Today was a lot of pleasant country walking. It still surprises me how close villages and towns are to each other, however! And my observation from Italy holds true here - no point getting excited when the guide book announces a lake - it is always a pond. Here is one on the outskirts of Deptford.
A friendly lady gave me an impromptu tour of her church, St Margaret of Antioch in Darenth. The outer walls of the church include Roman bricks. The church dates from the Saxon period, but of course has been modified over the years. The sanctuary is Norman with a medieval rood screen. She showed me how small the church used to be, and an opening in what used to be the outer walls so that humble people who didn’t own their own pew inside could follow the service from outside. The wooden door has bullet holes supposedly from Oliver Cromwell’s soldiers. Time does seem to ‘collapse’ in such a building.
A lot of the walk was along the river Darent. This is known as a ‘chalk river’, as the water comes out of chalk beds (quite rare) and is very pure. Supposedly it is an excellent river for trout fishing, although I didn’t see any sign of fish life. The photo shows a very old barrier to keep cattle from wandering up stream. Supposedly Charles Dickens (yes, him again!) came here to fish.
It was a very inexpensive day. Breakfast was included at my hotel this morning, so I saved most of it for lunch and supper. The walk passed by a Roman villa, a Tudor castle, and a special farm shop, all closed. But the little country churches are very savvy - all with easy ways to make an electronic contribution - so that is where my money went. I don’t think I’ll need any cash in Britain - card readers are the norm everywhere.
And it rained on and off - English rain must be why the trees are so large and impressive!
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