May seems a good starting place for this blog. One of my favourite months; the weather is warming up, the days are getting longer and the great outdoors is calling. I celebrated May Day with a blossom and bluebell walk along part of the North Downs Way which seemed appropriately Spring like, although having overheard someone talking about how they had got up to watch the sunrise, I have made a mental note to do this next year!

This month I have spent a lot of time marching up and down the Chartham River Path (listening out for the call of the cuckoo who lives in the woods near the Thanington Lakes), and have also walked along the North Downs Way to Chilham, and the Crab and Winkle Way to Whitstable but I have particularly  enjoyed a couple of coastal walks.

At the start of the month, my daughter and I caught the bus to Birchington and, stopping at the Minnis Bay Bar en route for a drink to set us up for the walk ahead, walked to Reculver and then on to Herne Bay. It was just about warm enough to sit out on the terrace, and enjoy the sea views.

We were delighted to find that our drinks came with a mini brownie square which really elevated the experience. I’m certainly not averse to a complimentary Lotus biscuit, but a mini brownie certainly hits the spot!

On reaching Reculver, I was really pleased that the tide was out and we were able to walk along the beach as there is a colony of sand martins who nest in the clay and sandstone cliffs at Bishopstone, and I love to watch them swooping over head.as they fly in and out of their nest holes.

We had planned to have lunch in Herne Bay, but we didn’t arrive until 3pm, by which time both of our cafe choices were closing. We didn’t fancy anywhere else so ended up buying a drink and a chocolate twist in Morrisons, which was a bit of a disappointing end, but we took them to the seafront and sat and watched a ‘rescuing from mud’ training session taking place with a team of Coastguards  and Fire and Rescue Services which made it a whole lot more interesting.

I also had a wonderful walk along the beach at Sandwich Bay. I had initially only intended on a short circular from Sandwich itself – out by the River Stour, along the beach and  back across the golf course. And then I suddenly decided that it would be a great idea to have a diversion and head down towards Pegwell Bay.

The sun was shining, the sea was sparkling, and the pebbles gave way to sand that was a beachcombers paradise – lots and lots of  cuttlefish, spiky crab shells

(which I later found out were spider crabs!), mermaids purses, whelk egg clouds, quite a few washed up dead dog fish, as well as the jaw bone of something with some very sharp teeth!.

I was also rather taken aback to spot a naked man who suddenly appeared out of the sand dunes as I hadn’t realised that it was an unofficial naturist beach. He remained standing up, although he did turn his back until I had passed! 

Sometimes, I get carried away by the moment and forget to put my ‘sensible, must pace myself and not over-do it’ head on, and this was one of those days. I decided that it would be a great idea to keep walking until I reached the mouth of the River Stour. And it was a lot further than I thought! The trouble was, the more I walked, the more I didn’t want to give up, and as the tide was beginning to come in I began to see small boats starting to sail into the river from the sea.

It was a silly idea because it wasn’t even that exciting when I got there, and the sense of achievement I’d initially felt soon evaporated as I had to trudge back along the pebbles because the firm sand I’d walked along on the way was soon covered by the rising tide – and even more so when I had to stand at the bus stop for an hour waiting to get home because two buses failed to turn up and the Stagecoach app wasn’t working so I didn’t dare leave in case one suddenly arrived. Oh well, I doubt I’ll ever learn!

May is also my daughter’s birthday, and I was really pleased that all the family were able to come round to celebrate at the weekend after her special day. This year we are on a mission to mark as many special days as possible, and so, as our little party coincided with St Augustine’s Day, we decided to incorporate some fine Kentish fare in order to honour our patron saint. I made Kentish huffkins, Kentish plump pilgrims and a Canterbury apple tart, and there were Kent crisps and some local strawberries As we also had all of our usual picky tea favourites (oh how we love a picky tea!!) there was so much food that even with lots stowed in the freezer, I seemed to be eating left overs for days! With hindsight, I should have taken some photos but I forgot – as I also did about buying Chapel Down wine or Biddenden cider, automatically buying prosecco instead, but there’s always next year!

Here’s one of the plump pilgrims though, enjoyed on a subsequent walk.