The set up
It is January the 15, a significant day workwise, as it is the day that those of us who work in Higher Education find out if we’ve hit student application targets. While I will not disclose the outcome of the day, I will share with you that I’ve just finished the last two Hotel Chocolat chocolates from a divine two-tiered box that my Highgate friend and I started indulging in during our Christmas stay in Kent and which he kindly donated to me at the end of our trip. There was almost half of it left at the end of our holiday and I’ve done well saving it to make it last longer, but alas it came to an end tonight. It is only natural that this last remaining treat from a wonderful and carefree Christmas break at the Prospect Tower made me remember with warm nostalgia of our muddy trekking in Faversham.
With a busy work routine from the second day of the year until today, it would have been quite easy to forget the precious time I’ve spent with my friend during Christmas, the first Christmas ever I spent without family and after the death of my father. Yet this work routine and pressure is what makes it pertinent to me to keep the memory fresh into my mind.
The Prospect Tower
When my Highgate friend first introduced me to the Landmark Trust and out of sheer folly we booked the Prospect Tower for seven nights during Christmas, I never at all imagined that it would turn out to be one of the best Christmas breaks I’ve had in my life. Not being the one to choose self-catering towers for holidays normally – the spoiled part of me always being in favour of being cared for and catered for during holidays – I was quite apprehensive of the fact that we chose a place which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere in Kent.
After booking it, when the additional information we received mentioned that it was unlikely there would be mobile reception, it had no telephones and no TV, I got more worried that I was letting myself walk towards a completely surreal adventure for which I wasn’t sure whether I would survive it or not. Considering that my friend and I would be spending 24/7 for such a long time for the first time ever, there was an added challenge of whether our friendship would survive or we would be returning home and never speak to each other again!!!! Ah and I mustn’t forget that I volunteered to drive us to Kent with my Ulysses (my three-year old A1 Audi)…I mean what was I thinking?
The answer is that for the first time I wasn’t thinking in my usual 360 angle full proof plan manner. I just went with my gut instinct that told me to break the convention and walk into something new. And I was so right to trust my instinct because the whole idea and experience was beyond words. From the moment we arrived till the moment we left I kept thinking that I was dreaming and that I never want to wake up.
Where do I begin to describe the dream? Hidden from common view to the point of us missing it in the first place, a sharp turn into the cricket pitch, revealed behind trees a petite rounded Tower that became our home from home for Christmas. The beauty of the scenery and the peace that surrounded the tower allowed us to escape from the noise and bustle of the busy festive London and Hertford. Our morning conversation started with the squirrels, sheep and pheasants that were our neighbours and a good strong fire that we lit in the Victorian fireplace. Lighting a fire and keeping it alive was our daily challenge and it awarded me the title of Hestia, the Greek goddess of fire, which I am very proud of. It kept us occupied and tested our resilience on our last night in our desperate efforts to keep it alive with no kindle to support it. It also proved the fact that wood that is dump will never light up no matter what godly tricks Hestia engaged with.
Walk no.1 – Easy trek at the Belmont Estate
On our first morning at the magical Tower, which didn’t have any ghosts to haunt it or fairies to make it sparkle with gold and silver dust, we decided to take it easy and explore our near surrounding area on foot. Weather being somewhere between dark grey to grey, with a few rays of sun escaping here and there and some soft insignificant drizzle, it was the ideal option to explore Belmont House. We started off from the Princess walk which was a green corridor that started from our doorstep and led us to the Belmont estate. The estate and gardens were closed as it was out of season, so we had the privilege of discovering its hidden treasures privately and without the crowds. Although the gardens were not at their full glory, the winter scenery was still remarkable giving us our first taste of the Garden of England. We discovered near the golf ground a wooden gate that one sees in fairy tales with unicorns, a small grotto that was slightly out of place, encountered a battered trunk that looked like it was washed by sea waves and crystalised, we captured on camera sheep that posed especially for my friend and finally we escaped the shot guns in the far distance who were probably aiming for pheasants! Our walk ended back at our Tower with a visit to the roof top to view the sunset.
Walk no.2 – The Two Creeks walk
There were three volumes of guests’ log books at the Tower which we read through during our evenings. They gave us an insight of other visitors’ experiences and stories and some good tips about the Tower. We also discovered tips of where to go and what was worth doing and one of the recommendations was The Two Creeks walk, a five-mile trek following the path to London’s ancient larder from Faversham to Oare. So on Christmas day, we set off from Faversham town centre and using my friend’s trusted iPhone(my phone’s google maps would have navigated us to France or would have made us spin around the same spot for two hours with its constant instructions of doing a u-turn in the middle of nowhere) and a printed copy of the walk, we navigated ourselves through the muddy marshes and vestiges of industrious quaysides which formed this historic shoreline of Kent.
Although it was a sunny afternoon when we set off, previous days’ rain had made the marshes quite muddy and yours truly, forever known for funny moments and mishaps in my treks, I ended up totally emerged on my left foot in mud. The accident happened when we encountered a treacherous pool of mud that required a leap of faith type of jump in order to avoid it. While my friend easily jumped and made it through to less muddy ground, I totally fell straight into it with my left foot as I didn’t give enough thrust to make it through. Interestingly enough, my trekking shoes were not waterproof so I had to endure being totally wet on my left side for the majority of the walk. Being a true trekking soldier, I did not admit defeat or let it spoil my mood, but I braved on till the end of the walk. Despite the mishap the scenery was beautiful as it was dressed with a weak winter afternoon sunshine that gave us the opportunity to capture some truly artistic photos of the fields and marshes.
Upon our return back to Faversham town centre we explored around the high street and surrounding area until the day light ended making us want to return to the Tower and seek comfort in front of the fireplace.
Walk no. 3 – The Peasants’ Last Revolt
After a whole day of no walking at all on Boxing Day as it was chucking it down with rain, like snails we emerged the next day to explore another part of Kent. Well one of us was quite keen…I feel that I literally dragged my Highgate friend to come out of the Tower who was happily cosied up against the fireplace and felt tiny sluggish to make a move outdoors. My persuasive skills having worked in earnest, we arrived at Boughton a bit after midday to do a just over five miles trek through Kent’s history.
Despite the gloomy grey weather and slight drizzle it was a delightful trek across a lot of orchards and a complete different scenery from the marshes of Faversham. I found it quite remarkable to see so many apples being grown in the fields and the walk offered views of farmland and fields as far as the eye can reach. The special part for me had to be the path through the woods were all the colours of brown, silver, yellow and grey mixed with touches of vibrant green. Having had received my wonderful three-tier watercolour pencil case as a Christmas present, I was itching every bit to get my hands on them and use them to capture the colours that I’ve seen in the woods.
Walk no 4. The Canterbury Tales
As we were only twenty minutes away from Canterbury, we took the opportunity of exploring the historic town and visit the famous Canterbury Cathedral. It is known as the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and is home to Archbishop of Canterbury. The cathedral was under repair so it was surrounded by scaffolding but given how big and old it is, it was understandable of why it needed to be looked after. Entering the cathedral gave us a sense of a mini Vatican area as there was a gated entrance that led to various courtyards that were surrounded by buildings and houses that were inhabited by the people who serve the cathedral.
The inside of the cathedral was quite impressive although for me the lighting that was in place gave it an artificial light that didn’t quite fit with the architecture. Overall the cathedral is quite an impressive and massive building that took us about an hour to unravel its various parts.
After our visit to the cathedral we took a nice tea break with scones and croissant in a small cosy place with a French theme, run by a Turkish guy and walked through the high street and side streets until we reached the City Gates and the river. Due to extensive rain the river walk was closed with flood measures in place as it looked like ready to overflow, so as we were not able to walk along the river walk we took the way back and ended our brief visit to the historic town.
Walk no. 5 – Seaside walking at Whitstable
On our last day we went to Whitstable, a picturesque seaside town only twenty minutes away. The day was less gloomy and we were lucky to see a few sun rays which was enjoyable for the seaside walk we did from the port of Whitstable all the way to Hampton via the Marine Parade. An easy seven mile round trek as it was mostly straight route, with views of windmills in the far horizon. As it was Sunday, the parade was busy with all sorts of walkers along the way; families with children, couples with dogs, runners, old people, young people and us. The special feature on the parade was the colourful summer cabins that we encountered which made us wander how they are used.
On our return back to the harbour, we decided to take advantage of our extra half hour that remained on our parking to explore a little bit the town centre. It was quite crowded with lot of visitors enjoying the seafood culinary delights of Whitstable, mainly oysters, sitting outside or in local restaurants. While it was worth walking through to see the town, I found this part of our visit quite frustrating as it was busy and after the quiet and peace of our Tower, the navigation through various levels of walking speed of others felt overwhelming. Still I’m glad we saw what was beyond the marine parade.
The epilogue
Our last evening at the Tower was a mixture of success and despair! Success because we cooked the most delicious jacket potatoes I’ve ever had in the fireplace and despair because after baking the potatoes in the fireplace we were left with no kindle and we failed to light again the fireplace for the rest of the evening. I went out in the dark with a torch to try and gather some natural kindle but due to the dampness of everything nothing worked. In the end having exhausted every last match, every last tea light we accepted defeat and felt content that at least we enjoyed a good strong fire for so many days.
I returned home feeling totally refreshed and energized although I knew I would miss the smell of the fireplace. A small dose of it came back with me in my clothes but it only lasted for a few hours. The best outcome though was that my friendship with my Highgate friend felt like it has grown stronger and closer because of the time we spent together and has taken a new warm perspective. Thanks to his very thoughtful Christmas gift I was inspired to paint again and I cracked on with the commission that he has given me to paint for him – a black and white winter view of the Heath.
Walks and Smiles 