Temperatures remain high; there is still no rain. The past two weeks have seen some of the best walking conditions of the entire year with beautiful sunshine, little wind and mild air. Sunsets have been beautiful, and the trees are beginning to don their October plumage. Migratory birds are on the move a bit; the swallows and martins have gone south along with warblers and young buzzards are soaring over new territories. And yet none of it feels quite right. It still has hardly rained since a thunderstorm back in June, although there was one damp day early in September.
My last dunking was on the Black Mountain in Wales. Having climbed up the wonderful mid-sized (for Britain) peak Picws Du in the western part of the Brecon Beacons we caught a magnificent squall sweeping in from the north. It was intensely refreshing given the context of this endless summer. The following week I was in Cannes on the French Riviera to blow saxophone as part of a band for a wonderfully vibrant wedding on the sands. What struck me that the 36C temperatures no longer felt ‘special’ any more. It’s just more of the same. Meanwhile, back in London the Met Office predicts rain most weeks – but it never materialises. So odd.
Latest walks
My recent KWNL walks have included a superb foray to Chiddingstone, where there’s now a lot of construction at Wat Stock Farm between points 4 and 5. Old barns are being demolished to make way for – something. Anyway, the walk isn’t disturbed. Later, there’s a new very welcome wooden bridge over a ditch between points 8 and 9. It’s been a while since I’d done the Otford to Shoreham walk via Romney Street (view from near point 7, top), so that was a cracker under azure skies last week. Livestock in the fields is a bit of a worry at this time of year especially if you have a dog, but the cows and bulls nearing point 6 were in docile mood I’m pleased to report – and were well away from the path.
I’ve also walked at Hutchinson’s Bank and Selsdon woods near Addington and Farleigh. But lovely though it was, the route turned out to be entirely in (drum roll) Surrey so I shan’t be writing it up. It’s kind of similar to the High Elms and Cudham/Downe routes in any case. Worth it though, and good for butterflies and birds and only 25 minutes by car. There is a bus option but no train. The weekend was wrapped up with a shortish stroll at Petts Wood, perfect for the overcast day with its fabulous trees and paths drawing the attention from the dull sky.
