August 16^th and 17^th 1998

We got to Brabourn in Kent, around 1.45pm on Saturday, left our things

at the B&B and headed off to Folkestone, near Dover.

Folkestone was very elegant from Georgian times until around 20 years

ago. It now has a busy ferry terminal, large industrial outskirts and

the Channel tunnel railway is an ugly sight nearby. The Brits have gone

to sunnier climes for their holidays for years now and some of our

sea-side resorts are decaying.

The East cliffs of Folkestone are called The Leas and used to be

beautifully landscaped. The lower cliff is getting wild, but the

cliff-top still retains some of it's old grandeur.

The band-stand is still there (band still playing), and nearby a group of

Napoleonic war enthusiasts were firing off their muskets. A rum-looking

bunch; all the more authentic for that.

Later in the day, you could see the cliffs of the French coast across

the English Channel illuminated by the lowering sun.

We had dinner in the "Five Bells" a Brabourn pub which won the "Best

Country Pub of the South" in 1993 and 1996. The food was very good, but

the wines were lousy.

Sunday started with breakfast where we met a German couple who come over

to England most years for the walking.

My itinery was from "The Tiger" pub in Stowting on to the North Downs

Way, stopping for a picnic outside Hastingleigh parish church.

Apart from a couple of farm buildings nearby, the church was very much

on it's own. The interior was typical of many country churches,

beautiful, but simple. The baptismal roll from 1900 to 1996 and the

family tree of the most prominent local family, the Sankeys were

displayed on the walls. A stained-glass window commemorated a Lt.Richard

Sankey, murdered in India over 100 years ago.

Tombstones on the floor dated back to around 1580.

The walk was beautiful, good weather, met more German walkers and a

troop of army cadets (boys and girls) giggling as they marched. From the

top of the downs we could make out the sea about 20 miles away.

Getting back to work was hard on Monday. The sun was still shining and

it seemed wasted when I was indoors. After all, this summer was our

wettest this century, so any sun missed is sorely regretted.