Day 155 – Ferry Inn, Harty to Sittingbourne: 17.6m: 7.0h

Breakfast is at 7am sharp. John is chafing at the bit as there is a tide issue at the bridge back to the mainland. Progress is sharp to start with but slows after 30 mins as the route becomes indistinct and ends on the top of a small mound. We need to get down a steepish slope to join the sea wall. John manages to find a path but takes a tumble out of sight of the rest. He shouts up to the team to take care but avoids scaring the party by telling them he fell until they are safely down. Once on the sea wall, progress is good. The path is more or less deserted. We spot a cyclist in the distance. After an hour or so there is another issue with the path. Possibly we go wrong or maybe it is just disused but we spend 30 minutes crossing a rather rough bit of terrain. Time is marching on and the tidal issue becomes more concerning. Eventually we reach the bridge but we are too late. It is impossible to walk along the seashore to reach the other side of the combined rail and road bridge and the walkway.

Rather despondent, the team set off along the path back inland – completely in the wrong direction. The Ferry Inn whilst excellent in nearly all respects has misunderstood the request to put the water bottles in the freezer and only put them in the fridge, so they have now warmed up. We reach the end of the path and now have to walk back along the road. Eventually after about an hour we are back to the bridge and can cross over to the mainland.

Day 2 stresses on the plates start to appear. Cathy switches to walking sandals and John loosens his boots. We walk along the river - the meadows interspersed with industrial sites until we reach the outskirts of Sittingbourne. A short walk leads to the station. There is no time to visit a pub before John and Helen’s train, so we sit in the Pumpkin Café and enjoy some cider etc. John and Helen depart for St Pancras leaving Ben and Cathy to catch a train shortly afterwards to Victoria.

Postscript – Cathy enjoys the trip so much she is coming next time.

Day 154 – Sheerness-on-Sea to Ferry Inn, Harty: 16.1m: 6.5h

 

Gary has declared himself a late non-runner due to family commitments. John is somewhat concerned about Ben’s ability to make the 0910 without Gary’s guidance but Cathy proves a capable deputy to get him to the start line and they join John and Helen for the trip to Sheerness. They are greeted at the station by Mike who has driven down and fortified himself for the day’s walk with a Tesco’s full English breakfast for £4.99 whilst awaiting the train trippers.

The party set off along the Sheerness promenade. The prevalence of fisherman using mobility scooters invokes speculation as to whether fishing leads to weight gain or whether weight gain means that fishing is one of the few sports that can still be undertaken. The walk is pleasant as the high temperatures are mollified by a sea breeze. Cathy has used her Girl Guide experience to bring water frozen overnight and generously shares this with the team.

After a few miles, the path diverts inland along tracks and minor roads. The day becomes hotter but the team remain in good spirits. Mike takes a hand in the navigation which leads to a 15 minute detour to a dead end. Eventually we reach Leysdon-on-Sea which is the planned refreshment stop. This is not a particularly appealing resort, reminiscent of a number of small towns on the East Coast where the Amusement Arcades vie with the knick-knack stalls and the burger restaurants for the passing trade. John reports that his sunglasses purchased in Great Yarmouth from a similar location fell apart after a few months.

A pub is located and we wander in. The barman, rather than asking what we would like, announces that the toilets are not working and there is no water. The oddity of seeing numerous people carrying bottles of water is solved, it turns out that there is no water at all in this part of the island. There is alcohol available so the team has a refreshing pint to consider what to do. It is pretty hot and we have drunk all our water. We could walk to the distribution centre for bottled water that apparently exists. Instead, we buy a bottle from one of the locals who has broken his trip home from the distribution centre to have a beer. This is a very satisfactory transaction for all parties. He sells us 2 litres for a £1 that he has got for free. We are spared a half hour detour.

We get underway for a pleasant stroll along the sea wall leaving human habitation behind. There is some concern about whether we will be able to get a shower at the Ferry Inn. Happily it turns out that the location is so remote that it has its own supply. After a beer, Mike departs to help his son move house leaving Cathy, Helen Ben and John to have a good meal and sleep in the very comfortable inn.