On Sunday morning, in the spirit of continuing our monthly outdoor adventures, we drove to Surrey to visit the Tulleys Tulip Festival. It was my birthday weekend and our visit to this blooming great extravaganza reminded me why I love the month of May so much.
I love hometown tourism, the idea that we don't need to travel far to discover hidden treasures. Despite my lofty aspirations, it took me far too long to visit Crossness Pumping Station, which is practically located in my back garden.
On a crisp June evening, we embarked on Auld Reekie Tours' Vaults & Graveyard Tour, delving into Edinburgh's shadowy past. Our guide led us through the historic Greyfriars Graveyard and the eerie corridors of the 17th-century vaults, sharing chilling tales of body snatchers and restless spirits. Based in the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town, Auld Reekie Tours has been captivating visitors since 1995 with their unique tours.
It had been over an hour since we'd left Aylesford Priory on our walk along the Augustine Camino. We'd left pavements and roadways behind and had begun to walk across muddy, waterlogged fields, past quaint farmhouses and distinctive Kentish oast houses.
Our first (and very welcome) stop was at Tyland Barn where we enjoyed hot drinks and pastries. Tyland Barn is the home of the Kent Wildlife Trust and was one of several places that I discovered on the walk and would love to visit again.
Feeling warmer and fortified after our break, we walked on to Boxley Abbey, site of a former 12th century monastery which is now a private home. The house has been on the market for several years and the asking price has been reduced from £2.25m to £1.85m.
Naturally, we only got as far as the gate to the property but we admired the quaint cottages nearby which would have housed workers or guests of the abbey and later the estate.
Our walk then continued across the Chapel Downs vineyard at Boarley Farm. Together with their Boxley and Kit's Coty sites, Boarley establishes Chapel Downs as the biggest winery in England and an emerging contender on the global wine market. I shall have to go on a wine tour and report back on this!
We soon arrived at the incredibly picturesque village of Boxley. Note the red phone box with working pay phone.
When we arrived in Boxley, our group split up and some went to enjoy packed lunches in the churchyard while the rest of us opted for lunch at the King's Arms. I enjoyed a delicious lemon and thyme linguini with marinated crispy chicken thighs. It was honestly so good that I know I have to take Stephen back there soon.
Sadly the heavens had opened while we were eating and we found the rest of our group shivering inside the church. It was not the first or last time that it rained on us that day!
We were keen to continue our walk after that, both to warm up and to work off our lunches. Our route took us across more fields and past orchards, with stunning views and a bit of sunshine too.
By this time, we'd been together for over five hours and my legs were beginning to protest each time we stopped moving. The only choice was to keep moving!
We finally arrived at our penultimate stop, the St Mary the Virgin Church in Thurnham.
Several members of the group collected their pilgrim stamps - they had been able to collect three that day. One of the women kindly let me photograph her book.
We admired the stained glass and played with a chest which required a puzzle to be solved in order to open it.
We left the church and walked to the Black Horse Inn in Thurnham where the greatest downpour of the day began. Luckily, our taxi arrived to take us back to Aylesford Priory where I'd parked my car. I'd walked 21908 steps over 9.7 miles and was very pleased with a successful day of exploring.
If my posts about this walk have piqued your interest, you might be interested in the week-long walks along the Augustine Camino. The 2024 dates are Monday 29th April – Sunday 5th May 2024 and Monday 30th September – Sunday 6th October 2024.
Desperate to explore more at the end of winter, I'd been searching for Kentish walking tours and was delighted when an advert popped up on my feed for the Heart of Kent walking festival which takes place in and around Maidstone every March. I chose the Introduction to Pilgrimage walk from Aylesford Priory to Thurnham along the Augustine Camino which promised the most instagrammable view in Kent and met my requirements of moderate difficulty and a medium distance of 7 miles. If you know anything about the concept of 'country miles', you won't be surprised that our walk landed up being closer to 9 miles!
Our guide was Andrew Kelly, Route Director for the Augustine Camino. Andrew is a lover of long-distance walks and wanted to emulate the medieval pilgrims by creating a week-long walking pilgrimage route from Rochester Cathedral to the Shrine of St Augustine in Ramsgate, that crucially stops in the most important churches along the way. The walk I took was an introduction to the week-long route. Our walking group was a nice mix of people both young and old, ranging from very religious to not religious at all. It made for great conversation.
Aylesford Priory, also known as The Friars, was founded in 1242 by members of the Carmelite Order. The Carmelites are a Catholic mendicant order, and Aylesford is one of the oldest Carmelite communities in the world. In 1247 Saint Simon Stock is said to have received the Brown Scapular from the Virgin Mary. This event has made Aylesford a pilgrimage site for centuries.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century, the priory passed through various hands and underwent numerous transformations. It wasn't until 1949 that the Carmelites were able to purchase the property and return to Aylesford. Since then, it has been extensively restored and developed into a vibrant center of spiritual retreat and pilgrimage.
The priory features a mix of ancient and modern religious art and architecture. Visitors can find medieval buildings alongside modern sculptures and artworks, including pieces by the renowned artist Adam Kossowski.
The Seal of the Carmelites
Examples of Kossowski's ceramic works can be seen in the photos above and many were created in the pottery studio established in the 1950s.
Aylesford Priory contains several chapels located around an outdoor piazza which is popular in the summer.
There is a rosary way featuring statuettes representing the mysteries of the rosary but interestingly enough, the doors to the statuettes were closed for Lent. The first photo in this post features a statue of St Thérèse of Lisieux which is also located in the gardens of the rosary way.
Our final stop at the priory was to the beautiful peace garden. There were flagstones at our feet with the word 'peace' written in scores of languages around the world. I was delighted to be able to read the word in Greek as I've been learning the language for a year.
Following our time at the priory, we walked down to the village of Aylesbury. It was my first time visiting this quaint village but I hope it won't be my last.
Aylesford is notable for its ancient history, with evidence of human habitation dating back to Neolithic times. There is a chamber tomb located nearby, Kit's Coty House, estimated to have been built around 4000BCE. One of the most significant archaeological finds in the area is the Aylesford Bucket, a well-preserved Iron Age wooden vessel dating back to around 75-25 BCE. This artifact is considered one of the finest examples of prehistoric woodwork in Europe and is on display at the British Museum.
We finally arrived at the spot that Andrew had described as the most Instagrammable spot in Kent - the view of the Chequers pub from the River Medway. It was indeed very pretty but we would also see some incredible scenery over the next five hours. I'll post all about the second half of the walk in two weeks time.
We went up to Canary Wharf last Saturday night to see the famous Winter Lights Festival. It was such a fun night and we got to see most of the lights before the cold and sore legs sent us packing for the train home. We enjoyed a superb meal at the Ivy beforehand. They have an unbeatable deal at the moment offering two courses for £19.17.
Seasons greetings! It's the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas is over for another year and we have a week between Christmas and New Year to relax. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, short days and long, dark nights provide the perfect setting for bright lights and illuminations. This year, we headed to Tonbridge Castle in Kent to visit their magical winter light trail.
The last time we visited Tonbridge Castle was during the lockdown of 2021. I was delighted to see how the castle was transformed by light and sound on this very cold winter night.
The trail leads you around the ground at the foot of the gatehouse where you can see disco balls and fields of lights that change colours in time to music.
There were illuminations projected against the gatehouse and the ruined walls.
We followed the path down past this field of electric tulips to the river walk.
These glowing orbs constantly changed colour too.
As we exited from the tall arched walkway, I turned back and spotted these friends chatting. I couldn’t resist taking a photo – they were lucky to find themselves alone under the lights – it had been packed with people moments before.
A short walk later and we found a stall to serve us Baileys Hot Chocolate. It was delicious and a treat to warm up our hands and bodies.
@mandyist A visit to the Illuminate Winter Lights Trail at Tonbridge Castle #winterlights #winterlights2023 #winterlightsfestival #winterlightsfestival2023 #tonbridgecastle #illumination #illuminations ♬ Tubular Bells - Pt. I - Mike Oldfield
