but after about 2 minutes I realised it was actually coming in!...
There was nothing for it but to splosh out as far as I could in a desperate attempt to beat my previous best distance. My Salomon walking shoes did surprisingly well but there was a brisk wind and the waves were coming over my ankles. I turned back and took a photo...
When I later checked the distance, I found that it was identical to my previous best attempt. Oh well, another time...
Further down the coast I crossed Long Rock, which is an SSSI and popular with bird watchers. I took the photo looking back to Tankerton Slopes, which are visible in the distance.
This is the promenade between Long Rock and Herne Bay, the outskirts of which can be seen ahead. Also visible are the forlorn remains of a pier a long way out to sea:
The seafront at Herne Bay - gardens, pavilion and clock tower all looking good in the January sun!
This is the Amy Johnson Bronze statue on the promenade. Amy Johnson died when her plane crashed off Herne Bay in 1941.
At the far end of Herne Bay is another statue - Sir Barnes Wallace tested the 'bouncing bomb' here...
Leaving Herne Bay, I headed inland to the village of Herne. This is Herne Mill:
The centre of quaint Herne:
About a mile past Herne I reached Blean Woods, which I would be walking through for about the next 5 miles. The South East of England has more woodland than any other region, and Kent has more Ancient woodland than any other county - by definition, Ancient woodlands have existed for at least about 400 years and are very different from the northern conifer plantations that some call forests!
The Ancient Blean Woods covers about 11sq miles and I'm extremely lucky to have it right on my doorstep.
The conifers here don't grow in perfectly straight lines...
A nice open track lined with silver birch and broom:
Less than a mile to go. This track leading to/from a farm has to be my favourite walking spot, simply because about half of all my walks start or end here.
The walk was quite excellent - a little over 15 miles in 3h 44m in lovely crisp sunshine and I was back in time for an early lunch.