We had a great walk at the beginning of May. It was a peach of a day. It looked promising from the start. We had an English breakfast to set us up for the day and drove to Thurnham near Junction 7 of the M20 motorway. The area just off the M20 is very pretty and sleepy. Cobham Manor Equestrian Centre has parking and other facilities for horsey people and walkers. There is a decent cafe which is very reasonable.

After a quick cup of tea we walked through a gap in a hedge along a straight path across a field and past a few cottages until we came to a lane. This climbed up steadily past the Black Horse pub and a manor house with a magnificent copper beech at it's entrance, up to a stile close to the brow of the hill. The Black Horse has a good garden at the back and is friendly with good food and beer.

Once over the stile, we were on the North Downs Way heading towards Hollingbourne. If you think of the North Downs as a long ridge it would only be an opinion. If you actually walked it, you would soon come to realise that it is a series of narrow folds strung out over the length of the Way. Much more fun than step aerobics, there is a lot of tramping up and down the fairly steep slopes.

One of the nicest features of this walk is the abundance of wild flowers on the way. Cowslips (Primula veris) are still quite scarce in Britain, but they occur here in their thousands, mixing with late bluebells on some pastures. We had some good shade on the walk, as much of the ridge is bordered by small copses. Some of these copses give a springtime display as stunning as any autumn showing. Trees are in various shades of green, pink and copper, with the bonus of blossom for contrast. The wet conditions of the last year mean that leaf cover is thick.

We heard a cuckoo again and also a Tawny owl at 2.30pm in the trees above us. Frequently we emerged into open grassland with great views and a cooling breeze.

Just before we drew level with Hollingbourne below us, we left the Way and followed a diagonal path on our right to a gateway. Just above the gateway we came across hundreds of Chalk Milkworts, a scarce plant of the southern chalklands. They stood out because of their mass of tiny intense blue flowers.

After skirting a field we joined a sunken road leading into Hollingbourne. At a crossroads with the old Pilgrim's Way, the "Dirty Habit," Inn was closed as usual. It used to be called something else like the "Friar's Rest," but I suppose "Dirty Habit" is a neat play on words. When it is open it tends to play loud music to a clientele of drive-in twenty-somethings.

About 120 metres along the road we crossed over to the church and took a path alongside to the back where a long, straight and narrow path leads to the main village. It could be the road to heaven or hell depending on the direction you take, the church at one end and the other leading to two pubs.

The "Sugar Loaves" is the first and is usually closed on a Sunday, or else dead, I'm never sure which. The "Windmill" is nearby and is a lovely pub. Inside, it is all wooden beams and panelling with a huge open fireplace around 8' across (2.44m). Prices are good and it is open all day. The food is very acceptable and the beer is good too. When you sit down, you notice that the floor follows the slope of the street outside, from the bar to the back of the saloon.

I had a beer and Louise a soda and lime (30 pence) and found a footpath which looked promising. The diversion to the pub took us off the map, so we were dependent on guesswork. It was fine at first, crossing the railway line in the middle of the first field. We managed to get to where we wanted to be, but not as soon as we thought. The route was interesting and we saw three hares in a small field, the first time we have seen them in Kent for years.

Soon we came across paddocks with horses and knew we were close to our base. Over a slope we looked down on the riding centre and made our way back there just a bit too late for tea.