Sumara of Weymouth

28th – 30th March

Category: Long Distance Walks

Reading time: 10 minutes

Although arranged in a bit of a hurry and with scant planning, this proved to be a very pleasant long distance walk. I like to plan to go on a long walk just before BST kicks in, everywhere is quiet and it is still light until 7pm.

Day One – Chilham to Wye – 7 miles

We took a late morning train from London Bridge Station to Chilham in Kent. The lady in the railway ticket office was so taken aback at the staggering cost of the tickets that she spent 20 minutes trying to work out an affordable option. We ended up buying a return to Dover and a single from Ashford to Chilham, which still cost a fortune. No wonder so many people drive.

It is only a shortish walk from Chilham to Wye, a tad under seven miles, so it makes an ideal warm up for the much longer following day. Chilham and Wye are both drop dead gorgeous villages with old world pubs and tearooms. They are linked by the North Downs Way. Both villages have train stations so this makes a very convenient days walk for those living in Kent or London.

We only saw a couple of other people during the walk, so it was lovely and quiet. The dog could happily run loose for much of the time.

After about three hours walking we dropped off the downs to Wye . We had booked a room in the New Flying Horse pub and, because it was a Friday night, we also booked a meal. This was to be our posh night. Tomorrow would be a very different kettle of fish!

Day Two – Wye to Folkestone – 17 miles

We set off at 09:00 after demolishing a large full English breakfast. I was apprehensive that this might be a rather dull days walking. No one had extoled the virtues of this particular walk, so I kept my expectations low. It proved to be a smashing path!

We set off through the churchyard and found the path. It soon climbed up onto the downs to the memorial view point. From there it is easy high level walking until Stowting where you drop off into the village (with a pub) before climbing again. One disadvantage of walking before the clocks go forward is that you are too early to see the bluebells and there would have been plenty to see a few weeks later.

It was beginning to get dark so we left the path and took a road down into town. We finally arrived at the Grand Burstin Hotel at about 19:30 GMT. I mentioned before that our expectations for this hotel were rather low. We had studied the reviews but we decided to see for ourselves. The Guardian said about the hotel chain:

“Dirty loos and scathing reviews by guests have led Britannia hotels to be named as Britain’s worst hotel chain for the eighth year running.

Described by one guest as a “filthy hovel” and another as “by far the dirtiest hotel room I have ever stayed in”, Britannia props up the table in Which?’s rankings of the best and worst large UK hotel chains.“

Britannia Hotels have also just been charged with corporate manslaughter after some air conditioning ducting fell from the ceiling at a Pontins Holiday Camp.

Not being fussy types, we found it to be absolutely fine. Our room was clean and tidy with a nice sea view. The balcony needed a pressure wash, but it must be hard to keep up with those seagulls. To be honest, we were knackered so we never ventured into the Bingo hall or the bar or restaurant. We just booked in and popped our keys into the box when we left.

Day 3 – Folkestone to Dover – 6.5 Miles

Not wanting to risk breakfast at the Grand Burstin we consulted our friend Philip who was going to join us for the walk from Folkestone to Dover. He came up with the suggestion that we try the Sailbox, which we did. I had some excellent kippers and really good coffee. It was warm enough to sit outside with views of the harbour.

After breakfast we set off to find the path. I set my Garmin InReach to track the walk for fun (and so I remember how to use it!). It would have been possible to walk along the beach for a fair distance but Philip was concerned that the stairs back up the cliff would be closed for repair so we headed for the high ground.

Philip’s concerns were very valid as we could see clear evidence of the land falling away into the sea.

High on the cliffs is a Memorial to the Battle of Britain. We fancied a browse around and a cup of coffee but dogs weren’t allowed in. Nevertheless there were a few replica planes outside to admire.

A bit further along we came across a massive concrete sound mirror. They were designed to hear the noise of enemy aircraft but when radar was invented they became redundant.

After about 6 miles of cliff top walking we dropped down into Dover. Philip had visited all the various sites that we passed on the route but never actually walked the whole route in one hit and he really enjoyed it. We called in to the Cullens Yard bistro for a drink and bite before getting the train replacement bus from Dover station.

Altogether a great walk.