I was just about to start the briefing at Otford when snap!  I manage somehow to break my glasses.  Happily I can still read if I squint. Anyway,  it was very pleasing to have such a big turn-out, 21 in all, on what turned out to be a fine, sunny, November day.

We headed straight up our first ascent; Otford Mount or ‘mud mountain’ as one of our group calls it.  There were lots of leaves on the path and there was some mud but the going was pretty good really.   I expect it will be a lot muddier later in the season.   Then we went through some beautiful woods descending to Magpie Bottom.   I had been delighted to see two Magpies there on the walkover but today they weren’t to be found – they were probably watching us from a nearby tree.

After some road walking we climbed a stile and then up another steep and very muddy track heading eventually to Dunstall Farm.  The second stile is on a slope and has a very high step but we all got over it very well.   Then through the farm itself,  no cattle in the surrounding fields.  They were all under cover and enjoying their silage as we passed them.

Then we were heading through another wood and down a long series of steps covered in leaves and quite muddy too.

We took our time down these slippery steps arriving at a busy road just before Shoreham.   Then we went through the Churchyard and stopped for lunch outside the Kings Arms where I had made a reservation.   Some walkers went to the Honeypot Cafe and others had brought there own food.

When we arrived at the pub Geoffrey was waiting for us, he wasn’t able to do the walk proper because of his ankle injury but he joined us for a while on the walk after lunch.  In the pub I got very agitated by the long wait for our orders to arrive.  Apparently they only had one Chef today.  That’s the problem with pubs sometimes!

At this point two of our group headed home via Shoreham station while the rest of us and Geoffrey did the long steady climb up to the summit of the hill on the other other side of the valley.  Including passing through a field of bullocks who ignored us (phew). Most of the hill is thickly wooded and it is a lovely experience walking through the woods on a fresh afternoon.  Nearing the top Geoffrey turned back to avoid aggravating his ankle injury.   The rest of us continued and eventually emerged from the woods.  We stopped for a water break and some very fine views across the Darent Valley and beyond.

In another 20 minutes or so we were heading down a steep path with Filston Hall ahead of us at the bottom of the valley.  Then it was an easy walk back to Otford along a track between fields.   Soon enough we were back at the station before sunset.   I needn’t have worried so much about the long lunch!

It had been a good ramble with great company and the weather had been kind to us.

Chris

Photos by Vanessa, Les, Mary, Jackie and Chris.